In The Footsteps Of Pope John Paul Ii Tour

Following the Footsteps of Pope John Paul II on his Pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Egypt & Jordan, in the Year 2000 (upon request)

Day 1: Egypt/Cairo

Arrive at Cairo Airport. Our hospitality personnel will meet you and process your visa, then transfer you to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 2: Cairo/Pyramids/Sphinx/Memphis/Sakkara

After breakfast, enjoy a full day tour of Cairo. Visit the Great Pyramids and the Sphinx. Continue to the Valley Temple, Memphis, the old capital of Egypt. On to Sakkara, the Step Pyramids, and the Alabaster Sphinx. Visit the oldest factory for handmade carpets in Egypt where profits are going towards helping the needy children of Egypt.

Back to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 3: Citadel/ Alabaster Mosque/Khan el Khalili Bazaar/Museum

After breakfast, we will visit Old Cairo, the Citadel of Salah El Din, the Alabaster Mosque of Mohammed Ali, and the Khan el Khalili Bazaar, the oldest and largest bazaar in the Middle East. Later in the day, you will explore the fascinating Cairo Museum, exhibiting the biggest collection of ancient antiquities, including the incredible artifacts discovered in the tomb of Tut-ankh-Amun in 1922.

In the afternoon, visit the church of St. Sergius (Abu Serga) and the Crypt of the Holy Family beneath it. Continue to the hanging church (Al Muallaqa) dedicated to the Virgin Mary and visit the Coptic Museum. Return to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 4: Sinai/Suez Canal/St. Catherine

Drive to the Desert of Sinai. Cross the Suez Canal. Continue to St. Catherine oasis at the foot of Mt. Sinai. Dinner and overnight.

Day 5: Mt. Sinai/St. Catherine Monastery/Red Sea/Jordan/Aqaba/Petra

Wake up at dawn for a magnificent experience of climbing to the summit of Mount Sinai (3,700 steps). See the sunrise from the site where the Ten Commandments were given to Moses. Walk down to our hotel for breakfast. Visit St. Catherine Monastery (if open).

Drive to the Red Sea, and cross on a ferry to Aqaba in Jordan, where our Jordanian guide will meet us. Drive to Petra for dinner and overnight.

Day 6: Petra/Amman

After breakfast walk through the "Siq" (canyon), the narrow entrance to the hidden Rose City, the ancient capital of the Nabateans. See the magnificent Treasury, carved in pink stone, the Roman theater, the Coronation Tomb, and the Palace Tomb. Drive on the desert road to Amman for dinner and overnight.

Day 7: Madaba/Mt. Nebo/Israel/Jericho/Bet Shean/Galilee

After breakfast, drive to Madaba to observe the fascinating mosaic floor with the most ancient map of the Holy Land. Continue to Mount Nebo, the traditional burial place of Moses.

Drive to the Baptismal site, visited by the Holy Father.

Continue to Allenby Bridge and cross into Israel. Your Israeli guide will meet you upon arrival. Visit the ruins of ancient Jericho and view the Mount of Temptation. Continue north along the Jordan Valley to Bet She'an. On to your hotel in Galilee for dinner and overnight.

Day 8: Sea of Galilee/Capernaum/ Primacy/Mt. of Beatitudes/Mt. Tabor

The full day following the footsteps of Jesus. Begin day cruising on the Sea of Galilee in a "Biblical" wooden boat. Visit Capernaum, the town of Jesus, the Primacy Church at Tabgha, and the Church of the Multiplication. Drive to the Mount of Beatitudes. Experience a delicious lunch of the famous St. Peters' fish. Drive to Mount Tabor to visit the Church of Transfiguration. Back to your hotel for dinner and overnight.

Day 9: Nazareth/Mt. Carmel/Caesarea/Jerusalem

Drive to Nazareth, visit the Church of Annunciation, the carpentry shop of St. Joseph, and Mary's Well. On to Mount Carmel to visit the Carmelite Church of Stella Maris. Continue along the Mediterranean Sea to Caesarea. Visit the Roman aqueduct and theater as well as the Crusader walls and moat. Continue to Jerusalem via the Judean Hills. Enter the Holy City with a special ceremony. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

Day 10: Jerusalem/Mt. of Olives/Old City/Via Dolorosa/Mt. Zion

Full-day visit to Biblical Jerusalem. Begin the day by taking in the magnificent view of the Old City from the promenade on Mount of Olives. Visit the Church of Pater Noster and the Chapel of Ascension. Walk through the ancient Jewish cemetery to the Church of Dominus Flevit. On to the Garden of Gethsemane, the Church of All Nations, and Mary's Tomb.

After lunch, enter the Old City through the Lions' Gate. Visit the Pools of Bethesda and St. Anne's, a well-preserved Crusader church. Walk the Via Dolorosa stopping at each of the Stations of the Cross, en route to your devotions at the Holy Sepulcher. Continue to the Zion Gate and Mount Zion, to visit the Upper Room, David's Tomb, and the Church of Dormition. Dinner and overnight in Jerusalem.

Day 11: Model/Yad Vashem/Ein Karem/Bethlehem

Begin the day visiting the Holyland Model, showing Jerusalem in its glory days of the Temple. Visit Yad Vashem, the Holocaust Memorial. Drive to the village of Ein Karem and visit the Church of the Visitation and St. John the Baptist's birthplace.

After lunch, drive to Bethlehem. View the Shepherds' Fields and visit the Church of Nativity built over the site where Jesus was born. Free time for shopping for some of the unique olive-wood crafts manufactured in the town. Back to Jerusalem for dinner and overnight.

Day 12: Judean Wilderness/Qumran/Massada/Dead Sea

Free day in Jerusalem. An optional trip will be offered to visit the Judean Wilderness, Qumran, the fortress of Massada, and swim in the Dead Sea.

In the evening, a special farewell dinner.

Day 13: Flight Back Home

Free until the transfer to the airport for your flight home.