HOLY LAND 2023

ESCORTED TOUR TO ISRAEL
9 DAYS / 8 NIGHTS

November 22 to December 1, 2023

Old City of Jerusalem Via Dolorosa * Tel Aviv Mount of Olives * Jaﬀa * Cesarea Mt. Carmel * Tel Megiddo Sea of Galilee * Capernaum Church of the Multiplication Mt of Beatitudes * Jordan River Nazareth * Bethlehem Western Wall * Qumran Masada * Dead Sea
and much more…

Sometimes the best way forward is to first walk in the footsteps of history.

ITINERARY

DAY 1 – Nov 22 – TORONTO to TEL AVIV

Departure from Toronto on a direct flight to Tel Aviv (other flight departure gateways available upon request).

DAY 2 – Nov 23 – JAFFA / JERUSALEM
Arrive in Tel Aviv, meet your guide and driver. Drive to Jaffa (Yafo), for a breathtaking view of the city of Tel Aviv. At this picturesque port city of winding alleys, art galleries and craft boutiques, King Solomon had the cedars of Lebanon rafted for the building of the First Temple in Jerusalem. You will view the spot of the House of Simon the Tanner. Transfer to Jerusalem to our hotel for check-in. For the rest of the day enjoy Jerusalem at leisure or just relax and catch up on jet lag. Welcome dinner and overnight at the Hotel.

DAY 3 – Nov 24 – OLD CITY OF JERUSALEM
Drive to the Mt. of Olives with an outstanding view of the Old City and surrounding area. Enjoy a morning teaching with the entire city of Jerusalem as a backdrop. Descend the Mount and visit the Garden of Gethsemane and the Church of all Nations. Drive along the Kidron Valley to Mt. Zion. Enter the Old City of Jerusalem through the Zion Gate and visit the Jewish quarter, walk along the Roman / Byzantine Street called the Cardo. Visit the Western Wall, Judaism’s holiest site, view the Temple Mount and see the Dome of the Rock. Visit to the newly excavated City of David, see the Pool of Siloam, and the Hezekiah Tunnel. Walk along the Via Dolorosa to visit the Pools of Bethesda and St. Anne’s Church. We pass through the colourful bazaars, alleyways and marketplaces and reach the Church of the Holy Sepulchre for a brief visit before returning to our hotel. Dinner and overnight at the Hotel.

DAY 4 – Nov 25 – JERUSALEM / BETHLEHEM
We start the day at the Garden Tomb with a communion service. We continue to the New City of Jerusalem, visiting Yad Vashem, the deeply moving museum and memorial to the victims of the Holocaust. Tour the complex and walk along the Avenue of the Righteous Gentiles where trees have been planted to commemorate many Christians who helped save lives of Jews during World War II. Continue to the Israel Museum and tour the Shrine of the Book which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls – some of the oldest biblical manuscripts ever discovered. Visit the Model of Jerusalem to see Jerusalem from the time of Jesus. Continue to Bethlehem where you will visit the Church of the Nativity, which marks the birthplace of Jesus and is the oldest church in the world. View Shepherds Field before returning to Jerusalem. Those who would rather spend a few hours shopping in the Old City of Jerusalem can select to not visit Bethlehem. Dinner and overnight at the Hotel.

DAY 5 – Nov 26 – MASADA / DEAD SEA / QUMRAN
Today is a fun day. We drive to the lowest spot on Earth, the Dead Sea that lies over 1300 feet below sea level. Our route will take us down the Judean Wilderness along the shores of the Dead Sea. Stop at Qumran, where a young shepherd boy discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947, the oldest scriptures of the Bible ever found. Visit the remains of the Essene community, the ones who wrote the scrolls. Continue to Masada and ascend the cable car to King Herod’s fortress and palaces which was the scene of the last holdout of the Jewish resistance to the Romans in 70AD before the band com-mitted suicide to avoid capture. Continue to Ein Gedi for an opportunity to ﬂoat in the therapeutic waters of the Dead Sea. Return to Jerusalem. Dinner and overnight at the Hotel.

