Egypt, Jordan & Israel

Study Tour & Cruise

Feb 28 - Mar 12, 2020

A GTI Signature Tour

What to Expect

Three Countries and Dozens of Sites! A private Nile cruise, ancient sites, chartered flights, and a luxurious Jordanian tent-camping experience ending with four amazing days in Israel!

This is the third annual GTI Signature Tour to Egypt, Jordan, and Israel! You won't find a better way to experience three countries and over two-dozen sites while learning from Jonathan Greer each morning and evening as he unpacks what we're learning in the context of biblical history as well as our daily faith.

Dr. Jonathan & Jennifer Greer

Your Study Tour Teachers

Jonathan & Jennifer Greer have enjoyed learning and teaching the Story of the Bible together in a variety of contexts in the Middle East for nearly two decades. They are faculty members at Grand Rapids Theological Seminary where Jonathan serves as Associate Professor of Old Testament and Director of the Hesse Archaeological Lab and Jennifer as Adjunct Instructor of Bible with a New Testament focus. Together they lead an annual study tour course in cooperation with GTI to the lands of the Bible as well as courses in biblical interpretation and background studies. Jonathan holds M.A. degrees in Old Testament and Biblical Languages from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary and a Ph.D. from The Pennsylvania State University where he focused on Hebrew Bible, ancient Near Eastern studies, and archaeology. He is also the Associate Director of archaeological excavations at Tel Dan, Israel, and has published a number of works on the relationship of the Bible to the ancient world (see his latest project here). Jennifer earned an M.Div. at Gordon-Conwell and, in addition to her teaching, serves in leadership at Madison Square Church in Grand Rapids, where they reside with their three children. She and Jonathan are currently working on a book entitled How to Read the Bible in Its Ancient World and Why It Matters for Ours. They look forward to every opportunity to teach the Bible and find no better classroom than the lands where the Story all began.

View Itinerary » Register Now »

Any Questions?

If you have questions, you're not alone! Use the following form to submit any questions you may have and we'll get back to you.

And of course, you can always give us a call during business hours at 616-396-1234 or 800-829-8234.

$5590 base cost
Minus $1000 for Egypt w/ Nile Cruise & Jordan (No Israel)
$1180.00 single-occupancy supplement available

Fees:

$40.00 for Jordanian Visa
$30.00 for Egyptian Visa

Optional payment schedule available:

$500.00 per-person deposit upon registration
$2545.00 per-person due by Oct 11, 2019
Remaining balance due by Jan 9, 2020

Economy class air from/to ORD
GTI Hydration Packs with bottled water on tour
Charter air flights as indicated
Hotel and Cruise accommodations as per itinerary
Daily breakfast and dinner buffet
Lunches on site
Bible, Journal, Plug adapter
Deluxe touring motor coach
All entrance fees
Guide/Driver Tips
Bedouin Dinner Feast – Wadi Rum
Wadi Rum Jeep excursion 4X4 Jeeps
Donkeys ride out of Petra Canyon
Porterage
Border crossing and exit fees

Egyptian visa (currently $30)
Jordanian visa (currently $35)
Ala Carte beverages ordered with meals

“GTI Tours has been serving, listening to, and learning from their network of leaders and ministries for years—which is why their study tours are exceptional!“

Dr. Mark Strauss
Bethel Seminary Professor

GTI Tours specializes in biblical study tours that bring the land and lessons of the Bible to life for churches, universities, ministries, and teams.

Visit GTI Tours

Fri Feb 28 • Including Israel

A day of travel

O'Hare to Istanbul on Turkish Flight #6 departing 9:30pm

Sat Feb 29 • Including Israel

Welcome to present day Cairo and ancient Egypt

After our luggage is collected, we’re taken by motor coach to the wonderful Le Meridian Pyramids Hotel for a good night’s sleep before our adventure begins in the morning.

