Itineraries
A La Carte
Israel has so
much to offer, that no matter how thorough, no mere booklet or
list will encompass the endless variety of this amazing land.
But we do want to whet your appetite with a few possibilities.
Choose your city in Israel and the time of year. Mix, match,
interconnect, add, change or use these suggestions in any way
you wish. Filter them through the prism of your particular
interests, step into the ORTRA focus of fascination and fun and
let your imagination (and ours) be your "flight of
fancy" guide.
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Jerusalem
Capital of Israel, seat of
its government and eternal city of the Jewish soul. For an extra bonus,
bring your achievers during May or June and become a part of the annual
Israel Festival, where the finest theater groups, music ensembles and
dance troupes from around the world perform.
Local welcome sign with your company name and logo at the entrance to
the city. "Key" to the city of Jerusalem, illustrated with
company logo. The model of the city of Jerusalem as it looked 2000 years
ago. The "City of David." The Old City: the Via Dolorosa,
leading to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre; the Western Wall and Temple
Mount excavation site; Temple Mount (Mosque of Omar, Al-Aqsa Mosque and
the Islamic Museum); the Old City "suq" (market); Roman Toga
theme dinner, with entertainment at the Cardo, (the site of the ancient
Roman main street), now a part of the Jewish Quarter of Old Jerusalem. A
walk on the ramparts of the Old City walls. Illuminated Jerusalem by
night. Tour of Mount Scopus and the Mount of Olives. Exploring
Jerusalem's neighborhood by foot. (One sample route can include Mount
Zion, the Vale of Hinnom [the biblical Gehenna], Sultan's Pool, the
Yemin Moshe district with its landmark windmill [now a small museum] and
the nearby tomb of the members of Herod's household, the Official
Residence of the President of the State of Israel, the L.A. Meyer Museum
of Islamic Art). Israel's new Supreme Court building and the nearby
Knesset (Israel's Parliament): views of the Knesset "Menorah"
and Marc Chagall tapestries, meeting with an Israeli government leader.
The Israel Museum and the Shrine of the Book, where the Dead Sea Scrolls
are housed. The Mea Shearim quarter, for a glimpse of traditional
Orthodox Jewish life as it was lived in pre-World-War-II Eastern Europe.
Trip to nearby Bethlehem - the Church of the Nativity and the Grotto,
and Manger Square.
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Tel Aviv
Israel's business and
commercial center on the Mediterranean, throbbing center of the
country's culture, nightlife and artistic life, where the amalgamation
of business and pleasure is a way of life. For an experience emphasizing
fun and relaxation, come during the "summer" months - and in
Tel Aviv this means just about any time from April through October - and
enjoy one of the world's few urban resort destinations: sun, sand and
celebration in "the city that never sleeps." VIP lounge
cocktail reception at Ben Gurion International Airport. Special
immigration, luggage and customs clearance procedures. Cocktails and
fish dinner experience at the Old Jaffa Port. Walking tour of Old Jaffa.
A day in Tel Aviv (according to interest, with private driver guides):
the Diaspora, Eretz Israel and Tel Aviv Museums; Carmel Outdoor Market;
Dizengoff Street & Dizengoff Center; Gordon Street Area Art
Galleries; local Bauhaus architecture; local jewelry & diamond
workshops; a day at the beach and along the Tel Aviv-Jaffa beach
promenade. Shopping. Evening Yemenite Quarter experience: Yemenite
full-dress "hina" engagement ceremony and dinner at a local
Yemenite restaurant, with ethnic entertainment. Trip to Caesarea - the
Roman and Crusader antiquities.
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Eilat
Israel's Red Sea playground.
A world of its own. Gateway to watersports, desert adventure and just
plain lazy fun. For some memorable moments, come down during late August
for a day or two, when Eilat's annual Jazz Festival takes place -
showcasing both local artists and some of the top names on the
international circuit.
