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Tour Highlights
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Trip Includes
- 11 nights
accommodation in selected hotels
- 1 night Tel
Aviv
- 2 nights
Galilee
- 1 night
Haifa
- 4 nights
Jerusalem
- 2 nights Eilat
- 1 night Tel Aviv
- Breakfast daily and 5
dinners
- Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremony,
preparation and services at an additional cost of $895 per family
- Sightseeing per itinerary in
a modern air-conditioned motor coach with panoramic windows, reclining seats
and footrests
- Services of a friendly and
professional English-speaking Expedition Educator throughout the
trip
- Entrance fees per
itinerary
- All hotel and airport portage and
tipping included
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DAY
ONE: Sunday
DEPART USA
Overnight:
Flight
DAY TWO: Monday
ARRIVAL IN
ISRAEL
- Arrive at Ben Gurion International Airport.
- Welcome by our representative and
assistance with arrival formalities.
Transfer to Tel Aviv, known as the “city that
never sleeps” with its centers of culture and recreation such as the Habima
Theater, sprawling beaches, Dizengoff Street and Rabin Square.
- Check into the hotel.
- Meet your Expedition Educator and fellow
travelers and enjoy a Middle Eastern style dinner with a Yemenite touch at
Maganda, offering a varied selection of salads and grilled meats,
and located in the Yemenite Quarter of Tel Aviv.
- Da'at Encounter: An Inside
View of the Unique Character of the Country. Enjoy an active discussion
and walking tour with your tour educator through the colorful re-gentrified
Neve Zedek neighborhood or through the 'White City', the
collection of Tel Aviv's magnificent Bauhaus architectural structures,
now recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
Overnight: Tel Aviv
DAY THREE: Tuesday
ALONG THE
COAST
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Check out and depart the hotel.
- Begin your trip with an introduction and special visit
to Independence Hall, site of David Ben-Gurion's monumental proclamation of
the State of Israel in December 1948.
- Visit the Nachalat Binyamin pedestrian mall, with its
restored buildings and sidewalk artists, and continue onto the colorful Carmel
Market and then to Sheinkin, one of Israel's most avant-garde streets.
- Depart Tel Aviv.
- Lunch on your own at the Caesarea Port.
- Guided visit to Caesarea, one of the Land of Israel's
most important cities during the Roman Period; visit the Herodian Theater and
new excavations along the Mediterranean shore concluding with a visit to the
900-year-old Crusader city built on the same site.
- Summer programs:
- Walk through the 2,000 year old underground water tunnels at Park Alona, which once brought
water to Caesarea (water shoes recommended).
- Winter programs:
- Special visit to the Tavor Marzipan Factory and
Museum in Kfar Tavor
- All:
- Check into the kibbutz guesthouse.
- Dinner at the
guesthouse.
Overnight: Kibbutz Guesthouse,
Upper Galilee
DAY FOUR: Wednesday
NATURE AND
SECURITY
- Breakfast at the kibbutz guesthouse.
- Walk through the Tel Dan Nature Reserve located on the
largest tributary of the Jordan River and near the biblical settlement of Dan.
- Take a jeep tour climbing to the Golan Heights in the
footsteps of IDF soldiers and their battles in the Six Day War, to enjoy the
beautiful natural scenery and gain an insight into the strategic complexity of
the Golan, followed by a tour of the Golan Heights.
- Cross the Golan Plateau to the border with Syria and
observe the abandoned city of Kuneitra and the United Nations outpost located
nearby.
- Lunch on your own.
- Summer programs:
- Enjoy rafting or kayaking on the Jordan
River.
- Winter programs:
- Visit the Hula Nature Reserve and the Ophoria
Interactive Experience, connecting birds, water and the Zionist
endeavor.
- All:
- Return to the kibbutz for dinner at the guesthouse.
- Da'at Encounter: Optional visit with kibbutz
members.
Overnight: Kibbutz
Guesthouse, Upper Galilee
DAY FIVE: Thursday
WESTERN
GALILEE
- Breakfast at the kibbutz guesthouse.
- Check out and depart the kibbutz guesthouse.
- Explore Safed, a center of Jewish mysticism for
hundreds of years, and a contemporary artists' colony, including:
- Guided visits to the Ari, Caro and Abuhav Synagogues
with their great stories and mystical messages.
- A stroll through the quaint art galleries and shopping
in the artists' colony.
- Da'at Encounter: Participate in a program focused on
kabbalah through artwork.
- Continue to the Western Galilee.
- Drive north to Rosh Hanikra, a rock formation at the
very northern tip of Israel. Rosh Hanikra was created when the strong
Mediterranean waters carved subterranean tunnels out of the soft limestone
rock, creating beautiful caves and formations.
