“And the LORD said unto him, This is the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy seed: I have caused thee to see it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over thither.”Deuteronomy 34:4
For the people of the Bible, the Jordan was no border between two worlds. Israel crossed the river from the east into the Promised Land, Moses beheld it from Nebo, John baptised on its banks, and Jesus ministered in Galilee just as in the region of the Decapolis. This tour takes in both sides, creating a coherent picture of the biblical land.
The first days belong to Galilee: the Lake of Gennesaret with the Sermon on the Mount, Tabgha, Capernaum and Magdala, Mount Tabor with its view towards Nain, Nazareth and the ruin mound of Megiddo. Via Beth Shean, the capital of the Decapolis, you cross over to Jordan – to Gerasa, Amman, Madaba and up Mount Nebo, then on to the rock city of Petra, to Kerak and to the fortress of Machaerus.
Jerusalem and Bethlehem form the finale: the Israel Museum with the Dead Sea Scrolls, the Church of the Nativity, the Pool of Bethesda, the Via Dolorosa, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and the Upper Room on Mount Zion.
The Beatitudes are read above the Lake of Gennesaret, where tradition places them.
In “his own city” Jesus teaches in the synagogue and heals in the house of Peter.
From Tabor you can see the village where Jesus raised the widow's son to life.
The Annunciation to Mary is the reason for the Church of St Gabriel and the Basilica of the Annunciation.
Solomon had Megiddo built up as a fortified city – visible in the ruin mound on the Via Maris.
From the summit Moses beholds the Promised Land, which he is not to enter.
On Mount Hor Aaron dies; tradition locates it at Mount Aaron near Petra.
Tradition links the death of John the Baptist with this fortress of Herod.
The Church of the Nativity and the Shepherds' Fields preserve the memory of the birth of Jesus.
At the pool with five porches Jesus heals a man who had an infirmity thirty and eight years.
The crucifixion, the burial and the empty tomb come alive in the Anastasis.
In the upper room the disciples gather for prayer after the Ascension.
Tip: bring your own Bible – at each place we open the relevant passage together.
Bible quotations: King James Version.
Tel Aviv → Galilee
You travel to Tel Aviv independently. From the airport you drive north into the hill country of Galilee. Near the Lake of Gennesaret you check in at your hotel for the first three nights. After the journey there is time to arrive and to let your gaze wander over the landscape where Jesus spent most of his public ministry and called his first disciples.
Mount of the Sermon on the Mount → Tabgha → Capernaum → Boat trip → Magdala
From the Mount of the Sermon on the Mount you overlook the lake and the surrounding hills. A short footpath leads to Tabgha, ancient Heptapegon, with the Church of the Multiplication and the “Mensa Domini”. In Capernaum, “his own city”, you see the 4th-century synagogue, houses from the Roman period and the church over the house of Peter. After a boat trip on the lake you visit the newly opened excavations of Migdal, biblical Magdala.
Mount Tabor → Nazareth → Megiddo
On Mount Tabor the view reaches across the hills of Lower Galilee to the village of Nain at the foot of the Hill of Moreh; then you visit the Basilica of the Transfiguration. In Nazareth the way leads from the Church of St Gabriel with its well chapel through the bazaar to the Basilica of the Annunciation. At Megiddo, the ruin mound on the Via Maris, you see the museum, walk across the excavation site of the ancient fortified city and through the water tunnel from the time of the Israelite kings.
Beth Shean → Border crossing → Jerash (Gerasa) → Amman
Through the central Jordan Valley you reach Beth Shean, ancient Scythopolis and in the time of Jesus the capital of the Decapolis. After visiting the excavations you cross the border into Jordan. In Jerash, founded as Gerasa, colonnaded streets with their original paving, theatres, temples, the forum, Hadrian's Arch and the mosaics of Byzantine churches make a deep impression. In the evening you reach Amman and stay overnight there.
