Optional Tours
All tours are conditional upon registration of a minimum group of 15
All tours will be with an English speaking guide, and all entrance fees are included
Optional Day Tour A
Masada and the Dead Sea
Full day tour to include Masada, the last stronghold of the Zealots against Rome and a dip in the Dead Sea.
08:30 Pickup from the Dan Panorama hotel Tel Aviv via the Judean Hills to the Dead Sea, the lowest place on earth. Drive along the shores of the Dead Sea to Masada and hear the heroic story of the Jewish fighters. Ascend by cable car and tour the mountain fortress built by King Herod, where the Zealots of the first century made their last stand against the Romans. Visit the remains of the walls, palace, synagogue, water cisterns, mosaic floors, Roman baths and other findings. Descend by cable car. Continue to the Dead Sea and enjoy the unique opportunity to float in the Dead Sea and cover yourself with the mineral rich mud. Return to Tel Aviv.
Does not include:
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Lunch (bus will make a lunch stop to allow you to buy lunch)
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Mineral mud
US$ 130 per person
Saturday Dec. 9, 2023
Optional Day Tour B
Jerusalem and Bethlehem
08:30 Pickup from the Dan Panorama hotel Tel Aviv. Begin the tour with a panoramic overview from the Mount of Olives, overlooking the new city of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. Travel along the Kidron Valley to view the Garden of Gethsemane and the walls of the Old City. Enter the Old City via the Dung Gate and walk through the Jewish Quarter, past the Western (Wailing) Wall. Visit some of the Stations of the Cross (Via Dolorosa) ending at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Continue to Bethlehem and visit the Church of Nativity and Manger Square. Return to Tel Aviv.
Does not include:
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Lunch (bus will make a lunch stop to allow you to buy lunch)
US$ 100 per person
Saturday Dec. 9, 2023
Optional Half Day Tour C
Jerusalem
08:00 pickup from the Dan Panorama hotel Tel Aviv.
Begin your journey by driving to the magnificient Mount of Olives for a breathtaking panoramic view of the city. Then, proceed to Mount Zion to visit King David's Tomb, Room of the Last Supper, and the Dormition Abbey. Next, venture into the Old City and walk through the Armenian and Jewish quarters road. Don't miss the chance to see the revered Jewish Wailing Wall, the Kotel, before moving on to explore the Christian quarter. Finally, follow the path of the Via Dolorosa and visit the iconic Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Return to Tel Aviv at 14:00.
NOTE: modest dress (no shorts or sleeveless shirts) and head covering are required for visiting holy sites.
US$ 90 per person
Sunday Dec. 10, 2023
Optional Evening Tour D Grafitti Tour of Tel Aviv
Pickup time TBA: Tel Aviv is home to many popular Israeli graffiti and street artists known around the world. During your tour, you will see many different forms of graffiti and street art, learn the stories behind them and learn how to identify pieces by some of the best-known Israeli street artists.
US$ 100 per person
Monday Dec. 11, 2023
Optional Day Tour E Nazareth, Sea of Galilee
08:30 Pickup from the Dan Panorama hotel Tel Aviv. Drive north to Nazareth. Visit the Church of Annunciation, one of the largest churches in the Middle East, and the Church of St Joseph. After your Nazareth tour, visit some fabled miracle locations around the Sea of Galilee including Tabgha, site of the miracle with the Loaves and Fish, and Capernaum, then on to Tiberias where you will also enjoy a boat trip on the Sea of Galilee. Return to Tel Aviv.
Does not include:
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Lunch (bus will make a lunch stop to allow you to buy lunch)
US$ 100 per person
Thursday Dec. 14, 2023
Optional 3-Day Tour F
Eilat to Petra
Thursday, December 14, 2023
08:30 Depart the Dan Panorama hotel for a drive south towards Eilat. On the way you will visit the Ramon Crater, Israel’s largest national park. The beautiful and impressive desert scenery with its dramatic changing colors, and a window into the ancient geological worlds of fossils, colorful sands, volcanic rocks, and more. You will then continue on to King Solomon’s Pillars at Timna National Park, where you will see amazing rock formations that over millennia were eroded by wind and water to resemble impressive pillars. Continue on to Eilat.
Dinner and overnight: Nova Like hotel, Eilat (or similar)
Friday, December 15, 2023
Early Friday morning you will be picked up at your hotel for a full day tour to Petra. After crossing the border to Jordan, you will continue on to the famous Rose City. You begin the tour or Petra via the narrow canyon called el-Siq, with its beauty and interesting points along the way, until arriving at the most famous monument in Jordan: the 45m-high Al Khazneh, a temple with an ornate, Greek-style facade, known as the Treasury. You continue on to some of the highlights of the rose red Nabatean city, passing the theatre, the tombs and façades, as far as the start of the colonnaded street.
Return to Eilat
Dinner and overnight: Nova Like, Eilat (or similar)
Saturday, December 16, 2023
You have the option to enjoy a quiet morning at the hotel, or to visit the underwater museum in Eilat (extra cost).
Group departure flight back to Tel Aviv, and take your homebound flight or optional extension of your stay in Tel Aviv.
Rate includes
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English speaking guide
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Entrance fees to Ramon Crater, Timna Park and Petra
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Lunch in Petra on Friday Dec. 15, 2023 at a tourist class restaurant
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Group transfer to Ramon airport (Eilat)
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Flight from Ramon to TLV (Saturday Dec. 16, 2023)
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Two nights in a shared room at Nova Like Hotel, Eilat (or similar)
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Dinner
Not included:
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Border taxes for crossing into Jordan – US$65 subject to change
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Visa charge – US$60 subject to change
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Lunch on Thursday Dec. 14, 2023 (bus will make a lunch stop to allow you to buy lunch)
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Drinks
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Tips to guides and drivers
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Travel insurance
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Incidentals of a personal nature