Israel
Dec. 12 to 21, 2009

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For centuries, Israel has been a focal point for three of the world’s major religions. This tiny nation, smaller in area than Lake Michigan, is replete with historic and spiritual milestones – vestiges of the Roman Empire, pathways of Crusaders and monuments to freedom. Explore the winding lanes of Jerusalem. Descend into the spectacular Jordan Rift Valley and marvel at the Dead Sea, the deepest hypersaline lake in the world. Walk along the storied shores of the Sea of Galilee. Learn about the struggle for settlement near the Golan Heights. Admire the architectural beauty of Haifa and Tel Aviv. See this enduring, evolving country on a comprehensive tour and discover the myriad and magnificent wonders of Israel.

Trip Length: 10 days

Pricing: $2,195 per person, double occupancy, land only. Call for airfare, single supplement and business class information.

Provider: Alumni Holidays International

To receive a brochure in the mail, click here.

To make a reservation on the phone with a credit card, call Wolf Treks Travel Coordinator Kathy Hart at 800.627.2586 or 919.515.3375.

Itinerary

Day 1
Depart your hometown for Tel Aviv, Israel.

Day 2
Upon arrival, transfer to Jerusalem and the Crowne Plaza Jerusalem. This evening, attend a welcome reception and dinner at the hotel.

Day 3: Jerusalem
In Jerusalem, visit the Western Wall and the Temple Mount. Trace historic footsteps along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. At the Mount of Olives, walk in the Garden of Gethsemane. Tour the Israel Museum and its Shrine of the Book wing, housing the mysterious Dead Sea Scrolls discovered between 1947 and 1956. Enjoy a restaurant lunch.

Day 4: Jerusalem
Visit Yad Vashem, the Holocaust memorial. Admire the Chagall stained glass windows in the Abbell Synagogue. See Mount Herzl and Knesset, the Israeli parliament. Lunch is served at a restaurant in the artists’ village of Ein Kerem. Gather for dinner at a restaurant in Jerusalem.

Day 5: Jerusalem
Journey 1,378 feet below sea level to the lowest dry-land point on earth. The afternoon and evening in Jerusalem are free.

Day 6: Upper Galilee
Depart Jerusalem for Upper Galilee. Visit the Church of Annunciation and Mary’s Well. Lunch is served at a restaurant that features the local tilapia. Follow a route along the northwestern shore to the Mount of Beatitudes and, on either side, the ancient fishing villages of Capernaum and Tabgha. Upon arrival near Kiryat Shmona, check into the Kibbutz Hagoshrim.

Day 7: Upper Galilee
In the northernmost corner of the country, tour the Tel Hai settlement. In Hermon National Park, see Israel’s largest waterfall and the ruins of the city of Banias at the foot of Mount Hermon in the Golan Heights. Visit a Syrian bunker and a modern settlement. Lunch at a restaurant.

Day 8: Western Galilee
Visit the Mediterranean port of Acre. See Haifa’s gold-domed Bahi’i World Centre on the slopes of Mount Carmel. Enjoy a wine tasting at a vineyard hear Zichron Ya’aqov. Enjoy lunch in Haifa.

Day 9: Tel Aviv
Depart Upper Galilee for Tel Aviv. Explore the Roman amphitheater and adqueduct in Caesarea.In Tel Aviv, see Independence Hall, the Bauhaus beauty of the White City and Old Jaffa, an artists’ colony. Following the tour of Tel Aviv, check into the Hotel Panorama and spend some time shopping in Tel Aviv. Tonight, gather for a farewell reception and dinner at the hotel.

Day 10: Departure
Transfer to the airport for the flight home.

Accommodations

• One night in Tel Aviv at the first-class Hotel Can Panorama.
• Three nights in the Upper Galilee region at the First-Class Kibbutz Hagoshrim.
• Four nights in Jerusalem at the first-class Crowne Plaza Jerusalem.

Meals

• Enjoy an extensive meal program, including eight breakfasts, six lunches and six dinners, in addition to in-flight dining service. Tea or coffee is included with all meals, plus wine with dinner. Take advantage of leisure time to try the local cuisine independently.
• Sample authentic regional specialties at featured local restaurants.
• Attend a special welcome reception.
• Gather for a farewell reception and graduation ceremony followed by a farewell dinner at a restaurant.

Exclusive Higlights

• See the legendary landmarks of Jerusalem, Israel’s capital, including the Western Wall, the revered Temple Mount and the poignant Yad Vashem memorial museum.
• Experience the start beauty and calming ambience of the Dea Sea.
• Trace sites referenced in the Bible along the shores of the Sea of Galilee.
• Visit both an historic and modern settlement in the Upper Galilee near the Golan Heights.
• Admire the lovely port city of Haifa on the slopes of Mount Carmel.
• Tour the cosmopolitan city of Tel Aviv on the Mediterranean Coast.