Sunday – Tel Aviv, (Private Guide & Driver)
There is no better place to get in touch with the real Tel Aviv than in its most famous and vibrant market. There is never a dull moment when wandering through this dizzying array of fruits and spices, clothing and tchotchkes, with local Tel Avivians just out for a snack.
There is no better place to get in touch with the real Tel Aviv than in its most famous and vibrant market. There is never a dull moment when wandering through this dizzying array of fruits and spices, clothing and tchotchkes, with local Tel Avivians just out for a snack. On Tuesdays & Fridays Nachalat Binyamin Pedestrian Street becomes a must see artists’ market with craftsmen and artists from all over Israel setting up booths and selling their crafts
Can one find a better way to get to know a city, than by taking a walking tour through her most colorful parts? We’ll get to know the hippest and most vibrant parts of Tel Aviv by learning about her street art. These pictures are worth more than a thousand words,and we will learn from these murals about the people and culture, as well as history and current events.
Monday – Dead Sea, (Private Guide & Driver)
In the backyard of Yirmiyahu HaNavi and the valley in which Eliyahu HaNavi hid out called Nachal Prat, we find a fresh water spring fed river which flows year round… rain or shine.
This valley spans from the Samarian/Judean Mountains all the way down to Yericho, is the biblical border between Binyamin and Yehuda and is rich with history as well as flora and fauna.
In this natural oasis, the Prat Spring has been built up into a small swimming pool where the icy waters are a refreshing break from the scorching desert sun.
Have you ever wondered what it feels like to be weightless? Here in the lowest place on earth we have the saltiest lake in the world. The water is so dense that it’s impossible to sink. The waters of the Dead Sea have been known throughout antiquity to have healing qualities, and a day at the Dead Sea has the power to rejuvenate the skin. The hypersalinity and high mineral content have been shown to be therapeutic for arthritis, psoriasis, eczema,and much much more.
There’s practically no better way to see the beauty of the Judean Desert than by offroading with a local, where we can find some of the most stunning views of valleys, canyons, and wildlife of all kinds. This adventure will take us into a barren desert, a place where very little can live. We will find signs of life from times past while enjoying stunning views of the mountains of Judea and Moab.
Tuesday – Jerusalem Old City, (Private Guide)
The Jewish Quarter has had a Jewish presence almost continuously for 2,700 years! Home to nearly 3,300 residents, it combines history, religion, and archeology as well as shops and restaurants, yeshivas and synagogues. Although there is a modern neighborhood on top of these ancient ruins, the stones come to life and whisper the prophecy of Zachariah that “there will once again sit old men and women in the squares of Jerusalem, and the streets will be filled with playing children.”
Just outside of the Old City we will explore the ancient city where King David held his capital. Ir David, or the “City of David” as it is known in English, is the actual location of the biblical city of Jerusalem captured by King David over 3,000 years ago. Highlights include entering the secret tunnel
leading to the Gihon Spring, walking through Hezekiah’s water tunnel, The Olei Regalim street from the Breichat Hashiloach up to “Wall Street” the ancient financial district and shopping area.
At the Southwest corner of Har Habayit lies the excavated ruins of the Second Temple Period, downtown Jerusalem from 2,000 years ago! From here we will be able to recreate in our mind’s eye the sights and sounds of a bustling marketplace filled with cohanim and nevi’im, rabanim, and olei regel. The archeological gardens are littered with the treasures of the Jewel in the Crown of Jerusalem…Bayit Sheni.
4,000 years of Jerusalem come alive as they are projected on the walls of the Tower of David. In this citadel, where once the palace of King Herod and the Maccabees stood, the history of the city will be projected in a beautiful swirl of sounds and images which will bring the stones almost literally to life.
Wednesday – Jerusalem New City, (Private Guide & Driver)
Yad Vashem was founded in 1953 as Israel’s central holocaust memorial and museum. It’s for this reason that, after the Kotel, it is Israel’s most visited site. It is here where visitors will hear the story and the meaning of the holocaust within the greater story of the people of Israel and the Land of Israel. All political delegations that come to Israel must come to Yad Vashem to see for themselves what can happen when the Jews don’t have a place to call home.
