2010 Fall Tour Group
2010 Tour – “In Lehi & Sariah’s Footsteps”
12 days exploring Israel, Jordan and Oman
Departs October 9th, 2010
To register for the tour, please send email. Read the Frequently Asked Questions.
The 2010 tour will be led throughout by Warren Aston. The tour itself commences on Sunday October 10th in Jerusalem and ends in Muscat, Oman on Friday October 22nd.
Tour cost is $US 2835 per person, share-twin, Single Supplement is $560. The tour price includes all sightseeing, tours and entrances, all land and water transportation, first class hotels with breakfasts daily throughout, luggage handling, return domestic airfares within Oman, most dinners and a picnic lunch. All airport transfers are included for those traveling on the group flights.
Not included are visa fees and taxes, other meals, drinks and gratuities.
Airfare – for those departing from the US, a special group airfare from New York City JFK Saturday evening October 9th and arriving back at JFK on the afternoon of Friday October 22nd is available for $US 970, plus taxes and fuel surcharges (currently $352).
You are welcome to make your own airfare arrangements to join the tour if you wish. Just advise us and we will give you the other information you will need to link up with us.
Reservations are confirmed with a $750 non-refundable deposit per person. The final balance is due Two Months before departure. All prices are subject to change until fully paid.
As group numbers are strictly limited we strongly recommend early booking. In order to minimize the costs for everyone, all payments must be made to Bountiful Tours by a wire transfer from your bank. Creditcards are not accepted.
You will require a valid passport but there are no health requirements for the countries we are visiting.
Travel insurance covering cancellation due to accident or illness is compulsory; we will send you details of the options with your written confirmation.
ITINERARY
IMAGINE…..waking up on the first morning of the tour and looking out over the ancient walls of the Old City of Jerusalem. Even if you have been here before, Jerusalem never fails to stir as we contemplate the sacred events surrounding the birth, ministry and atonement of Jesus Christ.
Testifying of the mission of the Savior is why the Book of Mormon was written. We will visit his birthplace at Bethlehem, Gethsemane, the place he paid for our sins and Golgotha where he was crucified. At the Garden Tomb we remember the morning of his resurrection. Here in Jerusalem he re-established his church and sent forth his Gospel.
We will also focus on Lehi and Sariah, for this is also their city and the starting point of their odyssey across two-thirds of the planet. Nephi, his brothers and sisters and Zoram and Ishmael also walked and played in these streets. Here the Book of Mormon will begin to take on a deeper reality for each of us. On the Temple Mount and Mount of Olives we contemplate past events and those still future. At the BYU Jerusalem Center we will enjoy a guided tour before listening to an organ recital overlooking the Old City.
Going down from Jerusalem we will travel through the huge Arabah rift valley, stopping at Qumran where the Dead Sea scrolls were discovered and the beautiful oasis of Ein Gedi, which Lehi, Sariah and their small group likely passed as they left their beloved city.
In the deserts of Timna we will explore the copper mines that were ancient when Lehi and Sariah’s family passed by here and where Nephi may have learned to work with metals. We will see the new life-sized reconstruction of the Tabernacle that served as a portable Temple in the days of Moses.
After reaching the Red Sea we turn inland and experience a night camped with the bedouin in the beautiful sand dunes of Wadi Rum. We then head to the mystical stone city of Petra, one of the new 7 Wonders of the World, with plenty of time to explore. There will be the opportunity to float in the Dead Sea as the sun sets over its blinding white salt pans.
We then fly to the other side of Arabia and friendly, traditional Oman. We explore its sparkling capital, Muscat. Among its impressive sights is the ship “Sohar” which was built here without nails or metal and sailed to China in 1977. A 90 minute flight south brings us to a very different world, the only fertile place in Arabia. A traditional style, privately-run villa on the beach in Salalah will be our base as we explore the ruins of ancient cultures, the rare Frankincense tr
ee, on-going BYU excavations and mountain tribes. Most importantly, we experience the only specific locations ever proposed by LDS scholars as Nephi’s “Bountiful,” the place he built his ship. Weigh the evidences and make up your own mind as we read his scriptural account again.
At the end of the tour we will depart from a beautiful sand beach by sea, as did Lehi and Sariah and their family. We have now truly walked in their footsteps and the Book of Mormon has come alive for us as never before.
Only a hundred or so Latter-day Saints have so far had this unique experience. Come and join us this year!
Yemen option: if there is enough interest, Warren will take you to the island of Socotra off the east coast of Yemen. Unlike much of Yemen, Socotra is safe to visit. 500 Km off the mainland it has developed unique flora and culture. If you may be interested in doing this extension (5-7 days depending on air schedules) please let us know when booking.
HOW TO BOOK
1. To hold your space on the tour, simply email us direct at bountiful-tours@hotmail.com. Initially we will need the following for each person:
- Full name as per passport
- Date of birth
- Street mailing address
Tell us whether you will be using the group flights from New York City or making other arrangements. We will help you arrange flights if joining from Australia, UK, Europe or other parts of the world.
2. We will email you back to confirm your space on the tour and flights (if applicable). We will give you simple instructions so your bank can wire your deposit directly to the tour account. Most banks allow you to do this online from home. Using a wire transfer is simple, fast and inexpensive. Many banks will charge a small fee ($20 to $30 is normal) for wire transfers. However, this fee is insignificant compared to accepting credit/debit cards that would result in several hundred dollars higher tour costs. We are unable to accept checks as they are subject to significant delays for currency conversion in paying our suppliers.
3. Your bank wires the deposit to our bank.
4. Upon receipt we will email your receipt and begin sending additional details to you.
Read the Frequently Asked Questions.
Operated in conjunction with Bountiful Travel and Tours [Australia], Qld License TAG1218