INTO THE PROMISED LAND TOUR 2020 ITINERARY 16 DAYS INSPIRATIONAL JOURNEY TO EGYPT, JORDAN & ISRAEL COMPLETE LAND PACKAGE WITH 5 STAR HOTELS FROM $3,325 WHY JOIN US? Into the Promised Land Tour will lead you through the route of the biblical exodus, where you will see, explore, and experience all the major biblical and historical sites in one 16-day trip to Egypt, Jordan and Israel. 2020 ITINERARY We are proud to announce our Into the Promised Land tour’s new and improved itinerary and our upgraded deluxe hotel selection. Due to the length of this tour and in order to ease the effects of jet lag before the first day of sightseeing begins, we strongly recommend arriving in Cairo 1 day before the tour starts. Day 1 SUNDAY Day 5 THURSDAY DEPARTURE FROM MT. SINAI TO THE RED SEA AND THE MOUNTAINS OF EDOM: Our journey begins today as we depart on our flight to Egypt– the land of the CLIMB MT. SINAI / TABA BORDER / EILAT / CROSS TO JORDAN / AQABA Pharaohs. Sit back, relax, and enjoy your flight while you prepare yourself for a At daybreak those who desire and are physically capable will depart for a memorable life-changing experience. early ascent to Mt. Sinai, where they will walk in the footsteps of Moses and the devoted pilgrims who traveled this route centuries earlier. You may choose to ride a Day 2 MONDAY camel part way, stopping at one of the stations to take in the scenery along the climb “AHLAN WA SAHLAN” – WELCOME TO EGYPT, LAND OF PHARAOHS to the summit. We should reach the summit just before dawn in time to witness its Upon arrival in Cairo and after passport control, you will be met by our Cairo incredible sunrise and splendid views. We will enjoy a time of praise and representative. A private transfer is included from the airport to your hotel. Our hotel unforgettable, breathtaking views of the Sinai Wilderness. As we read from the Book is conveniently located only 1.5 miles away from one of the Wonders of the Ancient of Genesis we remember that this is the place where Moses met the Lord in the World, the Great Pyramid of Giza. Check in at the hotel, unpack, and rest. In the Burning Bush and where he received the Ten Commandments. Descending the evening we will meet our Egyptologist tour guide-escort and traveling companions mountain, we will return to the hotel to rejoin the rest of our group for breakfast. We for dinner. will head towards the eastern shores of the Sinai Peninsula and the Red Sea on our way north to the Taba Border (Egypt / Israel border). Arrive at the Arava Border (Israel / Jordan southern border), cross to Jordan, and meet with our Jordanian tour guide – Day 3 TUESDAY Welcome to Jordan! A short drive from the border (15 minutes) lays the resort city of DISCOVERING EGYPT’S ANCIENT CIVILIZATION: PYRAMIDS / SPHINX / Aqaba on the Red Sea. We will check in at our 5 star resort hotel for dinner and ENTER INSIDE THE GREAT PYRAMID / CAMEL RIDE / EGYPTIAN MUSEUM overnight. Use the free evening to enjoy the hotel’s facilities or just rest, relax, and enjoy the Red Sea and the tranquil town of Aqaba. / OLD CAIRO / COPTIC CAIRO After breakfast we will start our first touring day in Egypt. Our first stop will be at the Pyramids of Giza. A visit to the 3 Giza Pyramids is on every world traveler’s must-see list. Cheops Pyramid, the largest of the three, was built in the 3rd dynasty about 2690 Day 6 FRIDAY B.C. and is one of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World. In front of the Pyramids ENJOY A FREE DAY IN AQABA OR CHOOSE AN OPTIONAL HALF DAY of Chephren, we will find the colossal statue of the Great Sphinx, which has stood TOUR TO WADI RUM AND LUNCH guard over the pyramids for more than 4,500 years. The Sphinx is carved from a After breakfast enjoy a free day at our resort hotel. Get some rest and enjoy the single piece of stone. It is a lion with a Pharaoh’s head and is thought to be a portrait resort’s facilities and beach. of the Pharaoh Chephren. We will have the privilege to go inside the Great Pyramid to discover the burial chamber. The burial chamber consists of an empty Sarcophagus OPTIONAL HALF DAY TOUR TO WADI RUM WITH LUNCH (7.3 ft by 3.75 ft) with smooth walls and a polished ceiling. The floor is made with 1-hour drive from Aqaba we will find the sensational desert of Wadi Rum. Wadi Rum blocks of pink granite, which cover 50 sq meters. During our Pyramids visit you will boasts one of the most spectacular desert landscapes in the world with rolling sand