Palestine Olive Harvest & History Group Tour

Fly to Tel Aviv where on arrival you will be met by your driver and taken to Bethlehem. Check-in to your hotel in the heart of the old city. Depending on your time of arrival, you could have dinner in the restaurant of your hotel. (D)

Your local guide will show you the main sights of this historic Palestinian city. Starting in the in the Old City, you wander the narrow streets to Manger Square and the Basilica of the Nativity built in the 4th century – the location of Jesus’ birth. Continue by car to the nearby village of Beit Sahour and the Shepherds' Field to see the traditional stables.

After lunch visit the area of Bethlehem where the current conflict is more apparent where a separation wall runs through the city. You will be taken to the wall and watchtowers and also walk through one of the three refugee camps. A visit to the museum of the Walled-Off Hotel is also included. (B,L,D)

After breakfast you get transferred to Jerusalem and explore the Old City on foot. First visit the Al-Aqsa Mosque and the Dome of the Rock and continue along the Via Dolorosa to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. In the afternoon take a political tour of Jerusalem visiting areas of East Jerusalem and learn how the settlements were built and the region was divided. Return to Bethlehem. (B,L,D)

Today will be another memorable experience as you get to help a Palestinian farmer by picking olives at one of the olive fields in the Bethlehem area. Lunch will be in the field and prepared by the farmer’s family. In the afternoon, visit an olive press in Bethlehem to learn about the process of extracting the olive oil. (B,L,D)

Drive to Jericho where you will visit the ruins of the Umayyad Hisham’s Palace, an important early Islamic archaeological site, and famous for its colourful geometric mosaics. More recently, after five years of restoration work, you are able to admire more of the high quality mosaics that feature a wide variety of colours and figurative designs.

You then take the cable car up the Mount of Temptation where a small monastery perches on the cliff face to remember the place where Jesus resisted the devil. After lunch head to the Dead Sea to float in its salty waters and drive to Nablus for the night. (B,L,D)

Nablus sits between two hills and the old city is a weaving labyrinth of streets and Ottoman architecture. A walk around the city takes you through these narrow alleyways to spice shops, mosques and traditional knafeh makers where the sweet syrupy cheese dessert is made. You also visit the biblical site of Jacob’s Well.  From here you visit the Roman ruins in the village of Sebastiya before we leave the West Bank and drive to the city of Nazareth. (B,L,D)

In Nazareth’s Old City you visit the modern Basilica of the Annunciation built on the site of the Annunciation, showing some of the archaeological discoveries as well as showcasing gifts from Roman Catholic churches around the world. You are then taken to the Sea of Galilee which has been mentioned in many biblical stories. Here you stop to visit several sites and enjoy a boat ride across the Lake. (B,L,D)

You leave Palestine today and be taken to Tel Aviv, for your flight back to the UK. (B)