Director: Blair G. Van Dyke, Religious Educator

Cost: $4000 per person, based on double occupancy, land portion only

(see available group air at end of itinerary)

Tentative Itinerary

Days 1–2: Monday and Tuesday, June 21–22            U.S.A. • Transatlantic Flight • Cairo, Egypt

We will take morning flights from our various home cities, change planes in New York, and fly to Egypt. Our arrival at the Cairo International Airport is in the late afternoon. If time allows we’ll visit the world‑famous Cairo Museum with its many interesting exhibits from the various periods of ancient Egyptian history. Discoveries from King Tut’s Tomb are on display there.  We will check in to the Heliopolis Hotel for the night.

Day 3: Wednesday, June 23         Cairo • Luxor

Following an American breakfast, we’ll spend the day visiting the sites of Egypt’s ancient splendor, beginning with a photo overview of the Giza Pyramids. We will go inside the Great Pyramid and then visit the 5,000‑year‑old Sphinx. We will stop at the pharaonic capital of Memphis on our way to lunch. Then we will see the Step Pyramid of Zoser, the Pyramid of Unas, the Mastaba of Ti (or Mereruka), and the Serapeum at Saqqara. In the late afternoon we will fly to Luxor, where we will check in to the Steigenberger Hotel for the night.

Day 4: Thursday, June 24            Luxor • Cairo

We will visit the west bank of the Nile―where the tombs and mortuary temples of the famous kings and queens of the New Kingdom (when Egypt ruled the East) are located. In the Valley of the Kings we will see King Tut’s Tomb and several others.  We’ll view Queen Hatshepsut’s Temple and Pit Tomb 33, believed by some to be the place from which Joseph Smith’s Abraham papyri came, on our way to visit the Temple of Habu. After a provided lunch at the hotel, we will visit the largest temple complex in the world, the famous Temple of Karnak, and, if time permits, the Temple of Luxor. We will then fly back to the Cairo area and again check in to the Heliopolis Hotel for the night.

Day 5: Friday, June 25                Cairo • Sinai

If missed on Tuesday, we will visit the Cairo Museum before leaving for St. Catherine’s Monastery, passing under the Suez Canal and driving down through the Sinai Peninsula. We will drive up Wadi Feran, arrive at Mount Sinai in the late afternoon, and stay in the St. Catherine Tourist Village, where we hope to have a group sacrament meeting.

Day 6: Saturday, June 26            St. Catherine’s Monastery • Aqaba, Jordan • Petra

We awaken in the very early morning to climb Mount Sinai, planning to arrive on top in time to see the beautiful sunrise and hold a group meeting.  After a quick breakfast, we will cross the rest of the Sinai wilderness to Nuweiba. After crossing the Gulf of Aqaba by express ferry, we will land at Aqaba, Jordan, and then drive up to the area of Petra.  We will check in to the interesting Taybet Zaman Hotel for dinner and an overnight stay.

Day 7: Sunday, June 27               Petra • Eilat, Israel

This morning we will walk to the ruins of Petra, this “rose‑red city half as old as time.” This unique city, built out of sandstone by the Nabateans, has beautiful temples and amphitheaters carved out of the cliffs which surround the hidden valley. We will visit the Treasury and other sites as time allows.  In the afternoon we will drive back to Aqaba, cross the border into Israel, and check in to the Neptune Hotel in Eilat.  We will spend the rest of the afternoon snorkeling.

Day 8: Monday, June 28              Eilat • Masada • Jericho • Galilee

An early morning drive will take us north through the Arabah to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on the earth’s surface. Here we will take the cable car to the top of Masada to see the ruins of the palace‑fortress built by King Herod and to recall the story of the Zealots’ last stand against the Romans. After floating in the Dead Sea, we’ll drive to Qumran, home of the Dead Sea Scrolls. We will see the country of Jordan off to our right and then the tel of Old Testament Jericho, where we will discuss the prophets Joshua and Elisha. We will drive further north up the Jordan River Valley to Beit Shean, time permitting, where we will see the impressive ruins of the New Testament and later periods as well as an Old Testament tel. We will drive to the Ein Gev Holiday Village, where we will stay for the next three nights.

