The Bridge International Church
Holy Land Study Tour
June 7-22, 2011
16 Days - 4 Countries - Countless Memories
$2,495 USD
Price based on double or triple occupancy and includes hotels, all breakfasts and dinners, all transportation within the countries, all entrance fees
Do you want to experience the Bible, not just read it?
Do you want to uniquely meet Jesus and better understand His teachings?
Do you need a fresh breath of God's Spirit in your life?
Please take a moment as the slide show loads. It's worth the wait!
For more information about the Holy Land Experience, scroll down.
Your participation in the Holy Land Study Tour will do this for you and more!
You will never read your Bible in the same way again. No longer will you just read about Jesus teaching on the Sea of Galilee, you will visualize it. Your entire understanding will be enriched through this Study Tour.
Your trip will begin several months prior to your departure for Israel, Palestine, Egypt and Jordan. For several months we will read, study and prepare as a group. This can be done in person or online. Our studies will help you navigate the complex maze of Middle Eastern politics. You will grasp the complicated relationships between 3 of the world's great religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Your trip will begin several months prior to your departure for Israel, Palestine, Egypt and Jordan. For several months we will read, study and prepare as a group. This can be done in person or online. Our studies will help you navigate the complex maze of Middle Eastern politics. You will grasp the complicated relationships between 3 of the world's great religions: Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
For more information, dates and prices, click the "Contact Info" tab and request Holy Land Study Tour information.
Photos: Corinne Bergmann
Holy Land Pilgrimage Itinerary
Day 1 and 2: Monday/Tuesday
Arrive in Cairo, overnight in Cairo at the Shepherd Hotel,near Tahrir Square
Day 3: Wednesday
Sleep in! Eat breakfast at leisure. Meet for lunch. After lunch, visit Coptic Cairo via Metro. Optional evening walk along Nile to visit the Palace Al Gezira (Marriott Hotel). Dinner and overnight at the Shepherd Hotel in Cairo.
Day 4: Thursday
After breakfast, all day tour to visit Pyramids, Sphinx and Sakkhara (ancient Memphis). Dinner and overnight at the Shepherd Hotel in Cairo.
Day 5: Friday
Worship at Maadi Community Church, morning. Lunch and shop on Road 9 in Maadi in afternoon. Dinner on Faluka on the Nile River. Return to Shepherd Hotel in Cairo for overnight.
Day 6: Saturday
Visit Egyptian Museum in morning. Shop at Khan a Khalili in afternoon. Optional Worship at Anglican Church in Maadi. Return to Shepherd Hotel in Cairo for dinner and overnight.
Day 7: Sunday
Early morning bus trip past Suez Canal to Sinai Peninsula and the Red Sea. Enter Israel at Eilat. Travel to Bethlehem via entrance to Jerusalem at Mount of Olives. Dinner and overnight in Bethlehem hotel.
Day 8: Monday
Tour Bethlehem’s Church of the Nativity, shop for Olive Wood, travel and tour Caesarea, travel to Mt. Carmel. Visit Muhraqa and a Carmelite Monastery located on the spot where Elijah confronted the priests of Ba’al. Continue through the Jezreel valley of (Har Megiddo) and visit ruins. Have lunch in and visit ruins. Tour Nazareth. Travel to east side, Sea of Galilee. Dinner and overnight in Holiday Inn, Tiberias.
Day 9: Tuesday
Sail across Sea of Galilee. Visit Jordan River for baptisms. Visit Tiberius for lunch and see “Galilee Experience”. Visit Mount of Beatitudes, hike down to traditional location of feeding of 5000, Tabgha. Dinner and overnight in Holiday Inn, Tiberias.
Day 10: Wednesday
Morning off. (Optional activities include swimming in Sea of Galilee, bike ride around the Sea, sleeping in!) After lunch, travel north to Mt. Hebron. Visit headwaters of the Jordan River. Explore Nimrud, Crusader castle. Dinner and overnight in Holiday Inn, Tiberias.
