THE ULTIMATE ISRAEL TOUR 2013-2014 GUARANTEED DEPARTURES 16 DAYS / 14 NIGHTS / WEEKLY WEDNESDay ARRIVALS INCLUDING 3 Day NEGEV & EILAT EXTENSION

16 Days Fully Escorted Tour of Israel /Operated Weekly with WednesDay Arrivals / Emphasis on Jewish Sites /English Speaking Tour / Optional Bar/Bat Mitzvah Ceremony / Family Friendly

» Tour Dates and Rates   » Inclusions

* Tour is operated weekly except the following arrival date: March 13, 20, 27, August 28, September 4,11,18,25, 2013
* Tours over Jewish holidays and August 2013 are subject to hotel confirmation and restrictions

New Highlights included for our 2013 tours:

• Jeep Tour in the Golan Heights
• Lunch in Dead Sea Hotel
• Float in the Dead Sea
• Visit the Negev & Arava deserts – Ramon Crater / Sde Boker / Timna Park
• Visit the Air Force Museum in Hatzerim
• Visit Eilat and the Underwater Observatory
• Optional Day tour to Petra, Jordan
• Bedouin hospitality
• Lunch and Camel Ride in the Negev Desert

Day 1: Tuesday - Departure
Fly from North America to Israel
Overnight: On Board

Day 2: Wednesday - Arrival / Welcome to Israel
Arrive at the new Ben-Gurion Airport. Meet our representative and transfer to your hotel in Tel Aviv for check in. the rest of the Day is free to enjoy the hotel and the nearby famous Tel Aviv promenade.
Overnight: Tel Aviv (please refer to the 4 hotels categories offered)

Day 3: Thursday - In & Around Tel Aviv
Today's sightseeing - Independence Hall / Mini Israel / Ayalon Institute / Yad Mordechai
Today starts with a visit to Independence Hall, where the establishment of the state of Israel was declared. Next, we drive to Latrun to visit Mini Israel, full of beautiful, miniature models of Israel's most important sights, all set amid scenic landscaping. From there we head to the Ayalon Institute, once an ammunition factory for the Jewish underground, the Hagana. It was here where the members of the resistance hiding from the British were making bullets in an underground bunker cleverly disguised under the laundry and bakery of the kibbutz. Finally, we will visit Yad Mordechai, a kibbutz named after Mordechai Anielewicz, leader of the Warsaw Ghetto uprising against the Nazis. We will see the restored fields from the war of liberation, and learn more about this important piece of history, including the story of Mordechai himself. Return to Tel Aviv to our hotel.
Overnight: Tel Aviv (please refer to the 4 hotels categories offered)

Day 4: Friday - Explore Tel Aviv City attractions and Museums
Today's sightseeing - Diaspora Museum / Rabin's Square / Old Jaffa / Neve Tzedek / Nachlat Binyamin
Our morning starts at Beit Hatfutsot, the Museum of the Jewish People, serving to connect people to their roots and reinforce a sense of identity. We will then drive around the main streets of Tel Aviv, the center of business and entertainment in Israel, and home to plenty to see! We will have a stop at Rabin's Square, where Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated in 1995. We continue to old Jaffa, an 8000 year old port city and the oldest part of the Tel Aviv municipality. We will visit the ancient ruins, and walk in the restored artists' quarter. From there we will visit Neve Tzedek, the first neighborhood in Tel Aviv, built in 1887, before the city was even founded! We will also stop by Nachlat Binyamin, a pedestrian street devoted to arts and crafts, filled with musicians and performers. There you can buy handmade jewelry, and other fun art pieces. We will also stop at Shenkin, a lively and colorful street known for being one of the trendiest in the city. Return to our hotel.
Overnight: Tel Aviv (please refer to the 4 hotels categories offered)

