PRE-EXTENSION TO SINAI & EGYPT

 

 

DAY 1 -- Sunday: NEW YORK / ISTANBUL

Tour members are welcomed at JFK International Airport for our departing flight to Athens via wide body aircraft arriving the next day.  Meals served on board.

 

DAY 2 -- Monday: ISTANBUL / CAIRO

This morning we arrive in Istanbul and transfer to our flight to Egypt. Appon arrival in Egypt we will board our bus and transfer to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

 

DAY 3 -- Tuesday: CAIRO - MUSEUM & PYRAMIDS

This morning we visit the Egyptian Museum with its priceless gems from the tomb of Tutankhamen and other world-famous relics. We tour Old Cairo, including the Coptic church of "El Moallaka", dating from the early fourth century and the Mohamed Ali Mosque. 

 

This afternoon's excursion includes an exciting camel ride to the Pyramids and a visit to the Sphinx.   Return to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

 

DAY 4 -- Wednesday: CAIRO / SUEZ / ST. KATHERINES

This morning we leave Cairo via the desert route to the Suez Canal.  Continue through the tunnel under the Suez we arrive on the Sinai. We travel to the middle of the Sinai to the city of St. Katherine’s.

 

Here is a remote area that has few accommodations and an area that few Christians get to see. We will check into our hotel for dinner and overnight.

 

DAY 5 -- Thursday: ST. KATHERINE'S / ELIAT / BEERSHEBA / NETANYA

Early this morning we climb Mount Sinai for the sunrise.  After walking down, we visit the historic monastery.  We drive through Sinai to the Red Sea and turn north to the border of Israel, where we cross and stop at Eilat. 

 

This afternoon we will continue north through the Sinai to Solomon's Quarries. Continue to Beersheba and visit the ancient artisan wells. Continue to Jaffa, where we will stop and see the ancient port where Jonah left before being swallowed by a whale. We will continue thru Tel Aviv to our hotel on the Sea in Netanya. We will check into our hotel for dinner and overnight.

 

BASIC TOUR BEGINS HERE:

 

DAY 1 -- Wednesday, NEW YORK / ATHENS

Tour members are welcomed at JFK International Airport for our departing flight to Athens via wide body aircraft arriving the next day.  Meals served on board.

 

DAY 2 -- Thursday, ATHENS / TEL AVIV / NETANYA

This morning we arrive in Athens, Greece. An optional excursion to Cape Sounion will be available for those wishing to join us.  Cost is approximately $35 depending on the number of passengers taking this excursion.  This evening we board our flight to Tel Aviv, Israel, where we are met and taken to our hotel in nearby Netanya for overnight.

 

DAY 3 -- Friday, NETANYA / CAESAREA / NAZARETH / TIBERIAS

This morning we proceed to Caesarea, capital of the Roman procurators of Judea.  Visit the Roman port, Crusader's Moat, Roman theater and aqueduct.  Continue to Muhraka and on to Mount Carmel.  Proceed to Megiddo to visit the excavations that unearthed 20 different civilizations.  Traveling through the Plain of Jezreel, we visit Nazareth, boyhood home of Jesus.  Transfer to the hotel in Tiberias for dinner.

 

DAY 4 -- Saturday, TIBERIAS / SEA OF GALILEE / BET SHEAN / JERUSALEM

This morning we take a relaxing boat ride on the Sea of Galilee where we will be able to look to the shore where so many miracles occurred. We continue to Capernaum and see first century ruins, then visit Tabgha and the Mount of Beatitudes. Continue to the River Jordan where those that wish may be baptized.

