This tour
will be led by John Hodges (Van), who has traveled
extensively, and visited much of the Middle East the last 12
years, including numerous visits to Jordan and Egypt. He has
created and led five tours to these areas. He is a graduate
of Moody Bible Institute, and has been a student and teacher
of the Bible, Biblical history, and Bible prophecy for 37
years. This is a great tour for laypersons, retirees,
students (high school, college, seminary), and pastors.
Some call
Jordan and Egypt part of The Holy Land as the Israelites,
and Abraham, Ishmael, Joseph, Jacob, Esau, Moses, Aaron,
Joshua, David, Jeroboam, Elijah, Elisha, Joahaz, Jeremiah,
Mary and Joseph, Jesus, John the Baptist, and the Apostle
Paul all spent time in these lands. Besides studying the
ancient history and ruins of these two countries on this
tour, there will be a focus on seeing the places where the
Israelites traveled and temporarily inhabited. These places
played a major role in their Biblical history, but are not
part of the “Promised Land” they will inherit in the future
for eternity.
Day 1, June 2: Departure
Today we embark on our overnight flight. Prepare yourself
for a life-changing experience, as tomorrow you will be
arriving in the Holy Land.
Day 2, June 3: Arrival
We arrive at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel. Our
transportation takes us north thru the Biblical Sharon
Valley to our hotel in Netanya, perched on beach sand cliffs
overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. There we enjoy dinner and
overnight stay.
Day 3, June 4: Gadara, Pella, Jerash, Amman, Bethany beyond
the Jordan
An early departure from our hotel takes us to Sheikh Hussein
Bridge. After meeting our guide and completing passport
formalities, we enter the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. By
motor coach we travel to a scenic overlook of Pella, where
the Jerusalem Church fled in 65 A.D. We then continue to
Jordan’s northern border to the ancient ruins of Gadara, the
mountain top city center of the Gadarene Demoniacs, and from
there we will be able to view the nearby Sea of Galilee
where Jesus had His encounter with them. We head back south
to Jerash, ancient Gerasa of Roman Times, the city center of
the Gerasenes, one of the best-preserved and most complete
provincial Roman cities. Gerasa was one of the cities of the
Decapolis, a confederation of 10 Graeco-Roman cities dating
from the 1st century BC situated in Jordan, Syria and
Israel. Known for its extraordinary state of preservation,
the ruins indicate human occupations at this location for
more than 2,500 years. The most well known monuments include
the colonnaded street with sewers, the Temple of Zeus, the
theatre, the Forum, and Hadrian’s Arch. Next, we drive
further south thru the area that once was settled by the
ancient Ammonites and Amorites, but later became part of
ancient Israel where 2½ tribes settled. We cross over the
Jabbok River where Jacob wrestled with God, then past the
present capital of Amman, which once was the Decapolis city
of Philadelphia and Old Testament Ammonite city of Rabbah.
We finish the day with a visit to Bethany Beyond the Jordan,
where John The Baptist did some baptizing and possibly where
he baptized Jesus. It was in this vicinity that the Prophets
Elijah and Elisha did some ministry, and where Joshua and
the Israelites crossed into the Promised Land thru the
parted Jordan River. We arrive at our luxurious hotel spa by
the Dead Sea with an optional swim in the Sea or hotel
pools.
Day 4, June 5: Mt Nebo,
Medeba, Arnon River, Petra
This day follows the reverse path of the Israelites on their
way from the wilderness to the promised land. We ascend to
Mt. Nebo where it is believed Moses saw the Promised Land
and was buried in the adjacent valley. The mountain commands
a spectacular view of Jericho, the Jordan Valley, and the
Dead Sea. Our drive continues to the town of Madaba, the
biblical Medeba. Madaba is best known for its Byzantine and
Umayyad mosaics and the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George,
where the earliest original surveying map of the Holy Land
is pictured on a mosaic floor. Next we drive south onto the
Biblical King’s Highway to the ancient border of Moab at the
Arnon River canyons, for a scenic view, and then on to the
desert highway traveling thru ancient Edom. We arrive at
Petra and there we walk thru the “Siq”, an immense crack in
the Nubian sandstone, to the city of ancient Petra. 2000
years ago the Nabateans carved this city out of the rose red
rock. The Treasury, El Khazneh, is one of the most elegant
remains of antiquity. The canyon walls on both sides have
hundreds of Petra’s carved and built structures. We
overnight in Petra.
Day 5, June 6: Aqaba, Tabernacle, Eilat, Taba, Red Sea,
Nuweiba
Our time in Jordan soon ends as we head south from Petra
into ancient Midian, where the fugitive Moses settled for
forty years. We arrive near the Red Sea or Gulf of Aqaba at
the outskirts of Aqaba, Biblical Ezion Geber, where King
Solomon based his fleet of ships. We cross the Arava boarder
into Israel and visit a nearby life-size Biblical Tabernacle
model, view a film, and see closed copper mines from King
Solomon and the ancient Egyptians. We drive to Eilat on the
Red Sea, which is Biblical Elath, and cross the border near
Taba, Egypt. We meet our Egyptian guide and travel by bus
south to Nuweiba to enjoy a relaxing time at our beach hotel
and optional swim in the Red Sea. It is possible the
Israelites crossed the Red Sea from this beach and where the
water covered Pharaoh’s army over three millennia ago. Many
call Egypt part of The Holy Land as Abraham, Joseph, Jacob,
Israelites, Moses, Aaron, Joshua, Jeroboam, Joahaz,
Jeremiah, Joseph, Mary and Jesus all lived there.
