June 10th – 26th, 2024
A SPECIal FCF Television tour of the Holyland, Israel
with Pastor Jeff & Sharon Futers and Guide Isaac Karasenti
This tour of Israel is like no other and will span the entire country in 16 days! Be on TV! Come and be a part of filming the next two seasons of our First Century Foundations television show with Hosts Jeff and Sharon Futers and Tour Guide extraordinaire, Isaac Karasenti from June 10th to June 26th, 2024! Our tour aims to provide you with a deeply spiritual experience in Israel while learning about amazing Biblical sites all across the land. The itinerary begins in Jerusalem, where participants will explore sacred sites such as the City of David, the Western Wall, the Pool of Bethesda, and the Garden Tomb. The tour continues to Bethlehem, Hebron, and Susya, delving into the rich history of these locations as it relates to the Bible. The journey proceeds to Haifa, Caesarea, Megiddo, and Mount Carmel, offering panoramic views and insights into Biblical themes and ancient worship practices. In Tiberias, visitors will visit Mount of Beatitudes, Capernaum, and Magdala, connecting with Jesus’ ministry in the Galilee. The pilgrimage concludes with a visit to the Dead Sea, Masada, and Eilat, allowing for moments of reflection and relaxation all along the way.
PRICING
- $6,999 Per Person
Double-occupancy from Toronto Pearson
- $2,825 Single Supplement
- $500 Deposit (Non-refundable*)
*$500 deposit is required to hold your space and is non-refundable. Full payment due 60 days prior to departure. Eligible refunds after this point as noted in Terms & Conditions on registration form.
Contact miki@yyztravel.com for more information.
Biblical tour
Itinerary
Monday June 10
DAY 1
Depart Toronto
Board your overnight flight to Israel.
Thursday April 11
DAY 2
Welcome to Israel
After clearing immigration and customs, meet with your guide and travel by modern coach to the ancient port city of Jaffa, (Joppa), one of the oldest cities in the Holyland and is considered the “gateway” to the rest of the land. A short walking tour will bring you to the house of Simon the Tanner. Drive to the Valley of Elah, traditionally attributed to the site where David slew Goliath. Check in at your hotel. Overnight: Jerusalem x 4 nights. (D)
Wednesday June 12
DAY 3
Jerusalem
A full day exploring Jerusalem. Begin at the excavated City of David, outside the old city walls with water supply, tunnels and while exploring learn of its importance in the history of Jerusalem. Proceed to the Old City entering via the Huldah Gates, built as part of the Herodian Temple Mount. Spend time at the most important site for Jews, the Western Wall. Learning more about its history, an expedition through the Western Wall Tunnels exiting in the Arab Quarter. Continue to the Pool of Bethesda, where in John 5:2 is the account of Jesus healing a paralyzed man at a pool. Walk through the Jewish Quarter exiting from the Armenian Quarter to Mount Zion, and the site of the traditional Room of the Last Supper. (BD)
Thursday June 13
DAY 4
Jerusalem
Begin the day at the Mount of Olives, with its magnificent view overlooking the walls of the Old City. Walk the Palm Sunday route stopping at Dominus Flevit, where the “Lord Wept”. At the foot of the Mount of Olives, enter the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus met with his disciples and spent his last hours of freedom. Drive to the Church of St. Peter in Gallicantu where Peter denied knowing Jesus three times. Walk along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, site where Catholics and Eastern Orthodox believe Jesus rose. Visit the Garden Tomb for a prayer service and site where Christians believe the stone protecting the body of Jesus moved and he rose. At the Israel Museum, see a scale model of Jerusalem during the 2nd Temple period. View the “Shrine of the Book”, and the Dead Sea Scrolls. (BD)
Friday June 14
DAY 5
Jerusalem