 

This afternoon we travel via the Crusader fortress of Belvoir along the Rift Valley to Bet Shean, where King Saul and his sons were pinned to the walls.  It became the Decapolis Capital and was traveled by Jesus and known as Scythopolis.  See the ancient theater, Circus Maximus and Cardo Maximo.   The we will head down the Jordan River Road and head to the Judean wilderness going on our way up to the city of Jerusalem. We will enter the Holy City via the Mount of Olives with the beauty of Jerusalem before us. Continue to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

 

DAY 5 -- Sunday, JERUSALEM / MASADA / JERICHO

We begin our day with a stop at Bethany, home of Mary and Martha and Lazarus.  Drive to Masada and ascend by cable car to the magnificent ruins of the fortress where, from 70 to 73 AD, Jewish defenders made their last stand in the Judean revolt against Rome.  We see the remains of storehouses, cisterns and a sixth-century Byzantine church.  Continuing alongside the Dead Sea, 1300 ft. below sea level -- the lowest spot on earth -- we proceed to Ein Gedi. Here we will have a stop for lunch and swim in the Dead Sea or walk the path to see the waterfall in the desert.

 

This afternoon we continue to Qumran and the caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. We travel to Jericho, the world's oldest city.  From the excavated tel atop the ruins of ancient Jericho we view the lush green Jordan Valley, Elisha's spring and Qarantal, the Mount of Temptation. We will head up to Jerusalem and return to the hotel for dinner.

 

DAY 6 -- Monday, JERUSALEM / NEW CITY / BETHLEHEM

This morning we visit the New City of Jerusalem, Mount Zion, the Upper Room, the tomb of King David and Dormition Abbey.  We enter the Jewish Quarter of the Old City to visit the Wohl Archaeological Museum, displaying the newly restored Herodian Quarter.  The remains of this area in Jerusalem date back to the time of the Herodian Dynasty (37 BC to 70 AD).  Proceed to the Shrine of the Book where we see the Dead Sea Scrolls on display then view the Knesset (Israeli parliament) building. Continue to visit Yad Vashem, a memorial of the Holocaust then visit the Model City.

 

This afternoon we continue to Bethlehem to visit the Church of the Nativity, the Manger, Crusader's Cloister and the Grotto of St. Jerome.  We then visit the cave in Shepherds' Field and view the Fields of Boaz.  En route to Jerusalem we see the Tomb of Rachel and other antiquities before returning to the hotel for dinner.

 

DAY 7 -- Tuesday, JERUSALEM / MT. OF OLIVES / OLD CITY

Today we drive to the Mount of Olives for a panoramic view of Jerusalem, visit the Church of Pater Noster and the Chapel of Ascension, then precede to the Garden of Gethsemane.  Crossing the Kidron Valley, we pass the tombs of Absalom, the prophet Zechariah and Saint James. Then we will visit the Pool of Siloam and the Church of St. Peter of Gallicantu (Caiaphas' House).

 

We enter the Old City this afternoon through the Zion Gate and see the Cardo and the remains of Nehemiah's Wall on the way to the Western (Wailing) Wall.  We visit the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount, the Church of St. Anne, the Pool of Bethesda, Pilate's Judgment Hall, the Chapel of Flagellation, Lithostrotos, and the Arch of Ecce Homo ("Behold the Man").  We follow the Via Dolorosa (Way of the Cross) to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and end our day in the Garden Tomb before returning to the hotel for dinner and overnight.

 

DAY 8 -- Wednesday, JERUSALEM / NEW YORK

We transfer to the airport for our flight home with unforgettable memories to cherish always. Knowing we have walked in the footsteps of Jesus and the early Christians on such a memorable tour will bring new meaning to our Bible reading.

 

POST EXTENSION BEGINS HERE:

ATHENS & AEGEAN CRUISE

 

 

DAY 8 -- Wednesday: JERUSALEM / TEL AVIV / ATHENS

This morning we will be taken to Ben Gurion airport for our flight to Athens.

 

Upon arrival in Athens, we will be met and taken to our hotel for dinner and overnight.

 

DAY 9 -- Thursday: ATHENS / ACROPOLIS / CORINTH

This morning we visit the important modern and archaeological sites in the city of Athens, the Acropolis and neighboring monuments. While driving through the main streets of Athens, we have an opportunity to see other places of interest such as the University, the Academy, the National Library, the Temple of Zeus, the Pan Athenian Stadium, Omonia Square, Constitution Square and the Royal Palace.