Istanbul to Cairo International on Turkish Flight #694 departing 7:10pm

Le Meridien Pyramids Hotel

Sun Mar 1 • Including Israel

Ancient Egypt: The Pyramids & the Old Kingdom

After breakfast and our morning orientation meeting, we will make our way to the iconic Pyramids of Giza and the Great Sphinx, all constructed during ancient Egypt’s Old Kingdom period. After lunch, we will head to Cairo airport and board a private charter jet. We will then fly to ancient Thebes, modern day Luxor, where we will be taken to the beautiful Nile River Palace for a good meal and well-earned sleep.

Pyramids, Pyramids, Sphinx, Sphinx

Cairo International to Luxor International on Charter Flight Flight # departing 5:30pm

Nile Palace Hotel

Pyramids

Mon Mar 2 • Including Israel

The Greatness of Pharaoh: New Kingdom Mortuary Temples

We will begin the day with a “hands-on” experience of brick making, much in the same way the ancient Israelites would have known it, and then we will cross over to the west bank of the Nile River. There we will visit the Ramesseum (the memorial temple of Ramesses II) and Medinet Habu (the memorial temple of Ramesses III) as we discuss the power of New Kingdom pharaohs and the crisis of ca. 1200 BC and how these realities relate to the biblical story.

Bricks, Bricks, Ramseum, Ramseum, Medinet Habu, Medinet Habu

Movenpick Cruise Ship

Medinet Habu

Tue Mar 3 • Including Israel

The Quest for Eternity: Karnak Temple Complex & the Valley of the Kings:

We will walk through the ancient and wonderfully preserved temple complex of Karnak and then head to the west bank of the Nile. There we will explore the elaborately painted tombs of key Pharaohs in the Valley of the Kings and also visit the mortuary temple of the female pharaoh Hatshepsut. That afternoon, we will re-board the beautiful Movenpick Nile Cruise ship and begin our journey along the Nile.

Karnak, Karnak, Valley of the Kings, Valley of the Kings, Hatshepsut's Temple, Hatshepsut's Temple

Movenpick Cruise Ship

Karnak

Wed Mar 4 • Including Israel

Cosmic Order & Chaos: Ptolemaic Temples

This is a day of cruising and touring as we make our way south. First we will come to Edfu where we disembark to visit what is perhaps the best-preserved temple in all of Egypt: the temple of Horus, the son of Osiris and Isis, and protector of Pharaoh. Returning to our ship we will continue to sail south to visit the temple at Kom Ombo, which honors Sobek the crocodile-headed protector of Egypt.

Edfu Temple, Edfu Temple, Kom Ombo, Kom Ombo

Movenpick Cruise Ship

Edfu Temple

Thu Mar 5 • Including Israel

Securing the Border: The First Cataract and Elephantine Island

This day, after a visit to the massive “unfinished obelisk,” we will explore Elephantine Island in the center of the Nile, the site of a temple to Khnum, an Egyptian creator deity, and also a temple to Yahweh, built by a Jewish mercenary community who wrote letters to Jerusalem mentioning figures from the book of Nehemiah. In the evening, we head back to our cruise ship for dinner and our last night on board.

Obelisk, Obelisk, Elephantine Island, Elephantine Island

Movenpick Cruise Ship

Elephantine Island

Fri Mar 6 • Including Israel

Into the Wilderness: Wadi Rum

This morning we will bid farewell to our ship and crew and make our way to Aswan airport. There, we will board our private chartered jet and fly to Aqaba, Jordan, to our waiting motor coach which will bring us to the spectacular Wadi Rum. Once we check into our tents we will head out for a jeep ride in the majestic Wadi Rum as we explore the sites and watch an amazing sunset. Our Bedouin friends will have a traditional supper for us called Zarb, (a roasted lamb and/or chicken feast) waiting for us when we return. We will say goodnight and make our way to our personal tents where we spend the evening “glamping” at Sun City Camp.

