The Pilgrimage to the Holy land travel package is one of the most appropriately designed tours we offer in the Middle East. It gives the guests the chance to explore the most important and significant Christian monuments in Egypt, Jordon, and Israel. This is besides exploring the most remarkable historical highlights of the three countries as well.
For those who are fond of the Christian history and architecture, this travel package is certainly tailored for you. However, it would be strange if one visits the Middle East without exploring monuments like the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt and Petra in Jordon. That’s why this tour in the Middle East blends between the most important ancient sites and the Christian highlights of region.
The first part of this tour is to spend four nights in Cairo to visit the Pyramids of Giza, Saqqara, Memphis, the Egyptian Museum, the touristic market of Khan El Khalili and Coptic Cairo, where we will be visiting many Christian monuments like the Hanging Church and the Church of Abu Serga. We will be then having a one-day tour to Alexandria to discover all the secrets of the jewel of the Mediterranean Sea. Our visits in Alexandria will include the library of Alexandria, the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa, the Roman Amphitheatre and Qaitbey Fort.
We begin the second part of this marvelous vacation in the Middle East by travelling to visit the most important highlights in Sinai like the Moses Springs and the Monastery of Saint Catherine.
Afterwards, we begin our tour in Jordon by spending two nights to taste what this great country has to offer. Our visits in Jordon includes Petra, the Qumran Caves, the Masada Mountain, and the amazing Dead Sea.
In Israel we will be spending five nights to visit all the monuments that witnessed the presence of the Christ and many other fabulous Christian historical sites like the Mountain of Olives, Church of All Nations King David’s Tomb, the Last Supper Room, Church of the Holy Sepulcher, Bethlehem& Rachel’s Tomb, the church of the Nativity, the Caesarea,
the Meggido National Park, the Mount Tabor, Cana, Tabgha Holy Sites, Capernaum National Par and Mount of Beatitudes.
The Pilgrimage to the Holy land travel package will be an experience your will never forget, As this comprehensive travel package in the Middle East is quite amazing and thrilling for travelers coming from all over the world to view the treasures of this region that was once the place where all three religions; Judaism, Christianity, and Islam once emerged!
Upon arrival to Cairo International Airport, you will be met with GAT Tours’ representative, your best friend for the coming few days, who will help you in passing the passport control and collecting your luggage.Then, you will be transferred to the hotel in Cairo by air-conditioned vehicle with qualified driver. Arrival to your hotel in Cairo, we will check in the hotel within few minutes! Then you will proceed to your nice room to have some rest before the beginning of your awesome tour in Cairo.
At night, free at leisure on your own in Cairo, the capital, clean, safe and modern city. You can take the chance to go for a marvelous “Optional Tour” to Islamic Cairo in the Mouiz Street, where you can visit the most unique collection of our Islamic monuments like the collection of Qalaun, El Aqmar Mosque,Beit El Sehemy and other interesting places. After your free tour, you will get back to your hotel to spend your first night in Egypt before the superb coming days enjoying your holiday in the land of the Pharaohs. (No Meals)
After breakfast, you will be met with our professional Egyptologist who will join you today in order to add more amazement to your trip. Your unique tour in Cairo starts with The Pyramids of Giza, the most popular monument in the world. Constructed around 2500 BC as the necropolis of the kings of the forth dynasty, there is the pyramid of Cheops or the Grand Pyramid, the Pyramid of Khafre, and the smaller pyramid of Menkaure, and the marvelous sphinx constructed with a body of a lion and the head of a human to guard the pyramids from any threats.
Our next stop will be to Saqqara, the royal burial site of the 3rd dynasty of the Old Kingdom in Egypt and one of the richest archeological places in Egypt with treasures being discovered until today. The highlight and the centerpiece of Saqqara is the Step Pyramid of Djoser, the oldest surviving stone monument in the whole world and the first proper pyramid to ever be constructed in Egypt in the 27th century BC. This would be a marvelous chance to understand the evolution of the pyramids building in ancient Egypt. The step pyramid is considered to be one of the most important landmarks of pyramids construction in Egypt.
Our last stop of the day will be to Memphis, the first capital of unified Egypt. Established in 32nd century BC by KingNarmer after he unified Upper and Lower Egypt. The city served as the seat of the government until the 22nd century. However, all the displayed exhibited in the open-air museum we will explore today belong to the New Kingdom with the highlights being the amazing Colossi of Ramses II, the alabaster sphinx, and many other statues and items.
Later on, you will proceed to have the lunch meal at local restaurant. After lunch we will drive back to the hotel for rest and refresh. At night, free at leisure on your own in Cairo or (optional) sound & light show at Giza pyramids, where the startling sphinx will tell you the whole story and history behind the creation of the pyramids in an entertaining blend of sounds and lights. Finally, we will get back to the hotel for overnight. (Breakfast & Lunch)
Breakfast meal will be served at your hotel. After that, you’ll join your expert tour guide in such awe-inspiring tour in the city center of Cairo. We begin our visits of the day by exploring The Egyptian Museum, the largest museum in the world with a huge collection of displays dating back to various periods of the ancient Egyptian history with the highlights being the golden exhibits of Tutankhamen, the mummies’ hall, large impressive reliefs, statues, and many other fascinating, Later on, you will enjoy your lunch meal at local restaurant.