Day 5: Saturday - Free Day in Tel Aviv
Enjoy a free day of Shabbat! You may explore Tel Aviv, the city that never sleeps! Discover the famous strand/boardwalk along the Mediterranean Sea, or take a walk in Old City Jaffa. Tel Aviv is home to numerous art galleries, cafes, and museums, as well as the beach! The Tel Aviv Museum of Art is a very highly rated institution, while the Eretz Israel Museum offers a historical perspective on the history of Tel Aviv. For those who prefer to shop, there are several shopping malls that open after the end of Shabbat till late night. Stroll along the famous tree lined Rothschild boulevard, and take in the magnificent villas and buildings occupying the most expensive real estate in Tel Aviv.
Overnight: Tel Aviv (please refer to the 4 hotels categories offered)

Day 6: Sunday - From Tel Aviv to the Galilee
Today's sightseeing - Caesarea / Haifa / Acre (Acco) / Rosh HaNikra / Galilee
Extra meal included for today: Dinner at the Kibbutz Hotel
A fter breakfast we start our Day and will drive north to Caesarea, which has been an important city for the Jewish faith since before the Roman invasion. There we will see excavations dating to the Crusades; the aqueduct, whose construct dates back to King Herod, and the restored amphitheater, now serving as a concert venue. From there we will proceed to Haifa, the largest city in northern Israel, and take in the magnificent view from Mount Carmel, a UNESCO biosphere reserve. We will also be visiting the INS Af Al Pi Chen, a former Second World War era landing craft that now serves as the Clandestine Immigration and Navy Museum, covering the maritime history of Israel. A drive to the waterside town of Acre follows, where we can walk along the old harbor, and visit the local market, taking in the sights of one of the oldest inhabited sites in Israel. We will continue on to the northernmost point of Israel at Rosh HaNikra, taking an exciting descent by cable car into the spectacular limestone grottoes. The Day ends with a drive to Galilee and our lodging at Kibbutz Lavi. There we will have the opportunity to meet with Kibbutz members and learn more about their unique lifestyle. Dinner at the kibbutz hotel is included.
Overnight: Kibbutz Lavi Hotel

Day 7: Monday - Upper Galilee & Golan Highest
Today's sightseeing - Safed / Golan Heights / Jeep Tour / Banias / Tel Hai / Upper Galilee
Extra meal included for today: Dinner at the Kibbutz Hotel
The day starts with a drive to Safed, the center of Kabbalah and one of the four holy cities of Judaism. There you can visit both the Yosef Caro and the Ari Ashkenazi synagogues. The Ari synagogue may be the oldest in Israel that is still being used, and is certainly one of the most important in the city. The Artist Quarter is also well worth checking out. You can view and purchase the very unique “micro calligraphy” artworks that Safed is famous for. We will then enjoy an exhilarating Jeep ride to the foot of the Golan Heights, then going up and stopping at an observation point over the almost entirely destroyed city of Quneitra and the Syrian territory. Tel Faher, a former Syrian outpost, is our next stop. There will also be an opportunity to explore the beautiful Banias waterfall and springs, an area rife with hiking trails. Next up is Tel Hai, the site of a pivotal battle between Arab rebels and the New Yishuv in 1920. We will also see the famous roaring lion monument, commemorating Josef Trumpeldor, among others who lost their lives that day. We will then return to the kibbutz hotel for Dinner.
Hotel: Kibbutz Lavi, Galilee

Day 8: Tuesday - From the Galilee to Jerusalem
Today's sightseeing - Tiberias / Beit Shean / Gan HaShlosha / Beit Alpha / Jordan Valley / Jerusalem
After breakfast we will drive to Tiberias to visit the grave of Mosheh ben Maimon, a famous philosopher and Torah scholar from the Middle Ages. Next is Beit Shean, the biggest archeological park in Israel, featuring beautiful excavations from the Roman and the Byzantine periods. There will be a stop at Beit Alpha to see a beautiful mosaic floor in a Byzantine era synagogue. From there we move onto Gan HaShlosha National Park, where you will have an opportunity to enjoy the wonderful springs located at the foot of Gilboa Mountain, where King Saul was killed in his battle against the Philistines. We will then continue along the Jordan Valley to Jerusalem, stopping at Mount Scopus for a blessing as we enter the city.
Overnight: Jerusalem (please refer to the 4 hotels categories offered)