Day 6, June 7: Mount Sinai
We drive a short distance to the traditional Mount Sinai or
Mount Horeb, the Mountain of God, where Moses received the
Ten Commandments, Jewish Laws, and Tabernacle Plans. Elijah
fled from Jezebel and King Ahab to a cave there. At its base
our tour begins with St. Catherine Monastery that stores
some of the oldest manuscript copies of the Greek New
Testament in existence today. For those who are able, the
group will ascend to the 7,500-foot summit of the second
highest mountain in Egypt either by camel or by walking. We
get a panoramic view of the mountains that have changing
shades of colors as the sun crosses the sky. After a
terrific view of the Sinai desert and hidden patches of
grass used by grazing flocks, we descend back down the
conquered mountain and retire to our nearby hotel.
Day 7, June 8: Sinai Desert, Suez Canal, Cairo, Nile River
We leave Mount Sinai for our long drive in an air
conditioned motor coach across the Sinai Desert, Wilderness
of Paran, Wilderness of Sin, and Wilderness of Shur, the
path the Israelites possibly used when fleeing Egypt during
the Exodus. Our visits along the way are at the traditional
stops of the Israelites at Rephidim where Moses struck the
rock to get water and where they battled the Amalekites, the
Oasis of Elim along the Gulf of Suez, the site of many
springs and palm trees, and Marah Springs, where bitter
waters were turned sweet for Israelite consumption. We turn
and cross under the manmade Suez Canal connecting the Gulf
of Suez with the Mediterranean Sea. Passing thru the
Southern edge of the Land of Goshen where Joseph settled his
family and Hebrew brethren, we arrive at the capital of
Cairo and cross the famous Nile River flowing thru the
middle of it, the centerpiece of Egypt’s long history. We
see busy boat traffic, lush vegetation, palm trees and
hearty crops created by millenniums of irrigation practices
and methods. Our long distance travel ends at our hotel
beginning a three nights stay. After dinner we see the Sound
and Light Show at the Giza Pyramids.
Day 8, June 9: Pyramids, Sphinx, Memphis, Sakkara, Abusir,
Dahshur
This day is spent around Cairo where we drive along Nile fed
canals and lush vegetation, farms and farm animals. Our
first stop brings us to the nearby ancient capital of
Memphis that dates back to 3100 BC. We see a female Sphinx
carved out of Alabaster Stone and the famous Colossus of
Ramses. Our bus then takes us to neighboring Sakkara.
Suddenly the vegetation stops and is contrasted by totally
barren desert and the presence of the majestic pyramids and
tombs. These were built as early as 2560 BC and have
intrigued engineers ever since on how they did it. We view
the Step Pyramid built in 2650 BC, which is the oldest of
the 97 Pyramids found in Egypt. The morning is finished with
visits to the many Pyramids and tombs at Sakkara, Abusir,
Dahshur and Abu Ghauob. We then head north to see the Giza
Pyramid Complex and the Great Pyramid of Khufu, or Cheops,
originally at 482 feet, was the tallest human structure on
the Earth until the 1800’s AD. It is the only remaining
structure of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World.
Renovations now allow entrance to this ancient tomb in the
heart of the Pyramid through original tunnel shafts. Next to
the large Giza Pyramids, we visit the famous male Sphinx
statue with a lion’s body and human face. This mammoth
statue was carved out of the original bedrock as early as
2550 BC. Though the Sphinx has been covered numerous times
by the desert sand, it is completely exposed today for our
enjoyment.
Day 9, June 10: Egypt Museum, Pharaonic Village, Nile River
Our final day of touring begins at the famous Egyptian
Museum which has the largest collection of Egyptian
artifacts in the world. Realistic statues of Pharaohs are
there with eyes that make them look alive. Ancient weapons
of war and expensive items laden with gold, gems and ivory
are on display, plus many well preserved mummies. Most of
the items were recovered from Pyramids and tombs. In the
afternoon we visit the Pharaonic Village to see displays and
live demonstrations about ancient Egyptian life. Afterward
we end the day with a short relaxing sailboat cruise on the
Nile River.
Day 10, June 11: Return flight home
We leave the ancient sites in our memories and return to
modern times by departing from the Cairo airport for our
return flight home.
Click here to read testimonials from past tours
|
|
Chicago O'Hare (ORD) |
Land Only |
|
Price Per Person
Double Occupancy
(based on a minimum of 10 passengers) |
$2,550.00 |
$1,650.00 |
|
Single Supplement |
Limited Space - Reserve Early! |
$241.00 |
Deposit:
$300 per person is required to secure a reservation.
Final Payment: 60 days before departure.
Price Includes:
Airfare from Chicago (discount airfare available
nationwide),
First
class lodging, full time tour escort, breakfast & dinner
daily, guides, gratuities, Jordan, Israel, and Egypt visa &
border taxes, entrance fees, and transportation as appear on
itinerary with services of long distance deluxe motorcoach.
Not Included:
Air taxes (based on airfare purchased), Fuel charges and air taxes can be $300 or more, lunches,
optional travel insurance, payment by credit card for land
portion (additional 3% surcharge.)