DAY 6 – Nov 27 – ROAD TO THE GALILEE
We depart Jerusalem and descend through the Judean Wilderness bypassing the oldest city in the western world, Jericho. Drive through the Jordan Valley to the ancient archaeological site of Beth Shean, where you will discover insights about life 2000 years ago. Then, we will proceed, via the town of Cana, to the Nazareth Village, which depicts an authentic Galilean village from the time of Jesus. We will visit the archaeological dig of Bethsaida and continue to Tiberias, stop-ping at Yardanit to see the Jordan River and the baptismal spot today for pilgrims who want to be baptized in the Jordan. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

DAY 7 – Nov 28 – JESUS’ MINISTRY IN THE GALILEE
Our tour begins with a boat trip on the Sea of Galilee. This will be an unforgettable time of worship and sharing. We will then view an ancient boat from the time of Jesus. Drive to Capernaum, centre of Jesus’ Galilean ministry and the town “from whence came“ Matthew, Simon, Andrew, James and John. Visit the ancient synagogue and view the site of the house of Peter. We visit Tabgha, the site of the multiplication of loaves and ﬁshes and the feeding of the ﬁve thousand, The Mt. of Beatitudes, the place of the “Sermon on the Mount”. Our day will end with a visit to the village of Magdala, home of Mary Magdalene and a synagogue from the time of Jesus. After dinner an evening teaching at the Hotel.

DAY 8 – Nov 29 – FROM ABRAHAM TO JESUS
Drive up the Golan Heights to the Banias at the foot of Mount Hermon, the spot of Caesarea Phillipi, the most northern limit of Jesus’ ministry. Peter will give a special teaching here. We will visit the tribe of Dan where Abraham entered the Promised Land. Our visit to the Golan will provide great insight into recent history with the wars of 1967 and 1973. Return to Tiberius via the east side of the Sea of Galilee, stopping at Kursi where the demons entered the swine that drowned in the Sea of Galilee. We will return early enough for those who want to spend a couple of hours shopping in the ﬂour-ishing town of Tiberias. Dinner and overnight at the Hotel.

DAY 9 – Nov 30 – MEGIDDO / MT. CARMEL / CAESAREA / TEL AVIV
We drive to Megiddo, one of King Solomon’s walled cities. It is also associated with Armageddon as related in the Book of Revelation. We will visit the archaeological excavations from 20 periods of time and walk through the water tunnel built by King Ahab in the 10th century BC. Continue to Mt. Carmel where you will see a magniﬁcent view towards the Mediter-ranean Sea. Mt Carmel is the spot where Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal (1 Kings 18:20). Continue south along the Mediterranean coast to Caesarea Maritima, capital of the Roman Procurators of Judea. We will visit the remains of the aqueduct, theatre, hippodrome and Crusaders city. History abounds in Caesarea: Herod built the city, Pontius Pilate had his base here, Cornelius lived and was baptized here (Acts 10), and Paul embarked for Tarsus from here (Acts 9:30), and Philip preached here (Acts 8:40). We ﬁnish the day in Tel Aviv, Dinner and overnight at the Hotel.

DAY 10 – Dec 01 – BACK TO TORONTO
After breakfast at the hotel, transfer to the airport for your direct ﬂight back home to Toronto (or other requested destination).

*** Itinerary is subject to last minute changes due to unforeseen circumstances ***

YOUR HOSTS

Rev. Johan du Toit

“Reverend Johan and Gerda du Toit served as pastors in Europe and Canada. They also were active in foreign missions, visiting more than 20 countries to minister. They also run an online Bible School with branches in South Africa, Pakistan and Belgium. They now live in Mexico.

Pricing Of The Tour

Prices are quoted per person, based on double occupancy, including taxes and surcharges, based on availability at the time of booking. Single Supplement: $1380 CAD. Taxes are subject to change and are conﬁrmed at ﬁnal payment.

INCLUDED IN THE PRICE:

Round-trip direct ﬂight from Toronto (for air & land package)
Meeting and assistance on arrival by our representatives
Porterage at airport and hotels
8 night accommodations at 4* hotels with break-fast and dinner daily
8 full days air-conditioned vehicle as per itinerary
7 days of sightseeing with English speaking guide
Entrance fees as per the itinerary.

Deposit is $300 CAD p.p. non-refundable. DUE BY JUL 31’23.
Final payment is due September 9, 2023.

Other departure gateways are available upon request.

Request Your Spot

Once you have requested your spot, we will contact you to go over the details and confirm availability before your spot is reserved. Please allow 24-72 business hours for a response. Remember to check your spam folder as well if you don’t see a response in your inbox.