Data Over Dogma Holy Land Tour w/ Dr Dan McClellan & Dan Beecher, July 7- 18, 2024
$ 3,650.00 Price Excluding Airfare
- Price Including Airfare: No. Listed price does NOT include flight
- Availability: 32
- Number of Days: 13
- Arrival Date: 2024-07-07
- Departure Date: 2024-07-18
About Tour
Day 1- Travel
Day 2- July 7 (Sunday)- Arrive in Tel Aviv / Tour Jaffa
Tour of Jaffa with a focus on the Maine Friendship House (Mormon connection)
Beach (time permitting)
Dinner
Overnight in Tel Aviv
Day 3 (Monday)- North Coast and Lower Galilee
Caesarea Maritima
Nazareth (Mount Precipice)
Mount Arbel
Overnight in Galilee
Day 4 (Tuesday)- Golan Heights
Tel Beth Abel Maacah (excavation)
Tel Dan
Caesarea Philippi / Mount Hermon (time permitting)
Qatzrin / Olea Essence (time permitting)
Overnight in Galilee
Day 5 (Wednesday)- Galilee
Hazor (excavation)- (7-10am ish)
St Peters Lunch (pay own way)
Magdala
Beit Yigal Museum at Kibbutz Ginosar
Capernaum
Yardenit (time permitting)
Overnight in Galilee
Day 6 (Thursday)- Jerusalem
Drive to Jerusalem via the Jordan Valley
Qasr El Yahud (10:00am)
Qumran (11:00am
Jimmy’s Shop in Jericho and Lunch (pay own way) (12:30am)
Mizpe Yeriho Balcony (2:00pm) (Time permitting)
Garden Tomb (4:00pm)
Overnight in Jerusalem
Day 7 (Friday)- City of David, Rampart Walk (southwest side), Shabbat Meal
Church of Saint Peter in Gallicantu (8:30am)
Hezekiah’s Tunnel / Pool of Siloam (schedule appointment) (9:30am)
Pilgrimage Road
Lunch (12:00pm)
Rampart Walk (overseeing Hinnom Valley) OR Temple Mount Sifting Project (Dan’s group always does the Sifting Project)
Shabbat Meal in a Jewish Home
Overnight in Jerusalem
Day 8 (Saturday)- BYU Jerusalem Center & Service
BYU Jerusalem Center (9:00–12pm)
Service
Overnight in Jerusalem
Day 9 (Sunday)- Old City
Early Morning Kidron Valley walk (6:30ish)- Box breakfasts from the hotel?
Church of the Holy Sepulchre (7:30am)
Dome of the Rock Lookout (8:30am)
Western Wall Lookout (9:00am)
Western Wall (9:30am)
Dome of the Rock/Temple Mount (either right before or right after lunch) (10:30am)
Lunch in the Jewish Quarter (12)
Davidson Center (1:30pm)
To the hotel or shopping (tourists’ preference)
Overnight in Jerusalem
Day 10 (Monday)- Mount of Olives and Shopping
Beit Phage (Bethpage)
Mount of Olives lookout
Dominus Flevit
Church of All Nations (Gethsemane)
Mary’s Tomb (and Grotto)
Lunch at Orson Hyde Park
Interfaith Dialogue Session or film a podcast/YouTube episode: Private meeting in Gethsemane private garden (schedule an appointment) (perhaps contact Rabbi ?? at Hebrew Union College, Reform Rabbis)
Shopping if there’s time
Overnight in Jerusalem
Day 11 (Tuesday)- Bethlehem, Haas Promenade, Israel Museum
Bethlehem (8-12pm)
Cave & Shepherd’s Field (Get Ismail Kanan as a guide [+97252-2667001; isma3il_isma3il@yahoo.com])
Church of the Nativity
Jerome / Chapel of the Innocents (schedule ahead of time)
Lunch: Beit Sahour at the Grotto
Haas Promenade (on the way to Jerusalem via Highway 60 and Keren HaYesod St) (12:30)
Israel Museum (1-5pm)
Overnight in Jerusalem
Day 12- Shephelah (Judean Foothills)
Beit Shemesh
Valley of Elah
Kirbet Qeiyafa
Lachish
Arad
Swim in the Dead Sea before dinner
Overnight at the Dead Sea (David Hotel or similar)
Day 13- Masada and Ben Gurion Airport
Masada (8:00-12:00pm)- including lunch
***Airport and Departure
Tour Includes
- Custom-made itinerary to meet the groups’ needs
- Airline departure taxes
- Hotel accommodation & service charges in first class hotel in Israel
- Breakfast and dinners daily
- English-speaking local guide certified by the Ministry of Tourism
- Sightseeing by deluxe air-conditioned bus with WIFI as per itinerary
- Admission fees to sights mentioned on the itinerary
- Tips to guides, drivers and hotel staff
- Audio Headsets
Not Included
- Single room supplement if required (In case we cannot find a roommate for a single traveler they will have to pay the Single supplement. We will know if we have a roommate or not approximately 2 weeks prior to departure).