There are no words to accurately describe the “shuk”…one must immerse themselves in the sights, smells, and above all, tastes of Jerusalem’s largest outdoor food market. It teems with locals and tourists alike, and is a meeting place for Jerusalemites from all over. Make sure to taste the chalva, techina, the famous marzipan rugalach, and get a fresh Juice from Uzi.
Chazal tell us that Rachel was buried on the road by Beit Lechem so that those Jews going into exile would be consoled by the hope that her prayers guarantee our return. In the place where Binyamin was born and Rachel died, David Hamelech and the seeds of Moshaich will sprout. There is a special segula at Kever Rachel to daven for the Geula Shleima.
Thursday – Jerusalem New City, (Private Guide & Driver)
In 1999 a new giant staircase was illegally dug into the Temple Mount, destroying tons of archeological remains. 400 truckloads of unsifted archeological debris spanning thousands of years from Judaism’s holiest mountain were dumped like garbage into the Kidron Valley. At this unique site we will get the chance to be amateur archeologists sifting through the debris of Har Habayit! In 15 years nearly ¾ of the debris has been sifted and sorted giving us a greater understanding of the Temple mount in Jerusalem. There are few things as meaningful as finding the remains of the Beit Hamikdash with your own hands.
On the night of June 6th 1967, a pinnacle four-hour battle took place here at Ammunition Hill in which 36 IDF soldiers lost their lives. This battle was the turning point in the Six Day War that led to the redemption of the Old City and saw the return of the Western Wall and the Temple Mount to Jewish hands. Here we will tell the stories of the heroes of Jerusalem, run through the trenches in which they fought, and even climb on tanks as we relive one of the most glorious days in modern Jewish History…the unification of our capital.
The Kotel Plaza today has an exposed section of 57 meters out of 488 meters! Underneath the Muslim Quarter of today is the excavated sections of the Western Wall which were once open to the sky. Although the average stone in the wall is only 2-3 tons, we will see the largest stone that weighed a whopping 570 tons, making it one of the largest hewn stones in the world.
Using the newest 360 degree technology we will travel back in time to the heart of the universe, the utmost in luxurious construction and beauty. We will hear the singing of the Levites as we walk through the Beit Hamikdash and see its glory.
If Jerusalem is the heart of the Jewish People then the Temple Mount and its western retaining wall are its soul. After the Temple’s destruction, the Kotel is one of its last remaining walls. Today we only see a fraction of it exposed, but it spans over a quarter of a mile and once stood 20 stories high! Although made of limestone, local tradition holds that it is really made up of the tears and prayers of 2,000 years of Jews yearning for “Next year in Jerusalem.” According to Jewish thought the Temple Mount is the holiest place on earth and the entryway to the spiritual world.
Friday – Binyamin, (Private Guide & Driver)
It says in the Torah that Hashem refined the nation in the Iron Crucible of Egypt, melting the metal and removing its impurities. After a bit of time with Yossi you’ll really understand what that truly means. We will melt Iron in his workshop and craft it into jewelry, where we will make our own souvenirs with the iron of Eretz Yisroel. A constant reminder of the pasuk in Dvarim that tells us “For Hashem your G-d is bringing you into a good land…a land whose stones are iron.”
In the center of the hill country of Ephraim was discovered the first capital of Israel, from over 3,000 years ago! Walking through the excavations of Tel Shiloh is like walking through a time machine back to the period of the Shoftim when Eli HaCohen was Cohen Gadol and the Navi Shmuel was just a lad. Here the Mishkan stood for 369 years as the spiritual center of Am Yisrael and the resting place of the Shekhina.
