Israel & Jordan - Small Group, 2021

Day 1: Welcome to Tel Aviv

You will be met at Ben Gurion Airport and driven to your hotel in Tel Aviv. At 19:30 meet your travel companions for a Welcome Reception and a short introduction to your Israeli adventures.

Day 2: Exploring Vibrant Tel Aviv

Morning sightseeing showcases the highlights of this vibrant city including the Habimah National Theatre, Rabin Square and Carmel Market. Venture along the seashore to the ancient city of Jaffa to see the famous clock tower and the old harbour. Visit the artists' quarter with its galleries, boutiques and picturesque narrow lanes. Walk along the seaside promenade at sunset for spectacular views, as local musicians and street artists take to the stage. (Breakfast)

Day 3: Caesarea to Galilee

Travel from Tel Aviv, along the coastal road to Caesarea. Explore the ancient Roman and Crusader ruins, including the huge amphitheatre. Travel via Haifa to Acre, fought over for centuries and captured in turn by Saracens and Crusaders, including Richard the Lionheart. See the fortress, the old harbour area and Crusader crypt. Continue to Nazareth and visit one of Christianity’s most sacred places, the Church of Annunciation, built on the site where the angel Gabriel is said to have appeared to Mary. Head on to your hotel in Tiberias, which is located on the Sea of Galilee. The day concludes with a brief introduction to life on a Kibbutz. This evening, break traditional challah bread with your travel companions over a cheerful Shabbat dinner. (Breakfast / Dinner with Wine)

Day 4: Golan Heights

Journey to Golan Heights and visit a winery known for producing Israel’s leading wines. Learn about the distinctive features of the region before indulging in a wine tasting. (Breakfast)

Day 5: To the Dead Sea

Explore Galilee with Insight Choice. Join a relaxing cruise on Lake Kinneret or meet one of the fishermen who found the Ancient Galilee Boat and hear the story of its excavation. Visit Capernaum, where Jesus is said to have entered the Synagogue to teach, before heading to the Mount of Beatitudes, where he preached the Sermon on the Mount. Journey through ever-changing landscapes along the Jordan Valley, past ancient Jericho, to take a dip in the buoyant salt waters of the Dead Sea. (Breakfast / Dinner)

Day 6: Masada and the Holy City of Jerusalem

Take a cable car ride up to the fortress of Masada, where Jewish Zealots held out for three years against Herod's armies. Travel through the Judean Hills to Mount Scopus for breathtaking views of Jerusalem. Visit King David's Tomb on Mount Zion, and the Room of the Last Supper. Enter the Old City and follow the winding cobbled alleyways to the magnificent Wailing Wall, the most sacred monument in Judaism. (Breakfast)

Day 7: Exploring Jerusalem

Today is dedicated to exploring the multiple facets of Jerusalem. Visit Yad Vashem, a memorial for those who perished in the Holocaust. Continue to the Israel Museum and retrace the history of the city. Visit the Shrine of the Book, home to ancient Dead Sea scrolls, and look out for the most ancient one, the Isaiah scroll, dating from the third century B.C. (Breakfast)

Day 8: Optional Bethlehem Experience

Enjoy a relaxed morning or alternatively choose to meet your Local Expert at the West Bank border and continue to the Holy city of Bethlehem. The Optional Experience includes visiting the Church of the Nativity, one of the oldest continuously operating churches in the world. The structure is built over the cave that tradition marks as the birthplace of Christ, and is considered sacred by followers of both Christianity and Islam. In the afternoon, visit the Garden of Gethsemene and walk through the Old City to see the Temple Mount, one of Islam’s holiest sites. Continue along the Via Dolorosa past the Stations of the Cross, Ecce Homo Arch, and the Pool of Bethesda, to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. At night, toast your adventures over a hearty Highlight Dinner with wine. (Breakfast / Dinner with Wine)

Day 9: From Jerusalem to Amman

Travel through the Judaean Desert to the border of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. You are met on the other side to journey through a landscape that has changed little in the last 2,000 years. Once at your Amman hotel, relax and settle in before joining your Jordanian Travel Director for drinks and dinner. (Breakfast / Dinner with Wine)

Day 10: Exploring Amman and Jerash

After breakfast depart for Iraq Al-Amir, a women's cooperative involving women and girls from nearby Wadi Al Seer villages. The Association is supported by Insight Vacations through The TreadRight Foundation and provides training and work opportunities for women in the region. Then, the journey to Jerash reveals the most beautifully preserved example of a Greco-Roman city still in existence. Enter through Hadrian's Arch, to explore the grand ruins of the Temples of Artemis and Zeus, where you can listen to the Whispering Column. Overlook the vast Oval Plaza and Cardo Maximus, the key Roman road. Return to Amman where the rest of the day is at leisure. (Breakfast / Lunch)

Day 11: Red city of Petra

Continue to Mount Nebo, one of the most revered holy sites of Jordan, where Moses stood and saw before him the Promised Land. At Madaba, visit the famous Greek Orthodox Church of St. George with its amazing 6th century mosaic map depicting the entire Holy Land, stretching from Jordan and Palestine in the north, to Egypt in the south. Follow the King's Highway to visit Shobak, an authentic 12th century crusader fortress, perched on the side of a rocky mountain, standing guard over a barren and desolate land. Admire the towers and Arabic calligraphy on the external walls before discovering the original Crusader chapel, palace complex, and even a set of secret passages!Then head south for one of the highlights of your journey: the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Petra, voted one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. (Breakfast / Dinner / Dinner with Wine)

Day 12: Exploring the Lost City of Petra

This day is devoted to the beautiful ‘rose-red city, half as old as time'. You enter this lost city through a narrow gorge, the Siq, with walls that rise up to 200 metres. Emerge from the path to see the magnificent Treasury, carved out of solid rock and standing over 40 metres high. Wind your way through the canyon to explore the Roman Amphitheatre, which once seated 3,000 spectators, and the ancient tombs.Tonight, dine with locals in a stunning backdrop at the Ammarin desert camp. (Breakfast / Dinner)

Day 13: Wadi Rum with the Bedouin

Head to Wadi Rum. Enjoy beautiful vistas as you make your way on a jeep safari deep into the heart of Wadi Rum's majestic desert. Enjoy the spectacular Bedouin hospitality tonight as you dine with locals under the stars, and stay in elegant simplicity in a desert camp for the night. (Breakfast / Dinner)

Day 14: Amman

If you wish, start the day with sunrise yoga at the Bedouin camp, before returning to Amman.Explore Amman with Insight Choice. Join a guided sightseeing to discover the highlights of the city and learn about the history and culture. Alternatively, explore Amman's street art scene on a guided graffiti walking tour.Later, check in at your hotel where the rest of your day is at leisure.Join in a lively dinner to celebrate the end of your Jordanian adventures. (Breakfast / Dinner with Wine)

Day 15: Depart Amman

After breakfast, you are transferred to Amman Airport for your onward flight. (Breakfast)