- Lunch on your own.
- Visit Acre (Akko), a UNESCO Heritage Site, and a
multi-layered experience from the days of the Crusades through contemporary
Israel, including guided visits to:
- The newly renovated Crusaders' City.
- The famous British prison used in pre-state days for
Jewish and Arab prisoners and the site of the famous prison break re-enacted
in the movie Exodus.
- The Ottoman fortifications around the city.
- Continue to Haifa.
- Check into the hotel.
- Da'at Encounter:
Visit a Druse village in the Carmel Mountains for a window into the
unique world of the Israeli Druse community, with a home hospitality
dinner.
Overnight: Haifa
DAY SIX: Friday
HEAVENLY AND
EARTHLY JERUSALEM
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Check out and depart the hotel.
- Drive to Jerusalem via the Trans-Israel Highway for a
close up view of the ‘Security Barrier' along the seam zone between Israel and
the Palestinian Territories.
- Stop at Mount Scopus to say the traditional
“shehechiyanu” blessing, recited upon entering Jerusalem, followed by an
introduction to the city.
- Walking tour through the Jewish Quarter of the Old
City of Jerusalem, for guided visits to some of the sites excavated over the
past 30 years, including:
- The Cardo, a Byzantine street that is now the oldest
shopping arcade in the world.
- The Hurva Square, the central square of the Jewish
Quarter.
- Guided visit through the 2,000-year old Herodian
Mansions in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City OR Guided visit to
the Davidson Archaeological Park with a special visit to the Davidson
Center, followed by a guided visit to the Southern Wall
Excavations.
- Visit the Western Wall Tunnel, the underground
continuation of the Western Wall alongside the Temple Mount.
- Experience the sites, smells, and tastes of Jerusalem
while walking through the Machaneh Yehuda market with lunch on your own.
- Check into the hotel.
- Da'at Encounter: Kabbalat Shabbat services at a Reform
synagogue in Jerusalem, followed by a dialogue with Israeli members of the
congregation.
- Festive Shabbat Dinner
Overnight: Jerusalem
DAY SEVEN: Saturday
SHABBAT IN
JERUSALEM
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Shabbat services.
- Lunch on your own.
- Mincha service with a bar/bat
mitzvah ceremony overlooking the Old City.
- Enjoy dinner on your own in
Jerusalem, at a choice of a wide array of restaurants.
Overnight: Jerusalem
DAY EIGHT: Sunday
THE LAYERS OF
JERUSALEM
- Early breakfast at the hotel.
- Depart the hotel.
- Guided visit through the newly renovated Yad Vashem
complex, the Jewish National Memorial to the six million Jews who perished in
the Holocaust, including: the new Historical Museum, and the Children's
Memorial, with a memorial service (children under 10 will have a separate
program).
- Lunch on own.
- Guided visit through the City of David's new
excavations, which have redefined the origins of Jerusalem; and possibly wade through the 2,600 year-old-Hezekiah's Water
Tunnel in the Kidron Valley (weather permitting, water shoes recommended).
- Return to the hotel.
- Enjoy dinner at Olive & Fish, a meat and fish
restaurant, located across from the Liberty Bell Gardens.
Adults
- Da'at Encounter: An Inside View into the Israeli
Political Arena, dialogue with a political analyst.
Youth
- Da'at Encounter: Special Mifgash with the Israeli youth
movement, including a falafel dinner.
Overnight: Jerusalem
DAY NINE: Monday
JEWISH STRATEGIES FOR
SURVIVAL
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Head south to Masada, Herod's mountain palace and site
of the Jewish Zealots' last stand against the Roman Legionnaires.
Discuss Masada's role as a symbol of Jewish defense and its current
significance in modern Israel.
- Experience the weightlessness of the Dead Sea as you
float in its waters.
- Lunch on your own.
- Short hike to Nahal David, the freshwater spring at
the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, a lush oasis in the Judean Desert overlooking the
Dead Sea.
- Return to Jerusalem.
- Enjoy dinner on your own in Jerusalem, choosing from a
wide array of restaurants.
Overnight: Jerusalem
DAY TEN: Tuesday
DIGGING FOR
ROOTS
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Depart the hotel.
- Take part in an active dig at the Beit Guvrin Caves
and prepare to get your hands dirty as you uncover pottery from the
Hellenistic period, 2,300 years ago, followed by a crawl through the Maresha
Cave Labyrinth.
- Lunch on your own.
- Visit the Ayalon Institute, near Rehovot, for an eye
opening tour of a clandestine munitions factory used during the British
Mandate.
- Da'at Encounter: Zedek Project in the field with a hands-on
experience.
- Return to Jerusalem.
Transfer to Sde Dov
Airport.
Check in for domestic
flight.
