Notes from the field

World Heritage Site Tours

There are 6 world Heritage sites listed by UNESCO in Israel:

  • Jerusalem
  • Acre (The old city of Akko)
  • Masada
  • Tel Aviv
  • The Incense Route and its Nabatean cities
  • The Biblical sites of Megiddo, Hazor and Beer Sheva
  • The Baha’i Gardens

Let me show these magnificent places and take a truly unique tour. You’ll get up close and personal; seeing not just the sites, but meeting with the people who live there.

Here’s a sample itinerary:

Day 1: Tel Aviv: The White City
View the Bauhaus-style buildings in this little jewel of the Mediterranean.

Day 2: Jerusalem – The Old City
Walls built by Suleiman the Magnificent in 1537-1540 surround more than 220 historical buildings. From the Dome of the Rock, Islam’s oldest structure to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Western Wall, the Old City of Jerusalem is a must-see for any world traveler.

Day 3: Masada
Climb the fortress built by King Herod and spend the day in an in-depth tour. Hear the story if the Roman Conquest (Masada boasts the most complete Roman siege-works in the world) and of the modern dig by the legendary Prof. (and Lt. General) Yigal Yadin in the 1960s.

Days 4 and 5: The “Incense Route” – Desert Cities in the Negev
The four Nabatean towns of Haluza, Mamshit, Avdat and Shivta, along with associated fortresses and agricultural landscapes in the Negev Desert, are spread along routes linking them to the Mediterranean end of the incense and spice route. Together they reflect the hugely profitable trade in frankincense and myrrh from south Arabia to the Mediterranean, which flourished from the 3rd century BC until the 2nd century AD. With the vestiges of their sophisticated irrigation systems, urban constructions, forts and caravanserai, they bear witness to the way in which the harsh desert was settled for trade and agriculture. We’ll go off-road and explore these great sites including one in the middle of the Ramon Crater.

Days 6 and 7: Biblical Tels: Beer Sheva, Megiddo and Hazor
Beginning with Beer Sheva, explore the great cities of the Hebrew Bible. Then travel north to “Armageddon” – Har Megiddo. The place where great battles were fought: from Pharaoh to Field Marshall Allenby. Then it’s on to Hazor made famous by Sisera and his war with Deborah and Barak.

Day 8: Acre (Akko)
We’ll take the entire day to explore the Old City of Acre, from the Prison built by the Turks and holy to the Bahais to the underground city of the Crusaders. We’ll also visit to the Baha’i Gardens in Haifa and Akko.