Tour from Haifa / Ashdod ports
Don't miss our Advanced Christian Tour!
Cairo-Petra-Israel Daily departure!
Triple Sea to Sea Biking Tour
OUR US GSA FOR ABOVE TOUR IS BEYOND BOUNDARIES TRAVEL
Day 1:
Arrival at the Ben Gurion International Airport and transfer to your hotel in or by Tel Aviv.
Day 2:
Meet your professional biking staff that will escort you during the tour. They will brief you about your bike and the Art of Biking, adjust your bike and give you general and safety instructions. Now we start our first biking-session, riding along the Mediterranean Sea and stopping from time to time for explanations about Tel Aviv, the "First Hebrew City" and Israel's commercial and cultural center. Our first Bike-session ends in the Old City of Jaffa, once an important port that served as the gateway to the Land of Israel from the time of King Solomon and unto modern times. Old Jaffa's romantic alley-ways give inspiration to many artists, who have their galleries there. Here, by the Mediterranean Sea, we get our First Stamp. We continue by bus along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea to Caesarea Maritima, the magnificent port-city built by King Herod the Great. In Caesarea we visit the well-preserved Roman antiquities, as well as its Crusader Walls and Fishermen Port. We end the day at the modern port-city Haifa, situated on the slopes of the evergreen Mt. Carmel. The view from this mountain is famous for its beauty. O/N in or near Haifa.
Day 3:
We are still by our first Sea – the Mediterranean Sea. First we visit Rosh Hanikra, where we will go by Cable-Car down the white chalk-cliff right by the Lebanese Border, where the storming sea-water meets the white rock in caves carved by the blue water… Now we start our second Bike-session, which is quite demanding, as we climb up the Mountains of Galilee and unto the area of Mitzpe Hila. We visit some of the sites of the ancient Galilean village Peqi'in, where Druze, Moslems and Christians live with a Jewish family that never left the area and keeps the Synagogue that is still here since Roman times! Now we drive up to the top of Mt. Meron, 1208 meters above sea-level, and hence upon its establishment it was declared Israel's highest mountain. We will hike around its "Peak Trail", which gives us the opportunity to enjoy the wide view of the Galilee from its four sides. Here we get our Second Stamp. We end the day in Safed, center of Jewish Mysticism – Kabbalah. Here we stroll through its blue-painted alleys, listen to some of its many legends, and visit some of its enchanted synagogues… O/N in or near Kibbutz Farod.
Day 4:
We start the day with a tour of the Kibbutz, including Saba (Grandpa') Habib's press, where we can experience the traditional Galilean way of producing Olive and Sesame Oil (Tahina). Now we drive down to the Jordan River, where we mount the bikes and ride along this wild part of the Jordan River and then up to the Galilean Mountains. After achieving the Jordan River section, you will be entitled to the Third Stamp. We bike near the ancient city Korazim and to the "Mt. of Beatitudes" where we can enjoy the special church built by the Italian architect Berluzzi, as well as the wide view over the Sea of Galilee. Continue down to Tabgha, where we visit the reconstructed Byzantine Church, commemorating the miracle of the Multiplication of the Bread & the Fish and ride along the Sea of Galilee to Capernaum, where we visit Peter's House and the famous Synagogue. Here, by the Sea of Galilee, we receive our Fourth Stamp. Sail on the Sea of Galilee on a Boat similar to the boat used by Jesus and his disciples. We end this day with a short visit of the Golan Heights, including a visit of the Gamla National Park looking to the Gamla Stronghold – "Masada of the Golan" and the Vultures-Viewpoint. O/N in a Kibbutz.
Day 5:
Drive along the Jordan Valley and visit Deir Hajla, an Orthodox Monastery, where we get acquainted with the ancient Christian Monasticism. A short drive brings us to Kibbutz Almog, where we step off the bus and hike/climb in the gorge of Nachal 'Og (Wadi Mukaliq). The bikes will await us at the end of this hike, and we start riding along the cliffs overlooking the Dead Sea, past the caves where the first "Dead Sea Scrolls" were discovered, and visit Qumran, the dwelling-place of the "Dead Sea Sect" who wrote the scrolls that give us the precious insight into the origins of the Bible, Judaism and Christianity as we know them today. We will not miss, of course, some floating (swimming is impossible!!) on the waters of the Dead Sea, where we will get our Fifth Stamp. O/N in a Kibbutz by the Dead Sea.
Day 6:
After breakfast we drive along the shores of the Dead Sea to Sodom (oh, yea… THAT Sodom!!) where we will ride on one of the most extraordinary biking-trails in the world, in a bizarre landscape of white canyons with mystical shapes… Climb (by cable-car…) the famous cliff-fortress of Masada, where Herod the Great built a magnificent palace in the middle of the desert. Masada was then used as a fortress by the Jewish "Zealots" who fought, few against many, against the pagan Roman Empire. Their heroic struggle became a symbol for the modern State of Israel. After a short ceremony where we get our Sixth Stamp, we descend the mountain on the Roman Ramp and drive to Kfar Hanokdim. Here we will ride the camels instead of bikes, and spend the night in a Bedouin-style tent, experiencing a traditional Bedouin Dinner and Bedouin Hospitality according to the ancient rules of the desert…
Day 7:
Now we ascend the Holy City – Jerusalem! From the Mt. Of Olives we have a panoramic view of Jerusalem's Old City – a suitable place to explain the city's rich history. A leisurely walk takes us down, through the holy Jewish cemetery, to the "Garden of Gethsemane" with its "Church of all Nations" and ancient Olive trees, almost 2000 years old! We continue to the "Wailing Wall", the last remnants of the holy Jewish Temple, and, conditions permitting, visit the Temple Mount itself, where we can see the Muslim Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque. Then we walk through the colorful "Suq" (Bazaar) and follow the different stations of the "Via Dolorosa", the "Way of the Cross" according to Christian tradition. The Way of the Cross ends at the "Church of the Holy Sepulcher", built traditionally on the site where Jesus was crucified and buried. At the Jaffa Port our bus awaits us and takes us to our Closing Ride, ending at the Haas Promenade, overlooking the 4000-year-old city. Here we have our Closing Ceremony, where we receive the last, Seventh Stamp and a certificate stating that we achieved the Seven Goals of the Tour and are entitled to be called a Triple Sea Biker!!! O/N in or near Jerusalem.
Day 8:
Time permitting you can spend some more time in Jerusalem. Transfer to the airport for your flight back home.
US GSA is BEYOND BOUNDARIES
C2C Cycling tour in Israel - much more than any other Incentive Tour......