Welcoming ceremony featuring Eilat's youth symphony orchestra. Red Sea
champagne cocktail cruise. Coral World Underwater Observatory. Unique
underwater restaurant-dine with the fish. Seasonal birdwatching in one
of Israel birdwatching venues. Submarine trips to view the underwater
corals and fish.Watersports - lessons for beginners, action for the more
experienced. All-terrain vehicles. Desert jeep tour (drive your own, or
come along). Sunset camel trek and cocktail reception in the hills south
of Eilat. ATV's. The Dolphin Reef. Eilot Desert Experience: Mt.
Hezekiah, for a quick view of four countries - Israel, Jordan, Egypt and
Saudi Arabia. Timna Park and King Solomon's Mines. Hai Bar Nature
Reserve. Day trip to the Mitzpe Ramon area: the Ramon Craters and their
wondrous geological formations, and the unique Alpaca Farm. Day trip to
Santa Catherina (Mt. Sinai) in Egypt's Sinai Desert. Coach ride to the
Nabatean rose-red city of Petra in Jordan.
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The Galilee & Tiberias
A tourism destination 3000
years old: Active Holidays; Nature; Pilgrimage; Archeology. Sunshine,
the Sea of Galilee and the beauties of Israel's North. A different
Israel 365 days a year: biblical history and miracles; nature and
ecology; Jewish mysticism and renewal; Arab and Druze culture; Roman
boats and Israeli alligators; Crusader & Byzantine ruins;
birdwatching; spas; kibbutz visits and dig for a day. Cocktail reception
and welcome ceremony in Tiberias, featuring free-fall parachutists over
the Sea of Galilee, carrying company banner. The Roman ruins at Beit
Shean. St. Peter's fish dinner (with alternative menu choices) and
entertainment on a ship sailing the Sea of Galilee. Distribution of
rental cars for an Around the Sea of Galilee treasure hunt. (Two couples
in each car, clues, guide book and a map provided, for a route that
covers all the major Sea of Galilee vicinity sights and sites: Tiberias;
ostrich farm; alligator farm, etc.). Use of the Tiberias Hot Springs Spa
facilities. Kibbutz Experience dinner and kibbutz tour. The Upper
Galilee & the Golan: Hula Valley Nature Reserve; Mt. Hermon; Banias;
Qatzrin; Gamla. Tour of Galilee Christian sites: Mt. of the Beatitudes;
Capernaum; Tabgha; Bethsaida; Kursi; Kafr Cana; Nazareth - Church of the
Annunciation and Marys Well. Safed - the Old City artists 'colony and/or
a horseback’ riding interlude in the area. Acre - Old City and a
Crusader theme party in the subterranean vaults. Haifa - the Bahai
Temple & Gardens, the Technion.
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The Dead Sea
Stark beauty, splendid
isolation; desert oases; Masada; rock climbing; cave exploration. Take
your successful winners here any time of the year, for the pampering
wonders of the Dead Sea spas. Mineral baths, mud packs and massage.
They'll feel in heaven, at the lowest spot on earth.
Traditional "bread and salt" welcome (pita bread baked on an
outdoor oven on the spot, by local Bedouins, along with salt from the
Dead Sea). Dead Sea spa treatments -mud packs, massages, baths, beauty
and cosmetic treatments with natural Dead Sea products. Bedouin
"coach high-jacking" scenario, leading to nearby village for
Bedouin Fantasy dinner. A "float" or a cruise on the Dead Sea.
Dead Sea adventure tour: rock climbing, cave exploration, etc. Visit to
a Dead Sea cosmetics factory. (Gift of Dead Sea cosmetics for all). Up
to Masada by cable car for a Sound & Light Show, followed by the
sunrise and a Roman breakfast atop Masada and a tour of the site.
"White Gloves" dinner in the desert, accompanied by a chamber
music ensemble. Ein Gedi: Nahal David & Nahal Arugoth. The Qumeran
Caves. Jericho; Mar Saba & St. George Monasteries; Wadi Qelt.
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