Tripology

Commercial Flight

Depart the U.S.A. on your flight to Israel.

Welcome to Israel! Arrive Ben Gurion Airport; meeting, assistance and transfer to your hotel in vibrant Tel Aviv. Tonight, Get Together Dinner.

Morning walking tour. Remainder of the day at leisure to enjoy all of the delights of this seaside city. Don’t miss afternoon Israeli folk dancing on the seaside promenade! Or, visit Little Tel Aviv, a lively area dotted with yachts and a pub-filled boardwalk.

Optional Tour is available to Masada and the Dead Sea — $125 per person. Please reserve at time of booking.

Depart Tel Aviv. Drive to the Diaspora Museum; experience 2500 years of the Diaspora through unconventional visual aids. Continue to ancient Caesarea; explore the astounding Roman and Crusader ruins including the impressive theater and aqueduct. Then, visit Caesarea Harbor, with its thrilling, multi-media presentation—you’ll see ancient history come to life! Arrive in Nazareth, the sacred town where Jesus spent part of his youth; visit the Church and Mary’s Well. On to the sparkling port city of Haifa; check into your hotel atop Mt. Carmel. This evening, visit a Druze Village where you’ll meet these unique Israelis in their home, hear of their traditions and enjoy a Druze/Middle Eastern dinner.

View the golden-domed Bahai Shrine and the colorful Persian Gardens before departing Haifa. Drive along the coast to spectacular Rosh Hanikra; descend by cable car to see the magnificent underwater grottoes. Continue through the picturesque seaside town of Nahariya to the timeless Crusader city of Acre; walk through the subterranean city and the bazaars recalling the colorful Middle Ages. Then, to Safed, one of Judaism’s holiest cities, where Kabbalah flourished during the golden age; visit the ancient synagogues and the charming Artists’ Quarter. Late afternoon Boat Ride on the Sea of Galilee takes you to Tiberias on the lake’s shore for overnight. Evening: Dinner at a fabulous seaside restaurant.

Begin the day with a drive to Capernaum; see the ruins of the ancient synagogue dating back to the 5th-century. Then, ascend the strategic Golan Heights for a greater understanding of the fierce battles that took place during the 1967 Six-Day War and the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Visit Mt. Ben Tal, site of a former Israeli bunker, for a spectacular view of the region. Arrive at Kibbutz Kfar Charuv, settled by Americans and Israelis together; view of the fertile valleys below as you tour the kibbutz and enjoy lunch in the communal dining room. Travel to Bet Shean, an ancient city from the time of King Saul; see the excavated remains of a Roman city. Continue to “golden” Jerusalem for overnight.

Drive to the Hadassah Medical Center to see the brilliant Chagall Windows. On to Yad Vashem, memorial to the Holocaust; visit the Museum, Children’s Pavilion and walk along the Avenue of the Righteous. Then, to Mount Herzl to pay respects to Israel’s military heroes. Visit the Herzl Museum (schedule permitting). Drive via the Supreme Court Building and the Knesset (Parliament) to the Shrine of the Book, home of the Dead Sea Scrolls. Time to walk through the Israel Museum and the Billy Rose Sculpture Garden; see the Scale Model of ancient Jerusalem. Evening: Restaurant Dinner and Night Tour.

Enter the Old City from the Dung Gate; walk to the Western Wall, the only remaining portion of the Second Temple. Witness joyous Bar Mitzvah or Bat Mitzvah ceremonies! View the Dome of the Rock. Drive to Mt. Zion to visit the traditional Tomb of King David and the Room of the Last Supper. Proceed to the restored Jewish Quarter; walk along the Cardo, the colonnaded main street of Byzantine Jerusalem. Visit the Herodian Mansions, a completely excavated residential quarter from 2000 years ago, or, walk through the extraordinary Hasmonean Tunnel (tunnel schedule permitting.) Follow the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre; walk through the exotic bazaars with their wondrous aromas. End the day with an optional visit to Bethlehem or visit the dazzling Caprice Diamond Center.

Morning transfer from Jerusalem to the Allenby/ King Hussein Bridge; You’ll be personally met by our representative at the Allenby Bridge terminal for special VIP assistance and exclusive Isram transfer across the bridge. Enter the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and meet your driver/escort. Then, on to Mount Nebo, where Moses viewed the Promised Land; enjoy the breathtaking view of the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea. Continue to Madaba; see the oldest surviving mosaic map of the Holyland. Lunch en route. See the desert oasis of Ain Mousa before continuing to Petra, built by the Nabateans over 2000 years ago. Dinner and overnight in Petra.