After lunch we will proceed to Old Cairo area, a part in the Egyptian capital that hosts some of the most interesting Coptic monuments in the country. We will start our Coptic tour by visiting The Hanging Church, first established in the 5th century and one of the most important historical churches in Egypt. Our next visit in Coptic Cairo will be to the Abu Serga Church, believed to be constructed where the holy family rested at the end of their journey, it was constructed in the 7th century. Our last visit in Coptic Cairo will be to the Church of Saint Mary, an orthodox church, built during the 5th century, restored and rebuilt many times afterwards.
After the tour, you will be transferred back to your hotel in Cairo for rest and refresh. At night, free at leisure on your own in Cairo or (optional) we can offer Nile Cruise Dinner, with the most delicious open buffet, a Tanoora show, a belly dancing performance, live music, and remarkable views of the river Nile.Finally, we will get back to the hotel for overnight. (Breakfast & Lunch)
After breakfast, you will be met with our professional Egyptologist, who will join you in such amazing tour in the second capital of Egypt or the “bride of the Mediterranean sea”, Alexandria. Distance between Cairo and Alexandria takes around three hours by car. Maybe it is long time, but really the sites there deserves it.
Begin our tour in Alexandria by visiting the Library of Alexandria, with the ancient library being established in the 3rd century BC and destroyed in the 1st century BC, the library we see today which a huge wonderful architectural work is was opened in 2002.
Our next visit will be to the Catacombs of Kom El Shoqafa, one of the most important Greco Roman necropolises in Egypt that dates to the 2nd and 1st centuries BC.Our next visit will be to the Roman Amphitheatre, discovered in 1960, the theatre which was established in the 4th century BC with its marble steps is one of its kind in Egypt.
We will have lunch in one of the best local restaurants in Alexandria. After lunch, we will finish our visits in Alexandria tour by visiting Qaitbey Fort, constructed in the 15th century to protect Alexandria and became a landmark of the city afterwards as one of the most interesting historical military constructions in Egypt.
After this amazing tour, we will drive back to Cairo. Distance between Cairo and Alexandria is about 218 Kilometers – takes approximately three hours by car. Arrive to Cairo and proceed to your hotel there for rest and refresh. At night, free at leisure on your own to go around the city and explore the capital of Egypt, safe and clean city. Finally, you’ll get back to the hotel for overnight.(Breakfast – Lunch)
Check out after breakfast. Later on, we will drive by our private air-conditioned vehicle to Suez Canal in order to pass by the Ahmed Hamdy’s Tunnel, which connects the peninsula of Sinai with the rest of Egypt. We will be stopping at the Moses Springs; the 12 springs that explored as one of the miracles of Moses in Sinai that was mentioned in holy books. Afterwards, we will be having a rest in the Plain of El Raha, an important Jewish religious place, where the people of Isreal once rested and first saw the holy mountains.
We will reach to St. Catherine by the course of the afternoon. We will check in the hotel within few minutes! You’ll need to sleep well tonight before climbing the mountain by the early morning. Dinner meal will be served at the hotel in St. Catherine and overnight. (Breakfast & Dinner)
We will rise and shine early today to start by climbing the Moses Mountain, or the Mountain Sinai, where Moses received the ten commandments of god. This mountain is more than 2500 above sea level and offer marvelous views of the sunrise over the mountains of Sinai in a magnificent atmosphere.
After the sunshine, we will go down the mountain to start visiting the Monastery of Saint Catherine, constructed in the 4th century AD as one of the oldest monasteries in the world.The monastery is still operating until today and it is featured with its marvelous architectural elements and its wonderful ambience.
We will then drive towards Nuweiba Port, in order to catch the ferry boat to Aqaba. Upon arrival to Aqaba port, you’ll be transferred by private air-conditioned vehicle to your chosen there for check in, rest and refresh. Evening time is free at leisure, so that you can explore the city of Aqaba by night. Finally, you’ll get back to your hotel for dinner and overnight. (Breakfast – Dinner)
Check out after breakfast. Later on, we will drive towards Petra by private air-conditioned vehicle. We start touring the remarkable monuments of Petra including the Treasury, the most astonishing building in the city, this amazing hewn into the stones of the cliff as the preservation storage section of the city that used to host many treasures.