have a chance to ride a camel near the pyramids (complimentary by AIT). This is your dunes and mountains of sandstone. Its mystery and charm are sure to captivate you, opportunity to have your postcard photo riding a camel with the pyramids on the as it has so many visitors before, including the famous T.E. Lawrence. Some famous background. Next we will drive into Old Cairo to explore the city’s cultural landmarks movies were filmed there, including Lawrence of Arabia, Indiana Jones and the Last that span three millennium of Egyptian history. Discover the greatest collection of Crusade and more. Allow the local Bedouins to take you by their (4x4) vehicles to the Pharaonic treasures in the world at the famous Egyptian Museum. See the unique heart of the Red desert of Wadi Rum. Discover clues from antiquity carved on the collection of Pharaonic art, starting with the Old Kingdom Collection, on to the Middle mountains and the fallen boulder, vestiges of human activity over several thousand and New Kingdom galleries and Greco-Roman periods as well as the famous years. Return to Aqaba for dinner. Tutankhamun treasures. We will continue to Coptic Cairo, where we will visit the OPTIONAL WADI RUM HALF DAY TOUR WITH LUNCH $85 PER PERSON famous Suspended Church (Hanging Church), dating to the late 4th and early 5th Please note minimum 8 travelers needed for this optional excursion century. This basilica was named “Al-Mu’allaqah” because it was built atop the south gate of the Fortress of Babylon. We will continue to the Church of St. Sergius, a 5th century Coptic Church. This basilica is built on the cave in which the Holy Family SATURDAY stayed and is regarded by visitors as a source of blessing. As we stroll along, we will Day 7 come to the recently restored Synagogue of Ben Ezra, which marks the place where EXPLORING THE NABATEAN TREASURE CITY OF PETRA: FULL DAY IN Moses was saved by the water girl of Pharaoh. This is the oldest Jewish synagogue in PETRA / ARRIVE IN AMMAN, JORDAN’S CAPITAL Egypt, built in 882 AD. We will return to our hotel for dinner. Drive along the King's Highway to Wadi Musa before entering into Petra, one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. Explore Petra and see "The Treasury", the field of WEDNESDAY tombs, the obelisks, the altar, and more. Drive to our resort hotel on the shore of the Day 4 Dead Sea where you will be able to enjoy a relaxing evening. We will stay overnight in INTO THE WILDERNESS / TRACING THE ROUTE OF THE EXODUS: SINAI the Marriot Dead Sea Resort. DESERT / MARAH BY THE RED SEA / ELIM / REPHIDIM / MT. SINAI / ST. CATHERINE MONASTERY / DINNER IN A BEDOUIN TENT SUNDAY After breakfast we will travel east, heading towards the wilderness of the Sinai Day 8 Peninsula and the Land of Goshen tracing the Route of the Biblical Exodus CROSSING TO ISRAEL – INTO THE PROMISED LAND: MADABA / MT. (Genesis16-18). We will drive via the tunnel underneath the Suez Cannel to the west NEBO / CROSS TO ISRAEL / JERICHO / OLD JAFFA / TEL AVIV branch of the Red Sea. Our first stop will be Marah by the Red Sea, the desert springs After breakfast we will head to the biblical town of Madaba. Madaba is best known along the shore of the Red Sea, where the children of Israel found the waters bitter. for its Byzantine and Umayyad mosaics and for its Greek Orthodox Church of St. We will continue to Elim and visit the desert oasis and the possible sites where the 12 George. Here we will view the earliest original map of the Holy Land. We will continue wells and 70 Palm Trees were found during the Children of Israel’s journey to the to the biblical Mt. Nebo, from which Moses viewed the Promised Land. Mt. Nebo, Promised Land. We will then travel along the western Sinai coast to Wadi Feiran believed to be the site of the tomb of Moses, commands a spectacular view across (Rephidim), the desert valley where the Children of Israel fought against the the Jordan Valley and the Dead Sea. We will drive by Bethany Beyond the Jordan, Amalekites. From here we can see Mount Serbal, the possible site where Moses held where John the Baptist is purported to have baptized Jesus, and cross to Israel via the his arms up for victory. We will head inland towards the granite mountains of Mt. Allenby Bridge to meet our Israeli tour guide. Passing by Jericho will arrive in Tel Aviv - Sinai and Wadi el Raha. In Arabic Raha means “rest” and, according to tradition, this is Israel’s largest and most modern city.