Orthodox Israel & Sinai Egypt 8 days 7 nights

Upon arrival at Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv, you will be welcomed and assisted by our representative. Proceed to Lod, the ancient city of Lydda, to venerate the Tomb of St. George at the Church of St. George. Depart for Jerusalem to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the most sacred place for Christianity, to venerate the Tomb of Christ, the site of His Resurrection, and climb up the stairs to Golgotha, the site of His Crucifixion. Walk on the Via Dolorosa, the same path Jesus Christ walked on His way to the Cross, and visit the Prison of Christ in the Monastery of the Praetorium, between the Second and Third Stations. Continue to the Pool of Bethesda where Jesus healed the paralytic. Dinner & Overnight in Bethlehem.

Breakfast at the hotel.Continue the biblical tour experience to Egypt. Depart early in the morning for a long, approximately 5 hours, drive to Taba Border Crossing. After passport control, you will be met and assisted on the Egyptian side with formalities. Drive to St. Catherine's Monastery at the foot of Mt Sinai where Moses witnessed the Burning Bush before receiving the Ten Commandments from God. Depending on arrival time, attend Vespers.Check in to your hotel and dinner.

A very early morning climb (departure at 1 am) to the top of Mount Sinai. It will take you approximately 3 hours to climb up the Holy Mountain (Mt Horeb) and another 3 hours down, depending on the weather conditions.Attend the Divine Liturgy.Enjoy breakfast.Take a tour at the Monastery, declared an UNESCO World Heritage site, to see its famous collection of icons and old manuscripts, the Burning Bush and venerate the relics of St. Catherine.Dinner & Overnight in St. Catherine.

After breakfast, depart for the Taba Border Crossing. Walk across the border back into Israel and drive back to Bethlehem.

Breakfast at the hotel.Visit the cliff-hanging Monastery of St. George of Choziba in Wadi Qelt.Crossing into Jericho, the oldest known inhabited city in the world, to see the sycamore tree that Zacchaeus climbed up to see Jesus.View the Greek Orthodox Monastery of Temptation on the summit of the Mount of Temptation where Jesus fasted for 40 days and nights was tempted by Satan. Proceed to Qasr al-Jahud, the traditional site of the Baptism of Jesus by St. John the Baptist in the Jordan River.Visit the 5th century Monastery of St. Gerasimos of the Jordan in the Judean Desert and thendepart for the Dead Sea, the lowest point on Earth, about 420 meters below sea level. Free time.Dinner & Overnight in Bethlehem.

Early worship at the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem, one of the oldest churches in the world, built over the cave where Jesus Christ was born. Breakfast at the hotelVisit the 5th century Monastery of St. Theodosius the Great, the first cenobitic (communal life) monastery in Palestine which includes the tomb of the saint and the cave where the Three Wise Men stayed overnight returning from Bethlehem.Transfer by mini buses to St. Sava the Sanctified Monastery (only men are allowed to enter, women may observe it from the Women's Tower and worship relics that are exported).Continue to Jerusalem to visit the Mount of Olives, where the lord ascended into Heaven and enjoy the panoramic view of the Old City.Walk to the Garden of Gethsemane, the place where Jesus prayed before He was betrayed by Judas and He was arrested.Venerate the Tomb of the Holy Mother of God and the miraculous icon of the Virgin Mary of Jerusalem (Panaghia Ierosolymitissa) within a 12th century Greek Orthodox Church at the foot of the Mount of Olives.Dinner & Overnight in Nazareth

Breakfast at the hotelVisit the Greek Orthodox Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth, built over the spring (Mary's Well) where the Angel Gabriel told Mary she will give birth to Our Lord Jesus Christ. See the Latin Church of the Annunciation, built on the site where Mary's house and Joseph’s workshop used to be.Continue to Cana of Galilee to visit the Greek Orthodox Church and Monastery of St. George, the site of Christ's first miracle.Proceed to Capernaum, the center of Christ's public ministry in Galilee, to visit the Monastery of the Holy Apostles and the remains of St. Peter's house and then on to Tabgha, the place of the miraculous Multiplication of the Loaves and Fishes.Dinner & Overnight in Nazareth.

Enjoy breakfast and check out from the hotelVisit Ancient Joppa (Jaffa) to see the house of Simon the tanner (Acts 10:9-16) and the site where St. Peter resurrected Tabitha, a woman known for her virtue (Acts 9:36-43)View the ancient port of Old Jaffa.After a short bus ride through Tel Aviv, Israel's modern metropolis, continue to the airport for our flight back home. Returning home with unforgettable memories of the Holy LandHOME SWEET HOME