Day 9: Wednesday - Jerusalem Old City
Today's sightseeing - Mount Zion / Western Wall Tunnel / Davidson Center / David's Tower
Today is a tour of the old city of Jerusalem. We will start with a visit to the tomb of King David on Mount Zion. We will then walk along the Cardo, an ancient Roman road as we visit the four Sephardic synagogues restored after the 1967 war in the city's Jewish quarter. No tour of Jerusalem would be complete without a visit to the Western Wall Tunnel, which runs the full length of the Wall, and was built in 19 BCE. We will also have the opportunity to visit the Davidson Center. It is an archeological museum, where we learn more about the Western Wall, before once again walking along the Roman Cardo to the local Arab bazaar. Walking through the Jaffa Gate, one of the eight gates in the historic walls of Jerusalem, we will go to the Museum of David's Tower, which chronicles the history of Jerusalem. Return to our hotel.
Overnight: Jerusalem (please refer to the 4 hotels categories offered)

Day 10: Thursday - Jerusalem Old & New City
Today's sightseeing - Western Wall / Mea Shearim / Israel Museum / Holyland Model / Yad Vashem
* Optional Bar/Bat Mitzvah Ceremony
We will depart the hotel and arrive at the Western Wall once more, located in the old city of Jerusalem. There is the option to celebrate a Bar/Bat Mitvah ceremony at the Kotel.* Next, we will continue on to Mea Shearim, one of the oldest neighborhoods in Jerusalem, where we will learn about the lifestyle of the ultra Orthodox communities. We will drive by the Knesset, Israel's version of parliament, a modern building with a large menorah up front. From there we will go to the Israel Museum and the Shrine of the Book, site of the Dead Sea Scrolls and the new Holy Land model- a miniature replica of Jerusalem as it appeared during the Second Temple Period between 530 BCE- 70 CE. A drive to Mount Hertzl follows, home of the military ceremony and the Holocaust memorial Yad Vashem. Yad Vashem features the Hall of Remembrance inscribed with six million names continuously read out loud. It also has some beautiful gardens for contemplation. We will end the Day visiting Ammunition Hill, a former Jordanian stronghold, conquered by the Israeli army in the Six Day War and converted into a national memorial site and museum. Return to our hotel.
Overnight: Jerusalem (please refer to the 4 hotels categories offered)

* Optional Bar/Bat Mitzvah Ceremony
For families who wish to celebrate a Bar/Bat Mitzvah ceremony at the Western Wall, the option is available. This is a perfect, once in a lifetime opportunity. While the rest of the group tours Mea Shearim, arrangements will be made at the Western or Southern Wall with an Israeli rabbi. At the end of the service, you will be transferred to the current location of the group. Please call us for more details about this special option.

Day 11: Friday - Dead Sea & the Judean Desert
Today's sightseeing - Dead Sea / Qumran / Masada
Extra meals included for today: Lunch in a Dead Sea Hotel
After a drive through the Judean desert, we will arrive at the Dead Sea, stopping at Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. Next we will drive along the shores of the Dead Sea to visit Massada, Israel's most popular site, ascending by cable car once again to tour the ancient fortress at the top. Massada, built by King Herod, was also the site of an uprising by the Jews against the Romans that ended in the mass suicide of close to 1000 Jewish rebels and families who took refuge there. We will also visit the walls, palaces, synagogue, and bathhouses that made up this ancient city. Descending by the cable cars, we will stop for lunch and float in the Dead Sea, whose high saline content will keep you peacefully floating for hours! The Dead Sea is the lowest point on earth, at over 1300 feet below sea level. It's so low that you don't even need sunscreen, as you won't burn! The water has healing and medicinal properties. We will also have use of the spa facilities in one of the leading hotels in the area. We will return to Jerusalem for the evening.
Overnight: Jerusalem (please refer to the 4 hotels categories offered)