Friday night is a special time to be in Jerusalem. With the setting sun a new day begins – Shabbat.The Kotel in Jerusalem becomes a unifying place for the Jews as holiness of time and place intertwine. Soldiers and Hassids, tourists and locals, dance arm in arm together to welcome the Jewish Sabbath with song and joy. This celebration has no parallel in the world and should not be missed.
Saturday – Gut Shabbos, (On Own)
Sunday – Mediterranean Coast, (Private Guide & Driver)
Get ready to get wet! Two millennia ago the city of Caesarea needed fresh water. On the slopes of the Carmel Mountains sits the Shuni Springs, an oasis of fresh water. Tunnels and aqueducts were dug and built to transport that water over 14 miles! We will walk underground through the tunnel system in over two feet of water. Explorers in these tunnels will need to bring water shoes and flashlights,
Let’s go back in time 2,000 years to a simpler time before modern conveniences such as packaged sliced bread and cars and trucks. In this reconstructed Mishnaic era village we will get to glimpse, if only for a few hours, what life was like for our ancestors in the Land of Israel. We will learn about ancient agriculture, ride donkeys, and even bake our own fresh pita bread. The experience includes a delicious rustic lunch served outdoors,
In the heart of the galilee sits an unassuming city perched on a hill like a bird (Tzipor), which became the capital of the Galilee, seat of the Sanhedrin and home of Rebbe Yehuda HaNassi. It was here that Rebbe compiled the Mishna, and became the second most mentioned city in Chazal after Yerushalayim. We will explore the ruins of this magnificent city and see her mosaics, streets,theater, shul, and mansions.
Monday – Galilee, (Private Guide & Driver)
The Arbel cliffs and her caves have been a place of refuge for both bandits and warriors, zealots, and even a prince! Today this nature reserve plays host to thousands of hikers and adventure seekers who climb down the cliffside via metal ladders and cable railings descending nearly 1,200 feet. Many Just come for the birdseye view from the top for one of the most stunning views of the Galil and Kinnneret but it’s not nearly as powerful as hiking down.
In Judaism’s most mystical book, the Zohar, Tzfat is described as having the purest air in all of Israel and that’s not only because Tzfat is almost 3,000 feet in elevation. Of Judaism’s four Holy Cities, Tzfat is the one described as mystical and connected to the element of air, that which is intangible… hidden.
It is for this reason that 500 years ago Tzfat attracted mystics and rabbis and built breathtaking synagogues which we will explore. In recent years Tzfat’s beauty has attracted artists from all over who have opened their galleries to the public, making Tzfat a highlight of any trip to Israel.
Otzar HaStam is the world’s largest multimedia workshop dedicated to STaM – Sefer Torah, Tefillin, and Mezuzah. Here we can explore all of the aspects of safrut, including a hands-on workshop with a sofer.
We will visit the hometown and burial place of the RaShBI or Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, the 2nd century Tanna and Talmud of Rabbi Akiva, as well as his son Rabbi Alazar. The air is vibrant with the fires of the Zohar and for months one can smell the remains of the fires of Lag Baomer where nearly a quarter of a million jews from all walks of life come to celebrate the life and legacy of RaShBI.
Tuesday – Upper Galilee, (Private Guide & Driver)
We will enjoy a leisurely float down the Jordan river, the largest river in Israel and relax in the Holy waters of Israel’s north. The lazy river will float us along grassy banks, and under a canopy of trees, enjoying a relaxing break from the summer sun.
Surrounded by running streams bursting forth from one of the Middle East’s largest underground springs, we will visit the northern border of the Kingdom of Israel. Here was the royal city of Yeravam ben Navat, where he built a walled city, matzevah, and Mikdash, all of which have been discovered in the excavations. The 3,000 year old city walls and 3,800 year old city gate has led UNESCO to deem Tel Dan a “World Heritage Site”. We will stroll through this picturesque national park and touch the biblical history buried beneath.