Day 9: Tuesday, June 29             Galilee • Capernaum • Tel Dan • Banias • Golan Heights

Today begins with an exhilarating boat ride across the Sea of Galilee. We will visit Capernaum, the center of Jesus’ Galilean ministry, where He performed many miracles and gave many teachings, including His “Bread of Life” sermon. We will pass St. Peter’s Primacy on our way to the Mount of Beatitudes, where the important Sermon on the Mount will be discussed. We will pass Hazor on our way to Tel Dan, the ancient northern limits of Israel (“from Dan to Beersheba”), to enjoy a beautiful nature walk and see this historic tel.  We’ll continue on to Banias at the foot of Mount Hermon, which is ancient Caesarea Philippi, the site of Peter’s testimony of the Savior. This is where one of the sources of the Jordan River emerges from the foothills of Mount Hermon. We will drive up on the Golan Heights¾ home of many Druze people as well as the scene of fierce fighting between Israel and Syria in 1967 and again in 1973¾to enjoy a view of Mount Hermon from Mount Bental.

Day 10: Wednesday, June 30       Mount Tabor • Nazareth • Sepphoris

We will drive to Mount Tabor, where we will take taxis to the top to see the probable site of the Savior’s trans­figur­ation. After passing Nain (where Jesus brought the widow’s son back to life) at the foot of Mount Moreh, we stop at Ein Herod to discuss some interesting Old Testament history.  After crossing the historic Jezreel Valley, we drive into the hill country of Galilee as we enter Nazareth, the boyhood home of Jesus, where we will reflect on the Savior’s early life as we visit the Nazareth Village.  Our next stop will be at the ruins of Sepphoris, which was the capital of the Galilee when Jesus was a youth.  We will stop at the Galilee Branch House in Tiberias on our way to Yardenit on the Jordan River.  On our return to Ein Gev, we will enjoy a fish dinner for our last night in the Galilee.

Day 11: Thursday, July 1             Haifa • Caesarea • Jaffa • Jerusalem

We will drive to Megiddo for a quick tour of this historic site and then to the top of Mount Carmel to discuss Elijah.  We continue on to Haifa (modern port of Israel and center of the Baha’i faith) and recount some LDS Church history related to this area. We will drive down the coast of the Mediterranean Sea to the Roman New Testament seaside capital, Caesarea. In the ancient Roman Theater, we will review the biblical events that happened here. If time allows, we will drive through Tel Aviv, the largest Jewish metropolitan area in the world, for a brief visit to Jaffa, where Peter received the important revelation about taking the gospel to the Gentiles. Then we will drive up to Jerusalem and check in to the Prima Kings Hotel for the remainder of our nights.

Day 12: Friday, July 2                 Jerusalem

Our first full day of touring in Jerusalem will begin on the Mount of Olives, where we can view the Old City of Jerusalem and discuss its history. We will then drive to Nebi Samwil for a view of the Benjamin Plateau with all its interesting Old Testament history. We will enter the Old City, visit the Ophel gardens, and see how this site looked at the time of the Savior.  We will then visit the Jewish Quarter to see the Broad Wall, the Cardo, and the Herodian Quarter ruins.  We will also visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in the Christian Quarter. Leaving the Old City through Damascus Gate, we will make our first visit to Golgotha and the Garden Tomb. This evening we will visit the Western Wall, where we will observe Jews as they participate in welcoming in the Sabbath at Judaism’s holiest shrine.

Day 13: Saturday, July 3             Jerusalem • Bethlehem

We will begin our Sabbath with a visit to the Orson Hyde Memorial Garden to talk about some of the interesting biblical as well as contemporary history of the Mount of Olives. Our next stop will be the beautiful BYU Jerusalem Center, with its spectacular view of the Holy City, to attend sacrament meeting.  After lunch on our own, we will drive to Bethlehem, the town of the Savior’s birth, where we will visit the Church of the Nativity. At Shepherds’ Field overlooking Bethlehem, we will review biblical events connected with this area. If time allows, we will do tomorrow’s touring of the Shephelah.