Our next visit of the day will be to the theatre of Petra, which is also hewn into the rocks and it used to host more than 8000 people in ancient times. We will then by transferred to visit the Monastery of Petra, the largest and one of the most impressive monuments of Petra that dates back to the 1st century AD as one of the oldest surviving monasteries in the world.After exploring many other sections of the amazing ancient city of Petra, we will check in the hotel there within few minutes! Evening time, free at leisure on your own in Petra to enjoy the magnificent view of this city by night. Finally, you’ll get back to your hotel for overnight. (Breakfast – Dinner)
After Breakfast – Early morning drive to Allenby borders. Passports and immigration control. Transfer to Jerusalem.
Upon arrival you’ll be met with our expert tour guide, who will join you in such an amazing tour in Jerusalem “the city of gold”. Our first visit of the day will be to the Mountain of Olives, a holy mountain that goes back to the time of the Christ and where many remarkable Christian Mountains are located.
We first visit the Church of All Nations, a Roman Basalica that dates back to the 4th century. However, most of the constructions we view today go back to the 12th century. We will then visit the Wailing Wall, one of the walls surrounding the Temple Mount and it is believed by the Jews to be the last remaining section of the Solomon Temple.
We move on to visit the Tomb of King David, the king of Israel and the son of Solomon, which is one of the most remarkable religious and spiritual sites to explore.Our last visit will be to the Room of the last Supper, which is called the Cenacle and it witnessed many important and significant Christian events during the life of the Christ.
After finishing this wonderful day tour, we will get back to our hotel in Jerusalem for check in, rest and refresh. Evening time is free at leisure on your own to go around the hotel and deal with locals. Finally, you’ll get back to your hotel for Overnight (Breakfast & Lunch)
Breakfast at the hotel. Then, we will move on with our tour in Jerusalem to visit the Church of the Holy Sepulture, which is also called the Church of the resurrection. This was believed to be the place where the Christ was crucified, buried, and resurrected.
Afterwards, we will be visiting the Bethlehem&Rachel’s Tomb, a religious construction that was converted with Jewish, Christian, and Muslim backgrounds. We will then drive by our private air-conditioned vehicle to Bethlehem, only five kilometers away.
We will visit the Church of Nativity, constructed in the 4th century BC by the Roman Empress, Helena, damaged in the 6th century by the Samaritans and rebuilt in the 7th century by Justinian I.We have the rest of the day free at leisure to enjoy the magnificence of the historical city of Bethlehem.
We will be having a ride to AinKarem, which is believed to have population since the 2nd millennium BC and it is also recorded that it was visited by the Christ and Virgin Mary many times.We will then drive back to Jerusalem to have some rest at the hotel. Dinner meal will be served at your hotel and overnight. (Breakfast)
Evening time is free at leisure on your own in Sham El Sheikh, so you can explore this amazing city by night. Sharm El Sheikh is famous for hosting the largest number of nightspots including restaurants, cafes, discoes, bars, shops, and various stores and different types of entertainment or you can seize the chance to go for an (optional BBQ Dinner) with Bedouin party in the desert, where you can enjoy the delicious Bedouin BBQ in the marvelous desert mood and enjoy Bedouin music and dances. Overnight in Sharm El Sheikh. [Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner]
Breakfast meal will be served at our hotel. We will begin our visits by exploring Caesarea, an Israeli costal town that was established in the 13th century BC by Herod the great as an important commercial hub and it lasted during the Roman and Byzantine periods in the region. We will visit the Meggido National Park, a UNESCO world heritage site, this historical site was established during the 30th century BC and became a huge fortified city afterwards. It was also mentioned in the Bible as Armageddon.
Our next visit will be to the Mount Tabor, a magnificent historical mountain where the Israelis defeated the army of Jabin and the mountain was mentioned in the Herbew Bible as well.Our next stop will be to Nazareth the largest city in Northern Israel and the city that is marked by being the place where the Christ spent his childhood.
We will then explore the city of Cana, a very important religious Christian site where Jesus performed his first miracle. We arrive in Tiberias at the end of the day, check in at our hotel there, Dinner and overnight. (Breakfast)
Energizing breakfast at your hotel. We will begin our day by riding a motor boat in the Tiberias Lake, one of the largest and most remarkable lakes in the region. Our visits of the day will start with the little town of Tabgha, believed to be the place, where the miracle of the multiplication of the loaves and fishes was performed.
We will visit the Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish, constructed in the 4th century AD as one of the most important Roman Catholic constructions. Then, we will explore the Church of the Primacy of St. Peter, constructed in 1930 with sections that contain ruins of the original church built in the 4th century AD.
Our next visit will be to the Capernaum national park, a protected area that hosts the ruins of a fishing village that dates back to the period of the Second Temple. We will finish our tour at the Mount of Beatitudes, this was where Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount. Mentioned in the New Testament, the village was damaged in the 8th century AD and the rebuilt shortly afterwards. There was a Byzantine Church that was built around the mountain and a small Christian chapel as well. Finally, you’ll get back to your hotel for dinner and overnight. (Breakfast)
Check out after breakfast. Later on, you’ll be met with our English-speaking representative, who will transfer you by private air-conditioned vehicle to the airport in order to catch your flight to the next destination. (Breakfast)