Aswan, Aswan, Aqaba, Aqaba, Wadi Rum Jeep Tour, Wadi Rum Jeep Tour

Aswan International to King Hussein International on Charter Flight Flight # departing 9:00am

SunCity Camp

Wadi Rum Jeep Tour

Sat Mar 7 • Including Israel

Petra: Lost City of the Nabateans

After a great night of star gazing and enjoying the amazing sunrise we will make our way by motor coach to the World Heritage site of Petra to learn about the Nabateans, and their relationship to the biblical story, and see to their distinctive tomb façades.

Petra, Petra

Old Village Hotel

Petra

Sun Mar 8 • Including Israel

Transitions: The Plains of Moab & Mt. Nebo

This day is all about transitions. After visiting a mosaic floor containing the oldest map of the Holy Land, we will explore the Plains of Moab and Mt. Nebo, where we will consider the transition from Moses to Joshua. We will enjoy a Jordanian lunch and then bid farewell as some of our group make their way to the Geneva Hotel in Amman to overnight and prepare for their flight home the following day. Others who have signed on for the Israel extension make their way further north crossing at the Sheikh Hussein Border entering into the Galilee, where we will continue the story. After a short drive north by motor coach we will settle in to the Ein Gev Hotel, and enjoy a delicious Israeli dinner and a Galilean sunset before our night’s rest.

Basilica of Saint George , Basilica of Saint George , Basilica of Saint George , Basilica of Saint George , Mount Nebo, Mount Nebo, Mount Nebo, Mount Nebo

Ein Gev Kibbutz

Basilica of Saint George

Mon Mar 9 • Including Israel

The Kingdom of Israel and the Kingdom of God

We will begin our day at Tel Dan, continuing our story of the settlement of ancient Israel and continuing into the period of the Hebrew kings where we will note an important inscription mentioning “the house of David” and an Israelite temple found there. We will then transition to the New Testament and the ministry of Jesus, considering who Jesus is in the region of Caesarea Philippi, and exploring where he taught and healed in the towns of Capernaum and Magdala before returning for the night to the Ein Gev Hotel.

Tel Dan, Tel Dan, Caesarea Philippi, Caesarea Philippi, Capernaum, Capernaum, Magdala, Magdala

Ein Gev Kibbutz

Tel Dan

Tue Mar 10 • Including Israel

Clash of Kingdoms: Sea of Galilee, The Jezreel Valley, and Caesarea:

After a morning boat ride across the Sea of Galilee and an exploration of an ancient boat from the time of Jesus, we will make our way to the guardian city of Megiddo and learn of its role in Egyptian imperialism, connections with Solomon and Ahab, and the imagery invoked in Revelation. Our final stop will be the magnificent Caesarea Maritima on the shores of the Mediterranean where we will consider the person of Herod the Great, and more, before making our way via motor coach up to the ancient city of Jerusalem and the Dan Hotel Jerusalem.

Galilee Boat Ride, Galilee Boat Ride, Ancient Boat (Ginosar), Ancient Boat (Ginosar), Megiddo, Megiddo, Caesarea Maritima, Caesarea Maritima

Dan Hotel

Galilee Boat Ride

Wed Mar 11 • Including Israel

The Holy City: Jerusalem

Following a brief morning meeting in the hotel, we will begin our final day with a walk down from the Mount of Olives to the Old City, followed by visits to the pools of Bethesda, the Western Wall, and Southern Steps excavation areas. After lunch at a restaurant nestled in the heart of the Christian Quarter, we will conclude our journey with exploration of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, the church which marks the traditional site of Christ’s crucifixion, burial, and resurrection.

Mount of Olives, Mount of Olives, St. Anne's Church, St. Anne's Church, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Western Wall, Western Wall, Southern Steps, Southern Steps

Dan Hotel

Mount of Olives

Thu Mar 12 • Including Israel

Tel Aviv to Istanbul on Turkish Flight #865 departing 8:45am

Istanbul to O'Hare on Turkish Flight #5 departing 3:00pm

Fri Feb 28 • Egypt Jordan Only