Day 11: Thursday
Travel south and tour ruins of Beit She’an. Visit Jericho and hike around the ruins. Lunch in Jericho. See the wilderness of temptation. Take old road up to Jerusalem. View Wadi Kelt and St. George’s Monastery. Late afternoon optional walking the Old City ramparts. Dinner and overnight in Old Jerusalem at the Casa Nova Hotel.
Day 12: Friday
Walking tour of the Old City Quarters (Jewish, Christian, Arab and Armenian). Lunch overlooking Western Wall. Visit Western Wall and Temple Mount. Afternoon at Garden Tomb. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem at the Casa Nova Hotel.
Day 13: Saturday, (Shabbat)
Explore Via Delarosa beginning at Temple Mount and traveling through Gethsemane, concluding at the Tomb of the Holy Sepulcher. After lunch, tour Burned House Museum. The rest of the afternoon is free time to shop in Old City and visit other museums. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem at the Casa Nova Hotel.
Day 14: Sunday
Early Morning trip to visit Qumran and Masada. Lunch at Dead Sea. After lunch, swim in the Sea. Late afternoon optional trip through Hezekiah’s Water Tunnel/Pool of Siloam. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem at the Casa Nova Hotel.
Day 15: Monday
Optional tour of Petra, Jordan. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem at the Casa Nova Hotel. Day off for Museum visitation/shopping.
Day 16: Tuesday
Travel back to Cairo. Dinner and overnight in Cairo at the Shepherd Hotel.
Day 17: Wednesday
Optional early morning sunrise horseback riding around pyramids. Depart for home in the evening from Cairo International Airport.
Day 18: Thursday
Arrive home.
Security Questions
I have completed 15 tours, which I have organized and guided into Israel. I led tours to the Holy Land since 1988. I have visited the region during the Intefadah, during the first Gulf War as well as during times of peace and quiet regionally. So when people ask me, “How safe is Israel and the Holy Land region?” , it is a valid question and one deserving an answer.
Many folks are wondering,and rightly so, whether it is safe to visit Jordan right now in light of the reported violence beginning in October 2000 and the flare –up a year ago along the Israeli-Lebanese border.
Here are a few factors to consider about the situation in Israel and the rest of the Holy Land:
The current turmoil has not involved tourists, who have been perfectly safe in Israeli and Palestinian areas, as well as in Egypt. All sides make every effort to guarantee the safety of tourists and despite the occasional unrest, no tourist has
experienced serious problems.
There is no warning message from our travel agent in Israel. If the situation were as dangerous and dreadful as the news media would have us believe, our travel agent would immediately notify us.
The trouble spots in Israel are in well-defined and confined areas far from our itinerary. The towns of Jenin, Nablus, Ramallah, Hebron, and Gaza, which frequently are mentioned in connection with Palestinian unrest, are not anywhere
near our route.
Vast sections of Israel and other parts of the Holy Land are free if any terrorist actions and are totally safe. The entire Negev or desert region form Beersheba south to the Red Sea is tranquil. So is the entire Galilee area in the north of Israel from Megiddo to Mt. Hermon and the Lebanese border. This is where much of the sightseeing takes place.
In the past, tourists to Israel, to the Palestinian areas and to Egypt have been treated royally. This is even more true now as everyone makes an effort to keep the tourists coming.
By visiting the numerous places where biblical history took place and where momentous prophetic events will occur; we are not just enriching our spiritual lives, as we gain a totally new perspective on the Word of God. (The church father Jerome called a visit to Israel “The Fifth Gospel”). By our presence we are also encouraging the folks in that region whose economic struggles in recent years have been heart-wrenching.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: They shall prosper that love thee. Psalm 122:6
As we seek the good of the Holy Land’s people, spiritually as well as economically, we can expect the Lord to bless us in return (Gen. 12:3). The Lord promised to bless those who bless His people. Our visit there is certainly indicative of our financial and moral support of the beleaguered region. Let us pray for the troubled Near East. And let us not be dissuaded for visiting because of sensational newspaper headlines or fearful concerns of our friends and relatives.
For more information, dates and prices, click the "Contact Info" tab and request Holy Land Study Tour information.
