The Octagon Holy Land Tour

Price Per person based on double occupancy

Date	Price	Single Supplement
May 23-June 1, 2025	$4,495*	$1,065
*Roundtrip air from Houston included. Reservation Due By: January 31, 2025 Final Payment Due By: March 14, 2025

Included

Roundtrip airfare from Houston including taxes and fees air taxes and fuel surcharges are subject to change), 8 nights lodging at 4-star hotels, Breakfast & dinner daily at hotels, Full time English-speaking tour guide, Services of long-distance deluxe motor coach as appearing on itinerary, All entrances and transportation as appearing on itinerary, Porterage at hotels (1 piece), 1 group arrival transfer and 1 group departure transfer, Whisper/Listening devices – currently $20 per person, Tips to drivers, guides, and hotel staff, Pilgrim Payment Processing for check, Visa, MasterCard or Discover

Not Included

All lunches and drinks with meals except as noted in itinerary, Optional Travel Insurance - 7.95% or 9.0% of tour cost (TX rates current as of quote date), Israel VAT tax (missing passport fee) - $160 fee waived upon receipt of valid passport(s)

Day 1: Depart the US (Thursday, May 23)

On this day, you will board your plane for a flight to Tel Aviv.

Day 2: Arrive in Israel – Lodge in Galilee (Friday, May 24)

Upon landing in Israel, we will travel north to our hotel where we will lodge for the next three evenings on the shores of the Sea of Galilee.

Day 3: Galilee – Lodge in Galilee (Saturday, May 25)

On this day we will visit Capernaum, the hometown of Jesus’ Galilean ministry. Here you will see the synagogue where Jesus healed a demoniac, and where He preached His famous Bread of Life sermon. In this same town is the home of Simon Peter, where Jesus lodged during His nights in Capernaum. Capernaum is a seaside community, and the place where Jesus preached from a boat is just off the shore of this little town. Nearby is the Church of Peter’s Primacy, where the resurrected Christ served breakfast to seven of His Apostles. We will also visit the Church of the Multiplication, traditionally believed to be the spot where Jesus fed a crowd of over 5000 people. Then it’s up the hill to the place where Jesus preached the Sermon on the Mount. Close by is the ridge where He appointed His twelve Apostles, and we will even visit the cave where Jesus prayed all night long, just before He preached the world’s most famous sermon. These are just some of the sites that you will visit on this amazing day.

Day 4: Nazareth and Cana – Lodge in Galilee (Sunday, May 26)

On this day we will also take a cruise onboard a worship boat that will carry us across Lake Galilee from the valley of Gennesaret, where Jesus healed the sick. Here you will see a 2000-year-old boat, just like the one in which Jesus and His Apostles sailed. Rounding out this day we will visit Magdala, the hometown of Mary Magdalene. Then we will travel by luxury motor coach to the Wedding Chapel in Cana, where Jesus turned water into wine. Then it’s onto to Nazareth, where Jesus spent about twenty-seven years of His life. Here we will enter both the Church of Saint Gabriel (containing Mary’s Spring, and Church of the Annunciation, and you will see the cave where Gabriel appeared to Mary. We will also visit the ancient ruins of Nazareth, Mary’s Well, the site of Joseph home, and the synagogue where Jesus both taught, and where He taught others.

Day 5: Samaria – Lodge in Jerusalem (Monday, May 27)

Today we will first visit ancient Tiberias, and walk among the pristine ruins of this ancient town that was built by Herod Antipas. Then we will travel south to the village of Burqin. This is the site of the Church of Saint George, known to be the fourth oldest legalized church in the Roman world. It was built around the Cave of the Ten Lepers, whom Jesus healed on His way to Jerusalem. Afterwards we will visit Sebastia, and descend into the mysterious tomb of John the Baptist. In this town we will also have a splendid banquet at the Holy Sun restaurant (paid individually on the spot), one the high points of our journey to the Holy Land. Later we will make our way south to Jacob’s Well, where Jesus met the Woman at the Well, and to the nearby town of Sychar, where Jesus stayed two days with the Samaritans. Our last stop will be to visit Bethany, and you will step down into the Tomb of Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead. Then it’s on to our Jerusalem hotel for a fabulous buffet dinner.