Amman → Madaba → Mount Nebo → Petra
In Amman you visit the Citadel with its panorama over the city centre, the Archaeological Museum, the ruins of the great temple and a Byzantine church. In Madaba you see the mosaic map, the oldest surviving cartographic depiction of the Holy Land. From Mount Nebo Moses once beheld the Promised Land – today the same view opens out over the Jordan Valley. Then you travel to the former capital of the Nabataeans, Petra, for two nights.
Siq → Ad Deir → Colonnaded Street → Qasr al-Bint → Royal Tombs
Through the narrow gorge of the Siq you enter the centre of the rock city. A climb leads to the funerary temple of Ad Deir (the Monastery), from which a panorama opens over the Arava plain and towards Mount Aaron. After the descent you visit the most important sites in the centre: the Colonnaded Street with the Temenos and the main temple of Qasr al-Bint, the Temple of the Winged Lions, a Byzantine church and selected tombs on the Royal Tombs wall.
Petra → Kerak → Mukawir (Machaerus) → Dead Sea
As Kir-hareseth, Kerak was once the capital of the Moabites; today the town is dominated by a mighty Crusader fortress, which you visit. You continue to Mukawir, the legendary Herodian fortress of Machaerus, with which tradition links the beheading of John the Baptist. From the heights the view stretches far across the Dead Sea. Then you drive down to its shore and check in at the hotel for one night.
Dead Sea → Jordan → Jerusalem
On this day you cross back to the west side of the Jordan and drive up to Jerusalem, where the last days of the journey lie. The route from the lowest point on earth into the hill country retraces what the pilgrims of the Bible sang of as “going up” to Jerusalem. The guide will agree the exact shape of the day with the group; in the evening you arrive in the Holy City.
Knesset Menorah → Israel Museum → Bethlehem → Shepherds' Fields
In the new city you see the great Menorah, the seven-branched candlestick in front of the Knesset. At the Israel Museum you visit the archaeological wing and the “Shrine of the Book” with the Dead Sea Scrolls. The 1:50 scale model of Jerusalem shows the city in the time of the Second Temple. In the afternoon you drive to Bethlehem to the Church of the Nativity with its grottoes and to the Shepherds' Fields.
Haram esh-Sharif → Pool of Bethesda → St Anne's → Via Dolorosa → Holy Sepulchre → Zion → Western Wall
On the Haram esh-Sharif, the Temple Mount, you see mosques, arcades and, from the outside, the “Golden Gate”. At the Pool of Bethesda and in St Anne's, one of the most beautiful Crusader churches in the land, you remember a healing by Jesus. Along the Via Dolorosa you follow the way of suffering to the Anastasis with Golgotha, the Holy Sepulchre and rock tombs from the time of Jesus. On Christian Zion you visit the Upper Room and walk to the Western Wall.
Jerusalem → Tel Aviv Airport
The morning is at your leisure – for a last walk through the Old City, a quiet prayer or a view from the Mount of Olives. Around midday the transfer takes you to Tel Aviv Airport, from where you begin your journey home. What remains is the picture of a land that can only be fully understood once you have seen both banks of the Jordan.
The tour price depends on dates, group size and room allocation. You will receive your personal offer – free of charge and without obligation.
Enquire →⛔ No shopping stops: carpet, jewellery or leather showrooms are not part of this tour.
The price is available on request. You will receive a personal offer – free and without obligation.
No, you travel to Tel Aviv independently. On request we will enquire about suitable flight connections for you.
The tour crosses the Jordan twice via a border crossing. Your guide accompanies you and informs you in good time about the necessary travel documents.
Yes, Petra is explored on foot, including a climb to the funerary temple of Ad Deir. Sturdy footwear and a good basic level of fitness are recommended.
The tour is interdenominational and is aimed at all Christians who would like to get to know the sites of the Bible.
Terra Sancta – Bible Tour to Both Banks of the Jordan
