SPC – Israel, 2023

DAY 1 – DEPARTURE – Monday, June 5

Depart Home for London, UK 

DAY 2 – TEL AVIV – Tuesday, June 6

Arrive in Tel Aviv, Israel 

Airport Transfer 

On-ground Briefing
Orientation Walking Tour – The group will become oriented with their neighborhood, the public transportation systems, nearby pharmacies, markets, ATMs, etc. Additionally, an in-depth safety briefing will be provided for what to do incase of an emergency. 

Welcome Dinner

DAY 3 – TEL AVIV/MITZPE RAMON – Wednesday, June 7

Breakfast & Day Briefing 

Jaffa Exploration – One of the oldest ports in the world, Jaffa port, where it’s believed the Biblical story of Jonah and the whale occurred.  

Visit to a desalination plant – where Israel is solving their water shortage by taking salt water from the Mediterranean and filtering it to become fresh, drinking water 

Short visit to the Sorek caves – to experience one of the most beautiful sites in Israel and see the massive formations of stalactites and stalagmites. 

Continue southbound in Israel to the Negev desert –  scorpion exploration at night.

Group Dinner

DAY 4 – MITZPE RAMON/EILAT – Thursday, June 8

Breakfast & Day Briefing 

Meet up with Hydrologist – that has been studying ancient farming techniques using floodwater discharge and we’ll help create a terrace as was once used in ancient times.  

Continue southbound to Eilat/Red sea 

Visit Yotvata Hai-Bar Preserve – This preserve breeds and manages “extinct in the wild” animals and other desert endangered animals.

Group Dinner

DAY 5 – EILAT  – Friday, June 9

Breakfast & Day Briefing
Diving/snorkeling the Red Sea – to explore some of the most unique coral reef ecosystems in the world. The Red Sea has the most endemic species compared to anywhere else in the world and we will perform water testing to compare salinities from the different bodies of water that we visit. 

Group Dinner

DAY 6 – DEAD SEA – Saturday, June 10

Breakfast & Day Briefing

Travel northbound –  we will stop in Ein Gedi and visit the Nature Preserve and Masada. The preserve contains beautiful waterfalls and springs in the middle of the desert, amazing wildlife such as ibexs and badgers, and is the site where David may have written some of the Psalms and hid from King David. Masada is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is a fortress created by King Herod and was the site for one of the final events in the First Jewish-Roman War. 

Second night of scorpion exploration.

Group Dinner

DAY 7 – DEAD SEA – Sunday, June 11

Breakfast & Day Briefing

Dead Sea Visit: Today will be extremely cool as we visit the dead sea: the lowest point on earth with one of the highest salinities for bodies of water!!! We will perform water testing here and float in the sea. Feel free to do a mud bath! 

Visit to the multiple prize winning botanical gardens in Ein Gedi (at a kibbutz) – to see more than 900 different species of plants from around the world. 

Final evening of scorpion exploration

Group Dinner

DAY 8 – DEAD SEA/TIBERIAS – Monday, June 12

Breakfast & Day Briefing 

Traveling northbound to Tiberias (Sea of Galilee) 

On the way visits:  the historical baptismal site of Jesus on the Jordan River; We will perform water testing (Qaser El Yahud); We will take a tour of a kibbutz that is fully sustainable and using bees as a natural pesticide (Bio bee tour); We will swim spring-fed pools in a lush beautiful landscaped oasis (Gan Hashlosha); We will  finish the day with a boat tour on the Sea of Galilee where many Judeo-Christian events occurred. 

Group Dinner

DAY 9 – TIBERIAS – Tuesday, June 13

Breakfast & Day Briefing 

Exploring Magdala – an ancient city on the shores of the Sea of Galilee where a first century synagogue and city were recently discovered. 

Short visit to the Mt of Beatitudes –  where Jesus delivered the famous Sermon on the Mount followed by kayaking the Jordan river. 

We will finish the day visiting Caesarea of Philippi – a Greek-Roman city dedicated to the Greek god Pan where a natural spring and grotto exist. 

Group Dinner

DAY 10 – TIBERIAS – Wednesday, June 14

Breakfast & Day Briefing 

Guided hike through Tel Dan Nature Reserve – It contains the largest karstic spring in the Middle East and the southern most location of the Near Eastern Salamander (critically endangered). The water splits and joins with another stream to create the Jordan River.

Meeting with a botanist –  to learn why Israel is a biodiversity hotspot. 

The day will be finished at the Golan Heights Winery – to learn about the sustainable fermentation process of Israeli grapes. 

Group Dinner

DAY 11 – TIBERIAS – Thursday, June 15

Breakfast & Day Briefing

Hike through the wetlands of the Hula Valley – learn about one of the most successful restoration projects in the world as well as viewing many flora and fauna. 

Visit to a sustainable goat farm and garden-  that creates the most delicious cheeses, fruits and breads!

Traveling westbound to the Mediterranean – stop at Rosh HaNikra grottoes and Mediterranean

Afternoon snorkel in the Mediterranean 

Visit to the archeological museum on site. 

Group Dinner

DAY 12 – TIBERIAS/NAHSHOLIM – Friday, June 16

Breakfast & Day Briefing

Dive/snorkel Caesarea National Park – While on the way to Jerusalem we will stop in this National Park which contains King Herod’s ancient port that sank 

Visit Israel’s Sea Turtle Rescue Center-  where they rehabilitate and reintroduce sea turtles back to the Eastern Mediterranean 

End the day by visiting Neot Kedumim – a Biblical Landscape Reserve that is internationally recognized as a model for ecological restoration. 

Group Dinner

DAY 13 – NAHSHOLIM/JERUSALEM – Saturday, June 17

Today will be spent exploring religious/cultural sites – that also have biological context of how people in ancient times utilized resources around them will be viewed today by visiting Mt Olives, Garden of Gethsemane, Pools of Bethesda, and the Garden tomb.

Group Dinner 

DAY 14 – JERUSALEM – Sunday, June 18

Breakfast & Day Briefing 

Exploration of more religious/cultural sites in the Old City of Jerusalem – learning about the history of the area and major religious/cultural sites such as Christ church and the Western Wall tunnels. 

Group Dinner

DAY 15 – JERUSALEM – Monday, June 19

Breakfast & Day Briefing

Our last day of the trip will be spent visiting the City of David – We will be walking through knee high water in Hezekiah’s tunnels

Memorable visit to the world renowned Yad Vashem Holocaust museum

Visit Machane Yehuda market: an open air market filled with local fruits, vegetables, spices, baked goods, restaurants, etc. 

Farewell Dinner and Program Closing

DAY 16 – RETURN – Tuesday, June 20

Breakfast & Day Briefing
Airport Transfer

Depart Tel Aviv, Israel for Home