Depart Tel Aviv on Israir
flight.
Transfer from Eilat airport to
hotels.
Check into the hotel.
Enjoy dinner on your own at one of
the various restaurants in Eilat.
Overnight:
Eilat
DAY ELEVEN: Wednesday,
THE WONDERS OF THE RED
SEA
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Fun in the Sun in Eilat with optional water sports,
hiking, jeep trip and much more, on own.
- Optional guided tour of the 1,800-year-old Nabatean
city of Petra, recognized as one of the Ten Wonders of the World, including
lunch (not includedin overall price).
- Enjoy dinner on your own at one of the various
restaurants in Eilat.
Overnight: Eilat
DAY TWELVE: Thursday,
EILAT TO TEL AVIV
- Breakfast at the hotel.
- Check out of the hotel and store luggage with the
hotel security.
- Free day in Eilat.
- Transfer from hotels to Eilat airport.
- Check in for domestic flight.
- Depart Eilat on Israir flight.
- Arrive at Sde Dov Airport and transfer to Tel Aviv
hotel.
- Check into the hotel.
Free evening and dinner on your own in Tel
Aviv.
Overnight: Tel Aviv
DAY THIRTEEN: Friday,
RETURN
TO THE U.S
- Check out of the hotel.
- Transfer to the airport for
flight home. (Airport transfers included. Please allow a minimum of three
hours for check-in).
- Flight back to the U.S. (Arrival
on the same day).
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Need to Know
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- Tour prices are per person in U.S.
dollars. All hotel accommodations, motor coach transportation, special
dinners, sightseeing, admissions, luggage handling and the services of local
guides, drivers, and the Expedition Educator are included.
- Hotel Accommodations: The
tour price includes all hotel accommodations, in hotel rooms with private
baths. Our standard is to provide the best available hotels while considering
value. Although the level of the accommodations may differ slightly from hotel
to hotel, we are committed to your comfort. Two-bed rooms are reserved in most
hotels. Triples are two-bed rooms with a rollaway cot where available and are
not recommended when considering the comfort of those in the room. King-size
beds are not available in most hotels; what is considered king-size usually
consists of two single beds pushed together and made up separately, but with
one headboard. Some two-bed rooms may have two twin - not full- or queen-size
- beds.
- Meals are included as
specified in the itinerary.
- Expedition Educator: All
trips are conducted by our Expedition Educators or local guides who remain
with the group throughout the tour.
- Gratuities Included: All
gratuities for restaurant and hotel staff.
- Luggage Responsibility: All tour
packages allow one piece of luggage per person and one carry-on bag. Excess
luggage will be subject to charge of up to $100 per piece. The Travel Agent
and/or Tour Operator shall not be held responsible for any damage to or loss
of luggage/personal items. All damage/loss must be reported at time of
incident and documented in writing by local authorities for submission to your
insurance company.
Not Included
- Airfare to the tour
departure point and from the tour ending point is not included. Airfare may be
purchased from us for travel originating in the United States. Please see
Flights tab in the right-side toolbar.
- Personal Expenses: All
personal expenses such as: laundry, valet service, cables, telephone calls and
postage are not included.
- Guide and Driver
Gratuities:
- 4 seater -
$70 (i.e. 2 pax) - per day
- 7 seater - $90
(i.e. 3-5 pax) - per day
- 10 seater - $110
(i.e. 5-7 pax) - per day
- 10-19
passengers: Guide $10, driver $5 - per participant per day
- 20 passengers
and more: Guide $8, driver $4 - per participant per
day
Additional Information
- Airline Security Measures:
In the U.S., you must provide identification in the form of a passport at the
time of airport check-in for travel to international destinations. Your
passport name must match the name on your tour reservation and airline ticket
or you may be denied boarding.
- If you are traveling from an
airport outside the jurisdiction of the U.S, you will need to determine what
travel documentation and identification is required for that particular
airport.
- Due to heightened security
regulations, certain items such as a metal nail file, pocketknife, cigarette
lighter or tweezers, and some liquid, gel, or aerosol items may not be
permitted in your carry-on luggage. Please call your airline prior to
departure to obtain current information on non-permissible carry-on items and
recommended airport check-in times. You may also wish to visit the
Transportation Security Administration website at www.tsa.gov to obtain more
information on acceptable identity documentation and prohibited luggage
items.
- Holidays and Museum Closures
- Museum visits and personal shopping time may be disrupted due to unforeseen
circumstances or the many religious, state and local holidays locally observed
in the destinations being visited.
- Photography During Tours: We will
occasionally use photographs taken by fellow guests or your trip director for
promotional purposes. If you prefer that your photo not be used in any
marketing activities, please notify us at the start of your
tour.
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