Day 14: Sunday, July 4      Shephelah • Elah Valley • Mareshah • Lachish

On our way to the Shephelah, we will drive down the Bab el Wad¾passing Kirjath-Jearim, “City of Woods,” where the ark of the covenant was kept for some time and where monuments of the 1948 war are located. We will stop atop ancient Beth Shemesh, where Israel received the lost ark back from the Philistines. We’ll continue on to the Valley of Elah, where David slew Goliath, as we celebrate our own independence day.  Our next stop will be the ancient Tel Mareshah and the interesting caves and structures in the area, and Tel Lachish, the ancient biblical fort city. After returning to Jerusalem, we will visit the model city of Jerusalem at the Israel Museum and the Yad Vashem Memorial (Holocaust museum).  

Day 15: Monday, July 5               Jerusalem • Bethany

We then visit the Temple Mount, where the Dome of the Rock and the El Aksa Mosque are located. This mount is tied to so much sacred and secular history. We will then walk through the City of David ruins, which give us an idea of the Jerusalem that Nephi knew. This includes Area G, Warren’s Shaft (where we’ll recount Jerusalem’s early biblical history), and Hezekiah’s Tunnel from the time of Isaiah, through which we will wade. We will see the Pool of Siloam before stopping at the hotel to change clothes. We will see Wadi Kelt before driving to Bethany to review the raising of Lazarus by the Savior. Our last visit is to Bethphage, after which we hope to walk over the Mount of Olives to view the Old City.

Day 16: Tuesday, July 6              Jerusalem

Our day will begin with a visit to the Upper Room, a reminder of the Last Supper and the ordinance of the sacrament. Then we will walk down to Gethsemane, where we will discuss the Savior’s atoning sacrifice and His arrest.  At St. Peter’s in Gallicantu, the possible site of the palace of Caiaphas, we will discuss Peter and the trials of Jesus. We will enter Lion’s Gate and visit the Pool of Bethesda site and the Church of St. Anne. We will continue on to the Antonia Fortress area, where Jesus may have been sentenced to be crucified. Our day will conclude at Golgotha, the place of the Crucifixion, and the Garden Tomb—where many believe the body of Christ was interred and from which He rose on that Easter Sunday so long ago.  We will finish packing and leave for the airport after our dinner.

Day 17: Wednesday, July 7          Jerusalem • U.S.A.

We will take a midnight flight from the Ben Gurion Airport near Tel Aviv to the U.S.A. and arrive home in the morning.  

Price includes:

·         Deluxe motor coach transportation

·         Local guides

·         Hotel accommodations in moderate-class hotels

·         Sightseeing tours as outlined on the itinerary

·         Entrance fees

·         Gratuities

·         Travel insurance

•   All breakfasts and dinners in country

Price does not include:

·         Round-trip airfare from Salt Lake City–Cairo and Tel Aviv–Salt Lake City, $1,730.  (subject to fuel surcharges) Note: Do not purchase your own air tickets  without consulting LDS Travel Study.  There is a minimum amount of passengers needed to operate this tour.     

• Sightseeing not included on the itinerary
• Additional hotel accommodations
• Items of a personal nature (i.e., phone calls, room service, e-mails, etc.)
• Additional travel insurance and cancellation waiver
• Lunches
• Single supplement $910

10/9/09

LDS TRAVEL STUDY TOURS

Questions on money and air—contact Karen: 515 South 700 East #1B, Salt Lake City, UT 84102

Toll Free 866-277-0900—801-483-6152—Fax 801-483-6366

kgerlach@ldstravelstudy.com

Questions on the land itinerary: call Haws Marble:  801-815-1387

marble761@comcast.net

www.ldstravelstudy.org                 

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