 

This afternoon we drive along the coastal road to Corinth. Continue along the wonderful beach of Kinetta, make a brief stop at the Corinth Canal, then on to ancient Corinth to visit the Museum, the Bema of St. Paul, the Doric Temple of Apollo, the Askeleion, Agora, Lechaion Road, and the Peirene Fountain. Return to the hotel in Athens for dinner.

 

DAY 10 -- Friday: ATHENS / PIRAEUS / MYKONOS

This morning we are taken to Piraeus to start our Aegean Cruise.  Late this afternoon we arrive at our first stop, Mykonos.  Imagine a hilly, rock-ribbed island of 29 square miles, dotted with more than 350 tiny chapels built by 19th-century pirates for the protection of their patron saints.  Picture dozens of quaint windmills and a small town of houses set neatly along narrow winding paths.  Visit a fishing harbor with shops and boutiques selling handmade sweaters, dresses, fabrics, jewelry and other items at bargain prices.  This evening we return to the ship for overnight and resume sailing.

 

DAY 11 -- Saturday: RHODES

This morning we arrive at the island of Rhodes.  Separated by a mere 10-mile strait from the Asia Minor coast, Rhodes is blessed by nature with exceptional gifts.  Homer called it "the Bride of the Sun," later poets "the Island of Roses."  In the Middle Ages, the Knights of St. John of Jerusalem established themselves at Rhodes and built a fortified city, now the best-preserved of its kind in the Mediterranean.  AN OPTIONAL excursion is available to explore the lush hills and valleys of the eastern coast on the way to Lindos.

 

DAY 12 -- Sunday: EPHESUS / PATMOS

This morning our cruise arrives in the Turkish port of Kusadasi (Island of Birds). Here we find delightful shopping opportunities in the Oriental Bazaar and in stores famous as carpet exporters. An OPTIONAL excursion takes us to one of antiquity's greatest cities: Ephesus, a half-hour ride by bus from Kusadasi. Then on a walking tour through the ancient city made almost entirely of marble, we see the 24,000-seat theater mentioned in Acts 19, Hadrian's library, the mile-long marble-paved "Harbour Avenue" and the Temple of Diana.

 

In the afternoon we arrive at the beautiful island of Patmos, where St. John the Evangelist wrote the Revelation while in exile. An OPTIONAL excursion by bus takes us to an ancient hilltop monastery with a spectacular view of the island and harbor. A brief stop along the way allows us to visit a cave thought to be where St. John lived while on the island. Return to the ship for our evening sail.

 

DAY 13 -- Monday: PIRAEUS / ATHENS / NEW YORK

This morning we will arrive at Piraeus, the port of Athens. We will board our motor coach and be taken to the airport for our flight home.

 

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

ACCOMMODATIONS: First class hotels based on twin occupancy with bath. Hotel category determined through documentation published by O.H.R.G. Single-room supplement $55 per night.

MEALS: American Buffet and (in Israel the famous Israeli breakfast buffet), and dinner daily throughout the tour. Except that no meals are provided in USA. Extra charge for coffee, tea or other beverage not included in the menu of the day. If a passenger chooses not to have a meal, there will be no refund for unused meals.

TIPS AND TAXES: Those normally appearing on hotel and restaurant bills as “service” are included, as are all governmental and local taxes on hotels and meals.

SIGHTSEEING: By modern motor coach including services of English speaking guides and entrance fees to places included in the itinerary.

NOT INCLUDED: US and foreign departure taxes (airport taxes to Europe and the Middle East are usually $400 - $600 and are subject to change until tickets are issued 3-4 weeks prior to your departure day), passport and visa fees, laundry, wines, liquors, mineral waters and after-dinner coffee or tea, meals not included in the itinerary, room service, sightseeing or services other than those specifically mentioned. TRAVEL INSURANCE (optional), Maranatha Tours Inc. will automatically bill all passengers for travel insurance unless it is declined at the time of reservation or in writing by the participant.

