Israel 12 Day Private Jewish Heritage Tour with Petra & Pyramids

Arrive in Israel. Meet Noah Tours’ representative who will assist with customs. Proceed to the hotel. Dinner and overnight in Tel Aviv.

Drive north to Caesarea, once the Roman capital of the region. See the excavations of the crusaders’ city, the aqueduct, and the amphitheater which has been restored as a concert venue. Proceed to Haifa for a panoramic view from Mount Carmel and visit «AF AL PI CHEN», the naval museum of the illegal immigration to Israel at the time of the British mandate. Drive to Acre; walk along the old harbor and local market. Continue to the northernmost point of Israel at Rosh Hanikra. Descend by cable into the limestone grottoes. Dinner and overnight in the Kibbutz Hotel.

Drive to Safed, the center of the Kaballa movement; visit the Joseph Caro and the Ha’Ari synagogues, the most important synagogues in the city; stroll around the Artists’ quarter. Continue to the Golan Heights; stop at an observation point over the city of Kuneitra and the Syrian territory. Stop at Tel Facher, a former Syrian army camp; visit the Banias springs. Next, a visit to Tel-Hai; see the «Roaring Lion» monument and learn about the heroic battle of Josef Trumpeldor and his comrades in 1920. Dinner and overnight in Kibbutz Hotel.

Drive to Tiberias to visit Rambam’s grave; proceed to Beit Shean, the biggest archeological park in Israel with beautiful excavations from the Roman and Byzantine periods. Stop at Beit Alpha to see the beautiful mosaic floor of a synagogue from the Byzantine period. Onto Gan Hashlosha (Sachne), where you will have an opportunity to enjoy the water springs located at the foot of the Gilboa mountain, the famous mountain on which King Saul was killed in the battle against the Philistines. Continue via the Jordan valley to Jerusalem. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

At the start of the morning, drive to the crest of Mt. of Olives, where the entire city of Jerusalem unfolds before you. Visit the Kotel for a prayer. Walk along the Cardo, the ancient Roman road; visit the four Sephardic synagogues restored after the 1967 war in the Jewish quarter. Tour the Western Wall Tunnels; Visit Davidson center and walk through the Roman Cardo to the local Arab bazaar. Walkthrough Jaffa gate to David’s Tower museum and see the ancient remains of the city beginning with the first Temple period. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

Visit Mea Shearim and learn about the unique lifestyle of the ultra-orthodox communities. Drive by the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, and see the Menorah with the biblical emblems. Next visit the Israel Museum, Shrine of the book where the Dead Sea scrolls are housed, and the new Holyland model – a miniature replica of Jerusalem as it was during the Second Temple period. Drive to Mount Herzl, the military cemetery, and Yad Vashem, the memorial to the Holocaust. Visit the ammunition hill, a former Jordanian army stronghold, conquered by the Israeli army in the Six-Day War and converted into a national memorial site and museum. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

Drive through the Judean Desert to the Dead Sea. Stop at Qumran, the site where the Dead Sea scrolls were found. Continue to Masada, ascend by cable car, and tour the ancient fortress; visit the remains of the walls, palaces, synagogue, bathhouses, etc. Descend by cable car. Enjoy Floating in the salty water at the Dead Sea. Drive back to Jerusalem for dinner and overnight.

Transfer to Tel Aviv. Early morning flight to Eilat. Pick up from Eilat airport, cross the Arava border and drive to Petra, through the scenic Jordanian desert, past the Wadi Rum area, where Lawrence of Arabia once lived and fought with the Bedouin. Enter the Red City of Petra through the Siq, by horse or by foot (optimal carriage) This is a narrow passage through the mountains which has inspired people for centuries. Suddenly the impressive Treasury wonder appears at the end of the gorge, leaving the visitors breath-taken by its size, color, and beauty. Continue into the heart of this ancient city carved into the mountains, passing hundreds of tombs and monuments and a spectacular Amphitheatre. Stop for a traditional lunch, followed by a visit to Moses Spring. Drive to Aqaba for a short city return to Eilat for overnight.

Transfer from Eilat to Taba border. Flight from Sharim to Cairo. Arrival in Cairo. Meeting and assistance by Noah Tours’ representative and transfer to your hotel. Overnight in Cairo.

Breakfast. Full day tour of Cairo, visiting the Pyramids, Sphinx, Memphis, and Sakkara. Overnight in Cairo.

Breakfast. Full day tour of Cairo, visiting the Egyptian Museum, Citadel, Synagogue Ben Ezra, Mohamed Ali Mosque, Old Cairo, and the famous Khan El Khalil Bazar. Overnight in Cairo.

Breakfast. Transfer to Cairo International Airport (in case of late departure, optional half-day tour to «Pharaoh Village»).