NAZARETH AND GOLAN HEIGHTS
Departure Days: Sunday, Wednesday & Saturday
Duration: 2 days
A brief overview of the tour
2 daily tours to lower Galilee and the Golan heights with accommodation on B&B basis in an Israeli Kibbutz resort. Visit Nazareth, see Mount Tabor – the transfiguration site and Mount of Beatitudes, visit Capernaum – city of Jesus, Sea of Galilee, ascend to the Golan Heights to visit the ancient synagogue of Katzrin – the Talmudic capital of the Golan and Mount Bental.
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 $25 per person per night.
- The sequence of the days, pick up times and hotel accommodation are subject to change.
- View useful, relevant notes on each route by clicking on the Tour Itinerary tab .
A detailed description of the tour
Leaving Tel Aviv we pass Herzliya and Netanya, as we travel north along the scenic coastal plain and then turn eastwards through the plain of Armageddon (Rev 16:16), with a view of biblical Megiddo. (II Ch. 35:20-27)
At ancient Katzrin we explore the excavated and partially restored remains of a typical large village of the Mishnah and Talmud period (first to fifth century), its synagogue, its homes and its olive press. The black basalt rock is testimony to extinct volcanoes on the heights.
On Mount Bental we explore the former Syrian fortifications, bunkers and trenches taken by Israel during the Six Day War in 1967. In the distance is the Syrian city Kuneitra and in the foreground the camp of the Canadian contingent to the UN forces supervising the cease-fire between Israel and Syria, brokered in 1974 after the Yom Kippur War and never broken. The Syrian capital Damascus is a mere sixty kilometers away hence Syria’s reticence to break the cease-fire. The route we travelled today is more than likely the one used by Saul of Tarsus on his way to Damascus (Acts 9:1).
- 05:50 am transfer from Jerusalem to join the tour in Tel Aviv.
- Please be at your pick up point on time. There might be some delay (up to 20 minutes) due to traffic or other operational issues
- Airport drop off is available for additional 60$ per person.
- Tour is required a minimum number of participants.
- Change of vehicle required for transfers of pick up / drop off destinations to save time, avoid traffic and delay!
- Hat and comfortable shoes required.
- Business class - small groups in luxury van / minibus.
We travel north along the scenic coastal plain or HaSharon area and then turn eastwards through the plain of Armageddon (Rev 16:16), with a view of biblical Megiddo. (II Ch. 35:20-27) As we make the ascent to Nazareth we briefly stop at the Mount of Precipitation (Luke 4:28-30).
Our first stop in Nazareth is at the beautiful Church of Annunciation built on the site where the angel Gabriel appeared before Mary (Luke 1:26ff). Adjoining it is the Church of St. Joseph, recalling the carpentry where Jesus and Joseph worked.
As we leave Nazareth on the way towards the Kinneret, the Sea of Galilee, we pass Cana, site of the first wonder performed by Jesus, the turning of the water to wine. (John 2:1-12). On the sea front, at the foot of Mount Beatitude, we visit both Capernaum, home of Peter, and the Benedictine Church commemorating the miracle of the Multiplication of the Loaves and the Fish. (Mark 6:30-44)
Continuing along the shores of the Sea of Galilee we recall how Jesus calmed the stormy waters and walked on them. (Mk 4:35-41 and 6:45-52). With the Golan Heights in the background, we pass modern Tiberias, built on the ruins of the city built two thousand years ago and named in honour of the Roman emperor Tiberius.
On the southern end of the Sea of Galilee, at Yardenit, there may be an opportunity for those so desiring to be baptized in the waters of the Jordan River. (Mk 1:9-11) On our return journey we will pass Mount Tabor, site of the Transfiguration (Mat 17:1-9)
- 05:50 am transfer from Jerusalem to join the tour in Tel Aviv.
- Airport drop off is available for additional 60$ per person.
- 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
- Change of vehicle required for transfers of pick up / drop off destinations to save time, avoid traffic and delay!
- Modest dress required for holy sites.
- Business class - small groups in luxury van / minibus.
- Baptisim available in Jordan river for additional cost, Bathing suit is recommended
