Month: December 2019

After Breakfast drive west to Acre for a visit of the old, famous Crusader stronghold and medieval fortifications. Continue to Haifa, sightseeing tour of Haifa, including the Bahai Shrine, Persian Garden and Mount Carmel for a panoramic view of the city and the bay. Proceed along the coast to Caesarea to visit the Roman Theater and the Crusader fortress. Continue to Tel Aviv Ben Gurion airport for a short flight to Ramon Airport, Eilat and transfer to  Eilat, the red sea resort. Overnight in Eilat.

Depart from Eilat, travel north along the Arava valley, view of the Israeli farming settlements along the way, proceed along the Dead Sea passing Mt.Sodom, arrive at Mt.Masada, ascend by the cable car, tour of the mount, see the walls, the palaces, the bath house, the old Synagogue, the walls and the Roma ramp.  Continue further north along the Dead Sea, passing Ein Gedi reserve on the way, stop at a local beach for a swim, enjoy floating on the water and experience the black mud bath. Continue to Jerusalem and Tel Aviv area ending till 19:00.

Continue our drive further south through the magnificent Ramon crater passing the Pharan wadi on our way. The road will take us to the Arava valley exteding along the east side of the Negev desert, dotted with several farming settlement. Arrive in Eilat the southernmost city of Israel overlooking the Red Sea, stop at the underwater observatory for a visit. Proceed further south to Taba, presently the border line between Israel and Egypt, ending at hotel in Eilat.

Drive south to Be’er Sheva, capital of Israel’s Negev region,  visit this sprawling city that boasts an old Turkish quarter which has become a trendy downtown, as well as wealthy satellite suburbs, view the modern architectural buildings of the Ben Gurion University and the Soroka Hospital. In biblical times it was the southernmost city of Israel, built around natural wells, the most famous being Abraham’s Well.

We continue to Kibbutz Sde Boker, realization of the dream envisioned by David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, who wanted to settle the desert and make it bloom. The kibbutz, built in the northern Negev Mountains, became the home of Ben Gurion and his wife, Paula, and the house he lived in has become a museum to his heritage. We will visit this museum and the Ben Gurion memorial site, which has a magnificent view of the Zin rift.

We proceed to the Ramon Crater, a special geolical erosional feature, exposing the region’s geology, we will visit the visitors center overlooking the crater, descend to Ramon crater to see some of the fascinating geological attractions, such as the “carpentry shop”–a hill where sandstone has formed prisms that appear sawed; and the ammonite wall – a great vertical rock surface on the southern side of the crater that consists of large, fossilized marine snails.

On our return we will visit Avdat, the most important historic city on the Incense Route after Petra inhabited by Nabataeans, Romans and Byzantines. It was destroyed by earthquake in the early 7th century CE. The site was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005, and it was also the filming location of Jesus Christ Superstar.

Drive eastward through the Wilderness of Judea, see the Bedouin settlements along the way, passing by the Inn of the Good Samaritan descending to the lowest point on earth – the Dead Sea, 400 Meters below sea level.
Proceed south along the Dead Sea west coast, view of Qumeran and its caves where the famous Dead Sea scrolls were found in 1947, proceed further south, visit a Dead Sea products shop, view of the oasis of Ein Gedi, arrive at Mt. Masada.  Ascend by the cable car to the mount, enjoy the breathtaking view of the wilderness, tour the impressive ruins of the great fortress  established by king Herod the great over 2000 years ago which later on became the last stronghold of the Jewish rebels against the Roman empire (73 AD).  See the walls, the palaces, the storerooms, the Roman bath house, the old synagogue, the Roman encampments and the ramp.
Descend by the cable car and travel to a nearby beach of the Dead Sea – stop for a swim in its therapeutic water, experience the black mud and enjoy the amazing feelings of floating on the water.

Continue to hotel for overnight.

Drive south to Be’er Sheva, capital of Israel’s Negev region,  visit this sprawling city that boasts an old Turkish quarter which has become a trendy downtown, as well as wealthy satellite suburbs, view the modern architectural buildings of the Ben Gurion University and the Soroka Hospital. In biblical times it was the southernmost city of Israel, built around natural wells, the most famous being Abraham’s Well.

We continue to Kibbutz Sde Boker, realization of the dream envisioned by David Ben Gurion, Israel’s first prime minister, who wanted to settle the desert and make it bloom. The kibbutz, built in the northern Negev Mountains, became the home of Ben Gurion and his wife, Paula, and the house he lived in has become a museum to his heritage. We will visit this museum and the Ben Gurion memorial site, which has a magnificent view of the Zin rift.

We proceed to the Ramon Crater, a special geolical erosional feature, exposing the region’s geology, we will visit the visitors center overlooking the crater, descend to Ramon crater to see some of the fascinating geological attractions, such as the “carpentry shop”–a hill where sandstone has formed prisms that appear sawed; and the ammonite wall – a great vertical rock surface on the southern side of the crater that consists of large, fossilized marine snails.

On our return we will visit Avdat, the most important historic city on the Incense Route after Petra inhabited by Nabataeans, Romans and Byzantines. It was destroyed by earthquake in the early 7th century CE. The site was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2005, and it was also the filming location of Jesus Christ Superstar.

Return to point of departure.