Israel Travel Company offers itinerary planning with and without personal tour guiding services.

This can involve suggestions regarding accommodations, activities, sites to visit, special events, places to eat, listing cultural events happening in Israel whilst you are here, etc. We aim to make your time in Israel not just a tour but a memorable travel experience.

Our personal tour guiding service involves a very small and select group of guides, with whom I work very closely and can fully recommend as part of the Israel Travel Company team approach.

We try to match the guide to the nature,style and interests of each travel client or group and in this process we often send a detailed CV of the  available guide or guides we are recommending.

We also specialize in an Israel – Off the Beaten Trackapproach offering walking, bike, horse riding, camel and jeep tours to less known parts of the country as well as integrating such activities into your customized itinerary.

Below are some suggested itinerary options to assist you in your itinerary planning.

Jerusalem Touring Options for 1 to 2 Days

Panoramic view of Jerusalem from Sherover Promenade or from Mt. of Olives, views of city from Jerusalem YMCA tower or from historic neighborhoods of Mishkenot Shanaanim, Yemin Moshe and Moses Montefiore’s Windmill.

Rampart Walk on Old City walls from Jaffa Gate to Western Wall or in direction of Damascus Gate, Lion’s Gate and Kidron Valley.

Visit the City of David – recent excavations, Hezekiah’s water tunnel

Western Wall/Kotel Tunnel tour

Four Quarters of Old City including: highlights of each quarter : Armenian Quarter with its’ Armenian pottery, Armenian Church  and museums,

Jewish Quarter, Synagogues, Museums, Roman/Byzantine main street or  Cardo; the Temple Mount

Churches and institutions of the Christian Quarter including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Bethesda pools ,the Via Dolorosa ,Gethsemane and Mt of Olive churches

Muslim quarter with its busy bazaars and markets, the Temple Mount, Dome of the Rock, El Aqsa Mosque.

Sites in New City:

Yad Vashem, Har Herzl, Israel Museum, Shrine of the Book, Knesset,High Court Building, Chagall Windows, Hadassah Hospital, Italian Synagogue and Museum, Mea Shearim, Russian Compund and Mahane Yehuda Markets.

Jerusalem Region

Other activities in the Jerusalem region include: Archaeological Dig for a Day with Archaeological Seminars, Latrun Tank Museum, Stalactite Caves.

Dead Sea At Dawn or Later…
Client pick up from Jerusalem hotels at 4am. Climb Masada at dawn, with guide explanations, then walk or cable car down. Breakfast at Ein Gedi Kibbutz Guesthouse and tour of the internationally recognized Botanical Garden.
Swimming in the sweet waters of David’s Falls, hike the Ein Gedi National Park or float in the Dead Sea and cover yourselves in mud. Rest and relaxation. This tour can of course start at a more standard hour after you have completed your hotel breakfast in a relaxed and unhurried manner!!

Desert Tours, including:

Judean Desert:Ein Gedi ,Masada,Mt.Sodom

Negev: Sde Boker,Small & Large Machteshim,Mitzpe Ramon

Arava ; Hatzeva,Paran,Timna.Eilat Mountains

We are also able to arrange a wide range of desert  tours for individuals ,couples, small groups and families. The select group of desert guides we work with are unique people, who love nature & adventure trips and are highly skilled outdoor professionals specializing in walking,bicycle, 4×4 , camel and horse tours .

Living in the desert, as they all do ,these licensed  guides  all have a deep  knowledge  and understanding of the desert region’s  history, natural environment, culture, & folklore and make an art of combining  the must- see sites with less well known  locations and trails .

Enjoy with them  ,a variety of campfire cooked meals , and depending on your choice of tour accommodations  enjoy the desert  nights under the  stars in a campout, in a  Bedouin tent ,a restored traditional village or desert lodge with all facilities or a 5*star hotel .

These desert tours can be incorporated into any Israel Travel Company itinerary and involve single day, overnight or extended desert  journeys  in both  Israel & Jordan  as well as adventure 4×4 trips in Turkey.