Tips to guides, drivers and portage are not included (approximately $12 per day).

PASSPORTS, VISAS: A valid US passport is required for US citizens. If you do not have a passport please contact your local passport office. Passports must be valid 6 months after return date. For all other nationalities please consult the country’s consulate.

TOUR PRICE: Price is based on international tariffs and rates in effect on Date of proposal and is subject to change without notice should there be a revision in AIR or LAND rates prior to departure of tour. Price is based on a minimum of passengers using double occupancy. In the event that a minimum of passengers does not book the tour within 45 days of departure the agent reserves the right to cancel or re-cost the tour. Late booking or changes may result in an additional fee.

LAND ONLY: From time to time a tour may be canceled due to not materializing. If you choose a to purchase a land only package and arrange your own domestic and international flight independently, Maranatha Tours Inc. will not be responsible for domestic, international flights or transfers of any kind. Maranatha Tours is not responsible for any International flight schedule changes. If domestic tickets are purchased by an individual all penalties and fare differences will be paid by the client. 
DEPOSIT AND CANCELLATION: A deposit of $300 per person is required to secure reservations, which  will be applied to the price of the tour. The balance to be paid in full not later than 6 weeks prior to departure of the tour. Thereafter, a $100 late payment fee will be assessed. Reservations made within 30 days of departure are subject to $75 late reservation charge. All cancellations must be in writing by letter, fax or e-mail to Maranatha Tours and will be in effect on the date of receipt by Maranatha Tours. There is no exception to cancellation fee. Any exceptions must be in writing from Maranatha Tours, Inc. Air penalties are not part of the percentages below and vary based on the airline policy at the time of ticket issue.
• 91+ Days Prior: No penalty of deposit 
  (Except for $100.00 per person administration fee plus any airline fees)
• 90-61 Days Prior: 
  ($300 for international tour, $500 for international tour and cruise plus any airline fees)
• 60-46 Days Prior: 40% of tour cost
• 45-31 Days Prior: 65% of tour cost
• 30-16 Days Prior: 85% of tour cost
• 15 Days Prior or less: 100% of tour cost
*Cruise cancellation policies vary.  Please see individual itineraries for details.

 A minimum number of 35 passengers (unless otherwise noted) is required or the tour is subject to cancellation.

AIR TRANSPORTATION: A round-trip economy class jet; via International air carrier or any other IATA member. Full payment is due 45 days prior to commencement of travel. If the passenger cancels within 35 days of departure or after air tickets are written (whichever comes sooner), then 100% of airfare will be forfeited by passenger. In the event 35 passengers do not book the tour within 90 days of departure, the agent reserves the right to cancel the tour. All airfares are subject to government approval and change without notice. AIR--Because the travel dates are more than 6 months away, the costs and schedules could change. Please Note: A New York overnight may be necessary for any groups travelling from the West Coast, either on the outbound or return.

RESPONSIBILITY AND LIABILITY: Land arrangements including surface transportation: Maranatha Tours, Inc., and the participating Tour Operators operate the land tours offered under this program only as agents of the railroads, car rental contractors, steamship lines, hotels, bus operators, sightseeing contractors and others which provide the actual land arrangements and are not liable for any act, omission, delay, injury, loss or damage or non-performance occurring in connection with these land arrangements. International air carriers and other IATA carriers, steamship lines and other transportation companies whose services are featured in these tours are not to be held responsible for any act, omission or event during the time passengers are not on board their conveyance. The passage contract in use by these companies when issued shall constitute the sole contract between the companies and the purchaser of these tours and/or passage. The tour operator reserves the right to change the itinerary, delete or substitute sites when tour operator feels it to be in the best interest of the tour.

CHANGE FEE: All changes not received in writing by Maranatha Tours at least 45 days prior to departure will incur a $75 change fee per person for each revision (that is in addition to any other charges per revision once the basic or pre/post tour package has been confirmed).

LAND ARRANGEMENTS: The tour operator reserves the right to change the itinerary due to emergencies.