Arrive at Ben Gurion airport; CTO representative will meet you after passport control. Transfer to the hotel in Tel Aviv for check-in and overnight

 After breakfast at the hotel, check out from Tel Aviv, drive south. We will stop on the way for a great overview of the northern part of the Negev Desert. Continue via Arad to Masada; ascend by cable car to the fortress, which was the last stronghold of the Jewish Zealots in their war against the Romans. Visit the excavations, Herod’s palaces, the synagogue, bathhouse, etc. Enjoy the breathtaking view of the Roman camps and the Dead Sea. Descend for a possible “float” in the salty water of the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth.
At the end of the day we drive to Jerusalem, passing by Jericho, the oldest city in the world. Arrive at the hotel for check-in and overnight

 Drive to Mt. Scopus for a panoramic view of Jerusalem. Continue to the Israel Museum’s Shrine of the Book and the famous Dead Sea Scrolls, then a visit to the beautifully renovated model of the Herodian city of Jerusalem in Second Temple times. Continue to Yad Vashem (the memorial to the six million Jews who were killed in the Holocaust). We will end our day with a visit to Ein Karem (the birthplace of John the Baptist).
Time permitting, we will visit “Machaneh Yehuda” market, one of the most charming market places in Israel where you will feel the special atmosphere of Jerusalem. Back to the hotel for overnight

 Walk through one of the gates of the walled Old City: the renewed Jewish Quarter; the Western Wall, the Temple area; the colorful bazaars; Via Dolorosa and the Stations of the Cross, ending at the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. Drive to Mt. Zion and visit the tomb of King David, the Room of the Last Supper and Dormition Abbey. Proceed to the Garden of Gethsemane and Church of the Agony.
In the afternoon we will drive to Bethlehem*, visit the Church of the Nativity and return to Jerusalem for overnight.

 Check out after breakfast, drive north through the Jordan Valley and the new settlements to Beit Shean where we will visit the excavations of this beautiful preserved Roman City. Proceed to Nazareth to visit the Christian holy sites. Continue to the Sea of Galilee, drive along the shores of the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum to visit the ruins of the ancient synagogue. At the end of the day, drive to the kibbutz hotel for check-in and overnight.

 Drive to the Golan Heights. Visit the former Syrian fortifications, Druze villages, and Via Banias, the source of the Jordan River. Proceed via the Hula Valley to Safed, city of the Kabbalah, to visit a synagogue and the artists’ colony. Return to the Kibbutz hotel for overnight.

 Check out after breakfast, drive west to Acre for a visit to the famous Crusader stronghold and medieval fortifications. Continue to Haifa, for a sightseeing tour, including the Baha’i Shrine, Persian Garden and Mount Carmel for a panoramic view of the city and the bay. Proceed along the cost to Caesarea to visit the Roman Theater and the Crusader fortress.
Continue to Tel Aviv’s airport for a short flight to Eilat, the Red Sea resort. Upon arrival take a taxi to the hotel for overnight

 After breakfast, transfer to the Arava border and cross to Jordan. Drive to Petra through the scenic Jordanian desert and the Wadi Rum area. Enter the Rose City of Petra through the Siq, a narrow passage through the mountains that has inspired people for centuries. Up to the Treasury, which appears suddenly at the end of the gorge and leaves visitors stunned 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 that once held 3,000 spectators. Stop for a sit down lunch, followed by a visit to Moses Spring before leaving Wadi Musa – the new town of Petra. Drive to Aqaba for a short city tour, return to the Arava border and cross back to Eilat for overnight. (Or evening flight back to Tel Aviv for overnight.)

 Breakfast, own arrival to Eilat airport for departure flight to Tel Aviv (extended stay upon request). * Visits to sites under Palestinian Authority Jurisdiction is subject to the situation.