JORDAN
AND THE HOLY LAND

Departure from the United States

Arrive in Amman and explore its Citadel and the Roman Theater.

Visit the main sights of Amman and Jerash, well known for the ruins of the walled Greco-Roman settlement of Gerasa.

Visit the Baptism of the Lord site from the Jordan side; Mt Nebo, the place from which Moises viewed the Promised Land; the city of Madaba, which is well known for its mosaics: the 6th Century Mosaic of the Holy Land at the Church of St George, and the mosaic of the Church of the Virgin Mary.

A day to enjoy the majestic beauty of Petra, one of the world’s new seven wonders. Visit the Treasury, the theater carved out of sandstone, the Royal Tombs, and the Palace of Pharaoh’s Daughter, one of Petra’s oldest Nabataean temples. Enjoy a night in a Dead Sea resort.

Wake up at the lowest point on Earth, the Dead Sea, float in its salty waters, and enjoy the therapeutic mud. Then, start the journey through the Holy Land, visiting Mt. Tabor, where the Transfiguration of Our Lord happened. Visit the Church of Cana, where the first miracle of Our Lord took place, and Sepphoris, a significant Roman and Byzantine city.

Enjoy the stunning sunrise at Tiberias Lake, and start the journey through Galilee by visiting Golan Heights. Visit Mt. Harmon, where the Jordan River begins; the spectacular remains of a first-century AD palace belonging to Agrippa II, Damascus, the city of Dan and other archeological sites and places of importance in Sacred Scripture, as well as the city of Banias, Caesarea Philippi, where Jesus confirmed Peter’s confession that He was the Messiah.

Visit the places where Jesus interacted with his disciples around the Sea of Galilee: Capernaum, the Mount of Beatitudes, and Tabgha, the location of the miracle of the multiplication of bread and fish. Sail in a boat on the Sea of Galilee and visit Magdala, the house of St Mary Magdalene.

A day of immersion in the life of the Holy Family in Nazareth. Visit the Sisters of Nazareth Chapel, where it is believed the remains of St Joseph were found. Then, visit the ancient village, the Basilica of the Annunciation, and the Greek-Orthodox Church of St. Raphael near Mary’s Well.

Start the journey to the south of the Holy Land, as the Holy Family did for the birth of Jesus. Visit the Baptism of Our Lord site on the Jordan River by Israel’s side. Then, visit Jericho and climb to the Greek Orthodox Monastery of the Temptation, where Jesus spent forty days and forty nights fasting and meditating while Satan tempted him. Then, visit Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls (ancient Sacred Scripture texts from the 3rd century BC to the 2nd century AD) were found.

Start your day in Bethlehem, the Birth town of Our Lord, visiting the Church of the Nativity and the Grotto of the Manger. This Basilica is the oldest church in the world, which never was destroyed. Visit the Church of the Visitation and the Church of St. John in Ain Karem, the garden of “Yad Vashem,” which is Israel’s official site to honor the victims of the Holocaust, and the famous “Menorah” (Candelabra), located outside the “Knesset.”

The journey will lead you to the Holy City of Jerusalem: the Mt. of Olives, Dominus Flevit Church (“the Lord weeps”), the Golden Gate, Gethsemane, Mt. Zion, the church of St Peter in Gallicantu, the site of the Ascension of Our Lord, the Basilica of the Agony of Our Lord, the Orthodox Church of the Sepulcher of St. Mary, or Tomb of Our Lady, the Cenacle (the room of the Last Supper), the Church of the Dormition of Mary, and the Cardo of Jerusalem, an ancient arcade in the Old City that dates from Roman times.

Visit the Jewish Wailing Wall, or Western Wall, an old part of the original wall of Jerusalem’s Temple Mount and Judaism’s holiest site; the Dome of the Rock Mosque and the al-Aqsa Mosque, located on the traditional site of the ancient Temple Mount; the Pools of Bethesda, and St. Anne’s Church. Then, start Jesus’ Passion journey along the Stations of the Via Dolorosa, ending at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

Visit the Israeli parliament (Knesset) and the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum, which houses the Dead Sea Scrolls. Then, visit the Yad Vashem Museum and have free time in the Old City.

Return flight home.