Coastal Tours Travel north along the Mediterranean  coast  to Caesarea, King Herod’s port city of 2000 years ago ; enjoy the multimedia, computerized  presentation of life in Caesarea through the ages  and meet the historical figures who once lived there;
snorkel or participate in a professional, accompanied , scuba dive based at  the Caesarea Diving Center and explore  underwater the ruins of Herod’s wharves  there; climb the  ancient aqueduct ,walk or  bicycle the beach paths.
View the maritime archeology wonders of the Phoenician coastal city of Dor, marvel at its royal indigo dye industry, participate in a Tchelet dye making workshop ; hike the Carmel mountains; lunch at a Druze village; discover the majestic Bahai Gardens of Haifa; walk the tunnels of Crusader Acre.
	Take a refreshing tour of the limestone grottoes of Rosh Hanikra. Explore the modern city of Tel Aviv, visit the old port in Jaffa; the Palmach Museum; the museums, boutique shops and restaurants.

Galilee Tours

Tour Tsipori of the Mishnah and Talmud; sit in the Talmudic period synagogue and town villas with their exquisite mosaics, and play the Roman games carved in the street; stroll through the ancient Kabbalist synagogues of Safed; cycle and watch birds in their natural habitat in the Hula valley.

Sail, swim and relax at the Sea of Galilee, visit the 2000 year old fishing boat discovered there; tour Christian sites; discover the sacred traditions of Capernaum, Mount of Beatitudes and Korazin; further north climb Nimrod castle and enjoy the waters of the Dan and traveling south tour Roman ruins in Beit Shean.

Golan Tours

Climb into the Golan Plateau from the south where Israel’s border meets Jordan and Syria; wade in the Hammat Gader spa; view the strategic military positions over the Kinneret and recall the history of Syrian bombardments on the Jewish settlements below; discover Gamla (of the Great Revolt against Rome); birdwatch or take exciting hikes in the Yehudiya and Zavitan reserves; walk the Talmudic town of Katzrin and the nearby Golan museum; look out from Mount Bental over Syrian Quneitra; understand better the battles of the Yom Kippur War, visit the Valley of Tears.

Winter visitors can also enjoy an exhilarating ski; experience the Hermon’s unique vegetation; lunch in a nearby Druze village; roll your sleeves up and participate in summer fruit picking; commune with nature and camp in this beautiful area, sample wine at wineries and tour the wine growing areas; wonder at cutting-edge modern agriculture; tour the water resources.

Safed Tour Safed including walking the ancient city and center of 16th Century Kabbalah , participate in a workshop with study of Kabbalah, learn the secrets of the Hebrew Alphabet, walk the Israel National Walking Trail in Nahal Amud where the wool industry of 16th Century Safed flourished.

Specialty Tour Options

· Gourmet Walking Tours

· Sea to Sea bike ride from the Mediterranean to the Sea of Galilee

· Wine Tour as one walks the Israel National Walking Trail

· An Overnight Horse Riding Trail

· Ride a Jeep Trip following the Ancient Nabatean Spice Route through the Machtesh or Craters of the Southern Israeli Desert

· A theatrical half day tour of the ancient port of Jaffa

· A half day bike ride tour of Tel Aviv

· A day in Jerusalem with Mark Twain’s writings as a guide

· An accompanied scuba dive to explore the ancient port city of King Herod in Caesarea

· Spa Retreats

· History and Cultural Themed Tours

· Travel Experiences to Petra

· Bird watching tour in Northern or Southern Israel

· Wildflower tours in Spring

We can develop a day by day itinerary for your consideration but I wanted to outline some of the suggested  adventure  activities we can  include in a more detailed program for you.

-4×4 travel,with water activities emphasis.

Coast:

-Mediterranean coast,maritime archaeology sites,

-Park Alona ,underground Roman period aqueducts to walk in

-Ancient Crusader city of Akko,

-Kayaking in Rosh Hanikra sea caves

North ;

-Ramat Naftali Ridge with ATV tractorons in Nahal  Dishon

-Golan and Upper Galilee walking routes through water.

-Kayaking,rafting on Jordan River

-Water Parks at Sea of Galilee

-Thermal pools on Golan

-Rubber tyre trip in water areas in North

Desert;

-Masada and Ein Gedi,Dead Sea

-4×4 trip to Mt Karkom – amazing Negev desert site,site,prehistoric rock paintings

Jerusalem  tour including Hezekiah´s water tunnel, Kotel tunnel tour.

Contact: www.zeltours.com
www.israeltravelcompany.com