- Cost for single room is $1150
- Optional Credit Card payment (additional 4% )
- Optional Travel Insurance
- Lunches and drinks with meals
Hotels or similar:
- Tel Aviv – Grand Beach
- Dead Sea – David Dead Sea
- Galilee – Magdala Hotel
- Jerusalem – Leonardo Jerusalem
Deposit payment & Cancellation Policy
- The Deposit of $500 USD is fully non-refundable (The deposit will be applied to final payment)
If you have to cancel:
Cancellation penalties applicable thereafter:
- 25 % of total tour cost 45-89 Days prior to tour date
- 50 % of total tour cost 31 – 44 Days prior to tour date
- 100% of total tour cost less than 30 days prior to tour date
- Final payment is due 60 days prior to departure
If the leader or Sunworld Tours cancels the tour:
- The deposit will be refunded less $100 administration fee
- Any unused portion of the tour is not refundable.
Payment Options
- Personal cheque
- Credit Cards – We accept both Master Card and Visa, however we do add a 4% processing fee to each transaction.
- E-Transfers – If you do choose to e-transfer us a payment please send it to sunworld@sunworldtours.com and choose Israel as the password. Please add a comment with the name of your group that you are travelling with to ensure your payment is applied to the correct person in the group. This option is for customers with a Canadian Bank only.
Airline check in, Seating
- Airline seating is a computer auto generated list for the group seating assignments. The airlines try to keep the group as close together as possible, however it is not guaranteed.
- With some airlines you may be able to check in, in advance with your booking number and change your seat assignment.
- If you require different flights than what is included in the group flights please contact us for details AT THE TIME OF REGISTRATION/DEPOSIT
Gratuities
- The tip amounts are included in the invoice. It covers the tip for the guide, bellboys, hotel dining room staff and the driver. The tips are based on standard in Israel.
Travel insurance for USA Residents
- We do offer the Non-Medical Travel Insurance through our provider, Reliable Life, for nonresidents of Canada.
- We will need a credit card to process the transaction. Reliable Life Travel Insurance Company is a Canadian company therefore they recommend that you protect the money you paid for the tour in Canadian funds to ensure you have enough coverage if a claim is required.
- We recommend that you purchase travel insurance to protect the money you paid for your tour.
- Non-Medical insurance: includes all of the above except the medical insurance.
- The Insurance for your trip is good for 16 days and protects your money if you have to cancel due to medical reasons before the trip starts. We highly recommend you to purchase the All Inclusive Worldwide Plan.
Documents
- A valid passport for at least six months after returning home is required by all and USA citizens. A visa is a stamp in your passport that permits you to enter a country. It is the passenger’s responsibility to verify and obtain a visa if needed according to citizenship. A Visa for Israel is not required for USA citizens. If you are not a USA passport holder please check the Israeli consulate in your country for visa requirements. Also, check what visa requirements are necessary to enter back into the US. If you hold a permanent resident card bring it with you.
Dr Dan McClellan
Dr. Dan McClellan is a public scholar of the Bible and religion. Before transitioning to full-time work as a public scholar, Dan worked for ten years as a scripture translation supervisor for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He has also worked as an adjunct instructor of Ancient Scripture at Brigham Young University.
Daniel Beecher
Daniel Beecher has been podcasting for well over a decade. His show Thank God I’m Atheist is one of the longest-running, and most popular atheism-themed podcasts in the podosphere, and was nominated for an Academy of Podcasting award.