In the Herodian Quarter, get a rare glimpse into the daily lives of people like us who lived in the city 2000 years ago. Drive the short distance to Bethlehem, where a local guide will escort you to Shepherd’s Field. Before leaving the city, an opportunity to shop privately at one of the olive wood shops owned by a local Christian family. If the Security situation is acceptable, stop in Hevron, site of Rachel’s Tomb. Continue to Susya, a religious communal in Area C of the West Bank. Located near but not atop the ancient Jewish village and synagogue in the archaeological site of Susya. (BD)
Saturday June 15
DAY 6
Jerusalem/Tel Aviv
Visit Beit El, an Israeli settlement and local council located in the Binyamin Region of the West Bank. Next visit is Shilo, an ancient city in Samaria mentioned in the Hebrew Bible. In the same region is Mt. Gerizim, one of two mountains in the immediate vicinity of the West Bank city of Nablus and biblical city of Shechem. Continue to Jacob’s Well, also known as Jacob’s fountain and Well of Sychar. It is situated inside an Eastern Orthodox church and monastery, in Balata village on the outskirts of the Palestinian city of Nablus in the West Bank. Overnight: Tel Aviv x 1 night. (BD)
Sunday June 16
DAY 7
Tel Aviv/Haifa
Drive along the Mediterranean coast to the ancient city of Caesarea, Roman capital and port where Paul was imprisoned, and the first gentile was converted. Walk the excavated ruins including the theatre, still in use today, hippodrome, site of gladiator fights and chariot races, and King Herod’s Palace. Continue inland to Megiddo, referred to as Armageddon and is at the crossroads of an ancient trading route. cistern. Continue to the Carmelite Monastery and Mt. Carmel, a High Place of worship to the false god of Baal and Asherah during the period of Judges, 1 & 2 Samuel, and 1 & 2 Kings. It has a spectacular view of the Jezreel Valley, also known as the Valley of Armageddon/ Enjoy a panoramic view of the city, Baha’i Gardens & Shrine and Haifa Bay. Overnight: Haifa x 2 nights. (BD)
Monday June 17
DAY 8
Haifa
Drive along the Mediterranean coast towards to port of Acco, (Acre) and explore the fascinating excavations of the Crusader Castle, it’s tunnels and massive interiors. Continue north to Rosha Hanikra, the border between Israel and Lebanon. There is a unique and beautiful grotto at the bottom of the cliff, accessed by cable car and also the remains of the train tunnel that linked these 2 countries until Israel destroyed it as a safety measure to avoid any enemy factions from infiltrating Israel. A pleasant drive will bring you to Zippori, (Sepphoris). A Jewish city during the time of Jesus, he probably spent time there on his way to his hometown of Nazareth and Capernaum. One of the excavations revealed a beautiful mosaic floor in pristine condition and has been labelled the “Mona Lisa of Galilee”. End the day at Beit Shearim, (“House of Gates”) an extensive necropolis of rock-cut tombs near the remains of the ancient Jewish town, now a National Park. (BD)
Tuesday June 18
DAY 9
Haifa/Tiberias
Head towards Jesus’ boyhood city of Nazareth. Explore the Church of the Annunciation, Mary’s Well and Josephs workshop. Stop in Cana, site of the Wedding Church, where Jesus turned water into wine. Drive to Mount Tabor. Ascend by minivan to the mountain top and the Church of the Transfiguration. Proceed to Harod (Gideon Spring) and emerges from a cave at the foothills of Mount Gilboa. Walk through the amazing and extensive excavations of Beit Shean, one of the oldest cities in the Holyland and where the bodies of King Saul and three of his sons were hung by the Philistines after the Battle of Gilboa. Overnight: Tiberias x 3 nights. (BD)
Wednesday June 1919
DAY 10
Tiberias
A busy day visiting many of the sites central to Jesus’ ministry in the Galilee including Mount of Beatitudes, Tabqa…miracle of the fishes and loaves, Capernaum, Bethsaida, Corazim, Kursi and excavations at Magdala, presumed to be the home of Mary Magdalene. (BD)