Day 12: Saturday - Free Day in Jerusalem
Today is a free day to enjoy the special atmosphere of Shabbat in Jerusalem. You may want to discover some museums and re-visit the Christian quarter in the Old city.
Overnight: Jerusalem (please refer to the 4 hotels categories offered

Day 13: Sunday - From Jerusalem to Eilat
Today's sightseeing - Negev Desert / Timna / Underwater Observatory / Eilat
We will travel south to the Negev Desert, which takes up over half of Israel's land area. We will drive to the Timna Valley, full of ancient copper mines and home to the striking Solomon's Pillars formation, among other wonders. We will then arrive in Eilat on the Red Sea. Visit the underwater observatory, a large sea aquarium built into a living coral reef, full of colorful fish and other beautiful marine life. Continue to our Eilat hotel for check in.
Overnight: Eilat (please refer to the 4 hotels categories offered)

Day 14: Monday - Free Day in Eilat OR Optional Day Tour to Petra, Jordan
Today's sightseeing - Optional Day Tour to Petra, Jordan
After breakfast, enjoy a free Day in Eilat. This resort city lies on the shores of the Red Sea, Israel's most southern point. On a clear Day you can see neighboring Jordan and Egypt. You can swim in the Red Sea, or enjoy other water activities, including numerous ecological preserves. You can even meet and pet dolphins at Dolphin Reef! For those who prefer to be on the water and not in it, there's yacht sailing. There are camel tours, AV tours, and Jeep tours of the scenic desert, and so much more! There are also the beautiful botanical gardens, and several amusement parks for the kids in you. Overnight: Eilat (please refer to the 4 hotels categories offered) Optional Day Tour to Petra, Jordan including Lunch After breakfast, enjoy a full Day tour to the ancient city of Petra, Jordan. You will be transferred from your hotel to the Arava border point, cross into Jordan, and drive to Petra. Petra was established possibly as early as 312 BC, though it was only rediscovered in 1812. A UNESCO World Heritage Site, it was also chosen as one of the Smithsonian's '28 Places to See Before You Die' list. A visit to Petra is one of the true highlights of any trip to the Middle East, with its red tinged city carved by the Nabataeans out of solid rocks, remaining exquisitely preserved even to this day. Petra can be entered on foot or in horse drawn carriage. At the end of the day, you will be driven back to the Arava border and transferred back to your hotel in Eilat.

Day 15: Tuesday - From Eilat back to Tel Aviv
Today's sightseeing - Mitzpe Ramon / Sde Boker / Air Force Museum / Tel Aviv
Extra meals and attractions included for today: * Bedouin hospitality * Lunch and Camel Ride
After breakfast we will drive through the Arava and Negev desert to visit the town of Mitzpe Ramon, where we will have the opportunity of looking at the Ramon Crater, a natural wonder that is 40km long and 500m deep. Our next stop is kibbutz of Sde Boker, where we will see the retirement home of Israel's first Prime Minister, David Ben-Gurion, now a museum. We will also see his grave, with a magnificent view overlooking the Zin Valley. ToDay we will have an opportunity to ride camels and visit an authentic Bedouin tent, an opportunity that few will ever get to experience. There we will learn about Bedouin hospitality and enjoy a light lunch. We will continue to visit the Israel Air Force Museum at Hatzerim Air Force Base. There we will view the planes and equipment, chronicling Israel's aviation history, and hear the story of this brave fighting force. We will end our Day driving to Tel Aviv. Check in at our hotel
Overnight: Tel Aviv (please refer to the 4 hotels categories offered)

Day 16: Wednesday - Departure from Israel
After breakfast we will transfer to Ben Gurion Airport for your transatlantic flight back to the USA. Take home your fond memories of Israel that will last a lifetime, and start planning your next trip!