Israel & Jordan with Dead Sea - Winter 2020 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 trip.

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. At night, enjoy a traditional Shabbat dinner. (Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner with Wine)

Day 3: Caesarea, Acre, Nazareth and 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, before continuing to Nazareth. 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. (Breakfast / Lunch)

Day 4: To the Dead Sea.

Visit the ancient wooden boat that dates back to when Jesus was alive, and enjoy a cruise on the Sea of Galilee. 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 5: 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. Pass the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found at Qumran. 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 6: Exploring Jerusalem.

Visit Yad Vashem, a memorial for those who perished in the Holocaust. Continue to the Israel Museum and the Shrine of the Book wing which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls. (Breakfast)

Day 7: Optional Bethlehem Experience and Jerusalem.

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, all travellers will 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 8: from Jerusalem to Amman.

Travel through the Judaean Desert to the border of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. With the formalities completed, 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 9: Exploring Amman and Jerash.

After breakfast, depart for Iraq Al Amir, for a visit to the Women’s Association to see the fantastic work they are doing providing training and work opportunities for women in the region. The Association is supported by Insight through The Treadright Foundation. 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. (Breakfast / Lunch)

Day 10: 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 at the Marriott Petra. (Breakfast / Dinner)

Day 11: Madaba, Mount Nebo, Shobak and on to 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. Tonight, dine with locals at the Ammarin Camp. (Breakfast / Dinner with Wine)

Day 12: Wadi Rum with the Bedouin.

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

Day 13: Amman.

If you wish, start the day with sunrise yoga at the Bedouin camp. Visit the Citadel which is surrounded by a 1700m long wall and see the Temple of Hercules and the Ummayad Palace. Also visit the Archaelogical Museum and Roman Amphitheatre. Later, return to the Jordanian capital where you are at leisure. (Breakfast / Dinner)

Day 14: Optional Dead Sea Extension.

Transfer to the Dead Sea for its warm, soothing mineral-rich waters. Pamper yourself at your resort which offers a wide range of treatments to soothe the body and mind. (Breakfast / Dinner)

Day 15: Dead Sea at Leisure.

Enjoy the entire day at your leisure. Lying more than 400 metres below sea level, this is Earth's lowest point on dry land. Its famous hypersaline water makes floating easy. The surrounding desert offers many oases and historic sites to explore. (Breakfast / Dinner)

Day 16: Depart Amman.

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