Thursday June 20
DAY 11
Tiberias
Driving to the northern region of the Galilee, spend time visiting Tel Dan, Caesarea Philippi (Banias), Nimrod Fortress, Mount Hermon, the Golan Heights, Oz 77 Valley of Tears, the name given to an area in the Golan Heights after it became the site of a major battle in the 1973 Yom Kippur War. End the day with a relaxing cruise on the Sea of Galilee in a reproduction of the ancient fishing boats. (BD)
Thursday June 20
DAY 12
Tiberias/Dead Sea
Depart the lush fertile sites of the Galilee travelling south towards the Jordan Valley, a barren and desert region. Stop at Kesar el Yahud (original baptismal site), before continuing to Jericho, part of the Palestinian Authority. Continue parallel to the Dead Sea to Qumran, site of the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947. Check in at your resort hotel across the shores of the Dead Sea. Time to relax and experience weightlessness with a float in the mineral rich waters. Overnight: Dead Sea x 2 nights. (BD)
Saturday June 22
DAY 13
Dead Sea
Early departure this morning to ascend to the mountaintop of Masada. The history of this fortress is well documented first as one of King Herod’s “cities” and where the Jewish Zealots held off the Roman army and later committed mass suicide rather than be slaughtered of enslaved. Continue to Ein Gedi, a beautiful oasis in the desert, a kibbutz community and guest village. Before returning to the hotel, visit Tel Arad- Big Machtesh, steep rock cliffs surrounding a closed valley drained by a single wadi are the product of erosion. (BD)
Sunday June 23
DAY 14
Dead Sea/Eilat
On the road again to Eilat visiting Ein Avdat (zin), Sde Boker, a kibbutz in the Negev desert of southern Israel. Best known as the retirement home of Israel’s first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion. Stop at Avdat, a Nabataean city and Mitzpe Ramon and crater. It’s moonlike topography is an amazing site. Paran (numbers 13 – “So at the LORD’s command Moses sent them out from the Desert of Paran”). Overnight: Eilat x 2 nights (BD)
Monday June 24
DAY 15
Eilat
Drive north to Timna Park, location of ancient copper mines and a fascinating replica of the biblical tabernacle. Return to Eilat to enjoy the hotel pool and perhaps activities around the Red Sea. (BD)
Tuesday June 25
DAY 16
Eliat/Tel Aviv
Drive to the Sinai border and then the Red Canyon. On route to Tel Aviv, stop at Tel Sheva and Beersheva, adopted home of David Ben Gurion and the university of the same name. One last stop is in Ashkelon, the oldest and largest seaport in Canaan, part of the pentapolis (a grouping of five cities) of the Philistines. North of Gaza and south of Tel Aviv. Overnight: Tel Aviv x 1 night. (BD)Drive to the Sinai border and then the Red Canyon. On route to Tel Aviv, stop at Tel Sheva and Beersheva, adopted home of David Ben Gurion and the university of the same name. One last stop is in Ashkelon, the oldest and largest seaport in Canaan, part of the pentapolis (a grouping of five cities) of the Philistines. North of Gaza and south of Tel Aviv. Overnight: Tel Aviv x 1 night. (BD)
Wednesday June 26
DAY 17
Tel Aviv/Toronto
Transfer to Ben Gurion Airport for security procedures and check.
Included:
- Return flights in economy class on Air Canada including all taxes & fees
- Meeting and assistance on arrival at Ben Gurion Airport by our local representative
- Arrival/departure transfers on group basis
- Porterage at hotels of 1 checked bag per person
- 15 full days air-conditioned vehicle
- 15 full days of sightseeing with government licensed English speaking guide
- Entrance fees as per the itinerary
- Headsets
- Buffet breakfast & dinner daily at hotels
Excluded:
- Travel insurance — optional but recommended
- Lunches or beverages not indicated as included
- Items of a personal nature
- Any items not mentioned above as “included”
- Gratuities to guides, drivers, hotel staff, boat crew in the Galilee