In the third century before the common era, here at one of the most important crossroads of the ancient world was built a temple to the greek god Pan and his nymphs, Zeus, and Augustus Caesar when its name was changed to Caesarea Philippi, besides being mentioned in the gospels as the place where Peter is given the keys to the church by Jesus. This cultic site sat at headwaters of the Banias river, one of the three sources of the Jordan river. We will stroll along the spring’s pleasant water, culminating at the largest and most impressive waterfall in all of Israel.
Situated next to biblical Kadesh the hometown of Barak Ben Avinoam and the burial site of Yael and Devorah, sits Kibbutz Malkiyah named for the family of Cohanim who lived here 2,500 years ago. This rocky region of the upper Galilee has been a border from time immemorial and has seen many battles and wars throughout history. As it was then too now, it is on the frontlines standing strong against Hezbollah. We will ride along the border fence in a jeep going beyond where civilians may travel to meet the modern heroes of Israel. We will meet soldiers standing guard, get a VIP entrance into an army base and climb in and around tanks, while saying thank you to the soldiers.
(it is customary to buy food and drinks for the soldiers to show our appreciation)
Wednesday – Golan Heights, (Private Guide & Driver)
We are always told not to judge a book by its cover and by the looks of it the Yehudiya nature reserve should be dry and hot. But hidden beneath the basalt rock terrain lies a magical hidden oasis. From the dusty plain we will hike down into a tropical valley, and discover a breathtaking crystal clear pool, with deep refreshing water, fed by an 89 foot waterfall.
The Golan Heights was in the days of the Talmud, one of the most populous areas of Jewish settlements, Over 30 synagogues have been found to date, making up over a quarter of synagogues discovered from that time period in the Land of Israel. Katzrin park will transport you back in time to a recently excavated Jewish Village, bringing the Talmud to life, and culminating in a newly reconstructed ancient synagogue.
Karina & Gyora Chepelinski made aliyah in 2003 and brought with them a three generations old trade. The Chocolatiers have made the Golan Heights bloom with their family chocolate recipes. We will tour this one of a kind boutique chocolate factory, situated in picturesque Kibbutz Ein Zivan less than a mile from the Syria/Israel border. Besides seeing the factory floor, and tasting the delicious treats, we will get our hands dirty making our own truffles in a one of a kind workshop.
We will drive up a dormant volcano to a height of 1,260 feet above sea level to take in a breathtaking 360 degree view of the Golan Heights. From this former Israeli defensive position we can look down into Syria and on a clear day even see the approaches to Damascus only 45 miles away. We can also climb through the decommissioned bunker and trenches of the IDF.
Thursday – Galil, (Private Guide & Driver)
Resting on the Lake Kinneret and one of the four Holy Cities of Judaism, Tiberias is a 2,000 year old city both home to a vibrant Jewish community and the resting place of great rabbis. Besides the stunning views of the Golan Heights and upper Galilee, we will learn about Rabbi Akiva and Maimonides as Jewish history comes alive beneath our feet.
1,800 years ago the Galilee became the capital of the Jews under Roman domination and the Sanhedrin, or High Court of Jewish law, moved from Jerusalem ultimately sitting in Beit Shearim. As home to the compiler of the Mishna, Rebbe Yehuda HaNasi, it became a major destination in both life and death for centuries. Uncovered at Beit Shearim is a necropolis of over 30 burial caves systems, with elaborate burial niches and sarcophagi. The vast abundance of artistic adornments contained in this burial site is unparalleled around the world making it a UNESCO World Heritage site.
With one of the strongest Air Forces in the world, Israel has made an art out of creating the world’s best pilots. Col. (res.) Kobi Regev and his wife Idmit have decided that they will harness those very skills which the IAF uses to train their best, in order to teach others how to build self growth, confidence, teamwork and leadership. We will put on our flight suits and enter the most state of the art training simulators as we embark on high speed missions defending the skies over Tel Aviv guided by actual Israeli Air Force heroes.
Amazing! - Daniel was an amazing tour guide! He was knowledge, patient, kind, and very humble. He truly enhanced our experience. I highly recommend you use him!
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Eretz Israel Tours