Day 6: The Jordan Valley (Tuesday, May 28)

On this morning we will go east, descending into the Jordan rift valley, the lowest point on earth, to the site where the Jews first crossed over the Jordan, which is also near the spot where Jesus Himself was baptized. We will also visit the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, Jericho, where we will take a cable car up to the Monastery of Temptation. Here Jesus fasted forty days in a cave on this mountain. We will also visit the Monastery of Saint Elisha, where you can see the Tree of Zacchaeus, the tax collector from Jericho. Next we will visit the Jericho palace of King Herod, near the site where Jesus healed the blind man, Bartimaeus. Then it’s a short drive to Qumran, the place where John the Baptist most likely lived prior to his ministry near the Jordan River. This is the also the community that hid the Dead Sea Scrolls in nearby caves. Rounding out our day will be a stopover at a Dead Sea resort where you can relax either on the beach, or floating in the its saline-rich waters.

Day 7: Bethlehem and Mount Zion (Wednesday, May 29)

Today we will travel south to Bethlehem, first to the Church of the Nativity, the birthplace of Christ. This is the oldest church in Israel, where you can touch the actual bedrock where Jesus was born. From there we will walk to the Milk Grotto, where Jesus was visited by the Magi, and it is here where the Holy Family fled from Herod’s murderous temple guards. Our last stop in this area will be at the Shepherd’s Field, where the angels appeared on the night that Jesus was born, and where the shepherds themselves were buried. Next we will go to Mount Zion, to the Upper Room, where Jesus had His last supper with His Apostles. From here it’s a short walk to Dormition Abbey, the traditional home of Mary, and the place where she died. Next we will visit the home of Caiaphas, the high priest who turned Jesus over to Pontius Pilate. Here you can actually stand in the dungeon where Jesus may have been kept overnight. Lastly we will visit the Pool of Siloam in the City of David, where Jesus healed a blind man.

Day 8: The Jewish Quarter and the Mount of Olives (Thursday, May 30)

One out of ten stories in Jesus ministry occurred on the Temple Mount, and today we will go there, to the place where Jesus Himself used to worship. We will also spend time praying at the Western Wall, which is very close to the palace where Jesus stood before Herod Antipas during His trial. Then it’s onto the Ophel archaeological excavations south of the Temple Mount. Here you will walk the very streets on which Jesus traveled. It is at the Grand Staircase where Peter probably preached his Pentecostal sermon, where 3000 people were baptized. We will also visit the Chapel of the Ascension, where you will see the traditional spot where Jesus last made contact with the world He made. We will also visit the cave at the Pater Noster Convent, where it is believed that Jesus taught His disciples the Lord’s Prayer. The Garden of Gethsemane is our next stop, where you will see the traditional rock on which Jesus prayed to His father just prior to His arrest. You will also step into the Gethsemane Grotto where Jesus taught his disciples, and where it is believed that He first met the Jewish ruler, Nicodemus. We will also visit the Tomb of the Virgin, the final resting place of Mary, the mother of Jesus.

Day 9: The Passion (Friday, May 31)

This day begins with a visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the site of Jesus’ death, burial and resurrection. You will enter the traditional tomb of Jesus, and even touch the stones of Mount Calvary, where Jesus hung on the cross. On this day we will be walking down the Via Dolorosa, where Jesus carried His cross. This journey also includes a visit to the Prison of Christ and Barabbas, where Jesus was detained in between His three meetings with Pontius Pilate. On this path you will also go underground to the Lithostrotos, where you can actually stand on the level of the original Via Dolorosa. Nearby is the Courtyard of Flagellation, where Jesus was scourged by the Roman soldiers. We will also visit the Pool of Bethesda, the site where Jesus healed a paralytic who had suffered for 38 years. We will also visit the Church of Saint Anne, one of the largest Crusader buildings in the Holy Land. Finally, we will go down into the cave where Mary, the mother of Jesus, was born.

Day 10: Return Home (Saturday, June 1)

This is the final day of our journey, where we will transfer to the airport for our flight home.

Itinerary subject to change while touring for the best interest of the group.