A most unforgettable day in Petra! Your local guide will take you on a tour into the “rose-red” city (by horseback and foot), which begins at the “Siq,” a winding canyon road. At the end of the passage you’ll see Petra’s most beautiful monument—the Treasury—carved out of the solid rock from the side of the mountain. Beyond the Treasury, you’ll discover soaring temples, elaborate royal tombs, a theatre, burial chambers and water channels. After lunch, continue to Amman, the modern and ancient capital of Jordan; check into your deluxe hotel for dinner and overnight.

Morning drive to Jerash, one of the world’s best preserved Greco-Roman cities. Your local guide will escort you on a tour of the Temples of Artemis and Zeus, the Roman Forum, Hadrian’s Arch, the massive Theatre and the mile long Street of Columns. After lunch, continue to Ajloun for a visit to Saladin’s magnificent mountaintop castle. Return to your hotel in Amman before your transfer to the airport for your flight to Cairo; transfer to your hotel for overnight.

The day begins with a visit to the world-famous Egyptian Museum with its 100,000 objects covering 5000 years of ancient Egyptian civilization; view Tutankhamun’s treasures and the fascinating Mummy Room. Drive to Giza; enjoy lunch at Le Meridian. Then, on to the Three Great Pyramids, the only surviving structures of the “7 Wonders of the Ancient World”; enter one of the Pyramids. Visit the astonishing Solar Boat Museum, housing the oldest known ship in the world, uncovered after being buried for over 4500 years. Stand in awe at the magnificent Sphinx carved out of a single piece of stone, guarding the Giza plateau. Try a camel ride before continuing to the unique Karnak Bazaar. Overnight in Cairo.

Early Morning flight from Cairo to Aswan, Egypt’s southern most city. An optional tour to Abu Simbel* may be arranged. Upon arrival, transfer to your Nile Cruiser for a 4 Day/3 Night Cruise. After lunch on board, enjoy a leisurely sailing trip on a typical Egyptian “felucca” (sailboat) which glides along the Nile, passing Lord Kitchener’s Botanical Garden and the dramatic white marble Aga Khan Mausoleum. The ship docks in Aswan tonight.

* Early morning flight from Cairo to the mighty Sun Temple of Abu Simbel, flanked by four giant stone statues of Ramses II. The temple was reclaimed from the dam and reconstructed in its present and unforgettable location. Transfer to the airport for your flight to Aswan.

Optional tour to Abu Simbel escorted by IsramWorld Guide & Services: $360 per person, minimum 2 passengers ($470 Single traveling alone). Please reserve at time of booking.

Morning visit to the Aswan High Dam and the granite quarries where the stone for the ancient monuments and modern dam of Aswan were cut. View the gigantic, unfinished Obelisk of Queen Hatshepsut. Continue by motorboat to the beautiful island of Philae to see the exquisite, sandstone Temple of Isis. Sail to Kom Ombo, a hill town overlooking the banks of the Nile. Visit the unique Greco-Roman Temple of Kom Ombo, dedicated to Horus, the Sun God and Sobek, the Crocodile God. Arrive in Edfu for overnight.

In Edfu, visit the Temple of Horus, the best preserved of all large Egyptian temples. Enjoy a relaxing sail along the Nile, passing quaint villages and towns—they haven’t changed in thousands of years. Sip Afternoon Tea before arriving in Luxor, the ancient city of Thebes, for overnight.

Begin the day with a visit to the imposing Valley of the Kings containing the secretive tombs of New Kingdom Pharaohs. Continue to the Valley of the Queens; see the beautifully terraced Temple of Queen Hatshepsut at Deir El Bahari. Pass the Colossi of Memnon, standing nearly 70 feet tall before returning to your ship for lunch. In the afternoon tour the vast Karnak Temple Complex, built by generations of Pharaohs over a 2000 year period. Wander around the towering columns of the great Hypostyle Hall. Continue to the Avenue of the Sphinxes and the exquisite Temple of Luxor with its grand colonnades. Explore the mighty Temple of Amun with its mass of obelisks, pylons, colossi and courts. Dock in Luxor for overnight.

Morning transfer to the airport for your flight to Cairo. Meet and transfer to your hotel. Evening: Optional Sound & Light Show at the Pyramids (please reserve at time of booking). Overnight in Cairo

Commercial Flight

Transfer to the airport for your departure flight.