GALILEE, GOLAN, CAESAREA AND ACRE
Departure Days: Tuesday & Wednesday
Duration: 3 days
A brief overview of the tour
3 daily tours to the Golan Heights and the Mediterranean coast' gems with accommodation on B&B basis in an Israeli Kibbutz resort. Visit the Banyas reserve (Caesarea Philippi) – the source of the Jordan river, Kalat Nimrod – the impressive fortress from the Ayyubid period (1230 AD), view Mount Hermon – highest point in Israel, visit Ram pool – a crater lake next to the Druze village of Majdal Shams, visit Safed in the upper Galilee - the City of Kabala and some of the most beautiful sites along the Mediterranean coast such as the ancient ports of Caesarea and acre.
Important and useful notes
- Price includes accommodation per person in a double room on B&B basis.
- Single supplement $50 per person per night (100$ during High season).
- High season supplement $25 per person per night.
- The sequence of the days, pick up times and hotel accommodation are subject to change.
- View useful, relevant notes on each route by clicking on the Tour Itinerary tab.
A detailed description of the tour
As we depart Tel Aviv, travelling along the Mediterranean coast we pass the modern towns of Herzliya and Netanya and stop at ancient Caesarea.
Built by Herod and dedicated to the Roman Emperor, Caesar, it had every luxury to be found in a Roman city. The magnificent theatre, well preserved by the sea sand which covered it through the centuries it was not in use, has been restored and is in use throughout the summer. Alongside it is the partially preserved hippodrome. Above the port, specially constructed to serve the many ships carrying the treasures of the east, brought across the desert by Nabatean caravans, to Rome, are the remains of the Roman temple.
Virtually abandoned for centuries Caesarea gained a new burst of life during the Crusader period before sinking into oblivion. The gateway, moat and walls are well-preserved.
As we pass through Haifa we make a brief stop to admire the gold topped Bahai shrine surrounded by the well-groomed gardens and the breathtaking view of the bay and port area.
Continuing northwards we stop at Rosh HaNikra and take the cable car down to the spectacular grottoes and marvel at nature as we walk through caverns forged by the pounding waves. Our final stop is at Acre (Acco). The largest of the Crusader cities in the Land of Israel, Acre is well preserved and we cannot fail to be impressed as we see the enormous columns and stroll from chamber to chamber. Even the public toilet has survived!!
The walls and the moat, restored and rebuilt by El Jazzar at the end of the 18th century withstood the attempt of Napoleon Bonaparte to conquer the city and forced him to return from whence he came. Atop of the Crusader remains is the Turkish prison, with the gallows later used during the British Mandate to hang Jews opposed to the British policy limiting Jewish immigration from Europe after WWII .
- Tour 142: 05:50 am transfer from Jerusalem to join the tour in Tel Aviv.
- Change of vehicle required for transfers of pick up / drop off destinations to save time,avoid traffic and delay!
- Please be at your pick up point on time. There might be some delay (up to 20 minutes) due to traffic or other operational issues
- Airport drop off is available for additional 60$ per person
- Business class - small groups in luxury van / minibus.
Day 1:
Leaving Tel Aviv we pass Herzliya and Netanya, as we travel north along the scenic coastal plain and
then turn eastwards through the plain of Armageddon (Rev 16:16), with a view of biblical Megiddo.
Then crossing the Jordan Valley, the hidden river to the east serving as the border between Israel and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan.
At the southern of the Kinneret, the Sea of Galilee, we ascend to the Golan Heights via Hamat Gader, site of the Roman spa. At the Shalom observatory we have a panoramic view of the Kinneret and realise how vulnerable Tiberias was while the Syrians controlled the Heights.
At ancient Katzerin we explore the excavated and partially restored remains of a typical large village of the Mishnah and Talmud period (first to fifth century), its synagogue, its homes and its olive press. The black basalt rock is testimony to extinct volcanoes on the heights.
In the nearby museum, in the modern city of Katzerin, finds from the ancient city are displayed alongside the finds from excavations carried out on the Golan Heights. These include the reconstruction of a stone-age dolmen, stone carvings from the many synagogues discovered and coins from Gamla, the Second Temple Jewish city razed by the Romans during the Jewish revolt (67-73 CE).
On Mount Bental we explore the former Syrian fortifications, bunkers and trenches taken by Israel during the Six Day War in 1967. In the distance is the Syrian city Kuneitra and in the foreground the camp of the Canadian contingent to the UN forces supervising the cease-fire between Israel and Syria, brokered in 1974 after the Yom Kippur War and never broken. The Syrian capital Damascus is a mere fifty kilometers away hence Syria’s reticence to break the cease-fire. The route we travelled today is more than likely the one used by Saul of Tarsus on his way to Damascus (Acts 9:1ff). Overnight – kibbutz guest-house
Day 2:
After a short tour of the kibbutz we continue northwards to the source of the Hermon River, one of the
tributaries of the Jordan River, at Caesarea Philippi also known as Banias. This Roman city, dedicated to
the pagan god Pan, was given by the emperor Augustus to King Herod who built a palace in his honour.
After his death his son Phillip made Panias capital of his kingdom renaming it and further beautifying it,
preserving the many pagan shrines. This was the northernmost point visited by Jesus and his disciples
and the only pagan city mentioned in the gospels. It is here, at the foot of Mt. Hermon, that Jesus gave
the keys to his kingdom to Peter, formerly Simon. (Mat 16:13-19).
As Christianity gained ascendency and finally became the official religion of the Roman Empire the pagan shrines were replaced by a church. After the Arab conquest in the 7th Arabic alphabet.
century Panias became known as Banias as there is no ‘p’ in the On the way to Mt. Hermon is a striking fortress straddling the hill. Kal’at Nimrod is often mistakenly described as a Crusader fortress but the Crusader fortress was destroyed at the beginning of the thirteenth century. Strategically placed on the road to Damascus it was rebuilt by the Omayyad rulers of Damascus and completed by the Mameluke Sultan Beybers. We will explore the towers and buttresses and enjoy the view. With the complete demise of the Crusader Empire in Lebanon and Kal’at Nimrod lost its strategic importance and was abandoned. After enjoying lunch at a Druze restaurant we leave the Golan Heights and make our way to Safed (Z’fat).
Known as the city of the Kabbalah we will see the synagogues dedicated to Josef Caro and the Ari as we walk through the narrow alleys of the old city and explore the artists’ quarter before returning to Tel Aviv.
- Price includes accommodation per person in a double room on B&B basis.
- Single supplement $50 per person per night (100$ during High season).
- High season supplement $25 per person per night.
- The sequence of the days, pick up times and hotel accommodation are subject to change.
- View useful, relevant notes on each route by clicking on the trip details below.
