Day #1:

Arrival, transfer to the hotel in Haifa. After registration and settling in, we will be lead through the astonishing history of the Land of Israel, for better understanding of the variety of sites and religious groups included in our tour.

Evening: dinner at the lovely German Colony, and much needed early bed time...

Day #2

Our day starts at the Bahai Gardens in Haifa, a large one-of-a-kind complex of gardens built on a steep mountain slope. The tour will be guided by the chief Bahai gardener, expert at steep-slope gardening, who will also introduce us to this unique religion.

Our next visit will be the "Hai-Bar" – a unique open zoo, where several species of animals existed in Israel during the time of the bible and later distinct, where restored back to nature and re-introduced to the local climate, fauna and flora. The tour will be led by the chief zoologist of this project.

Driving by a scenery road crossing Mount Carmel, we arrive at Kibbutz Ma’agan Michael’s high density aqua-culture, where we will also learn about the kibbutz life style – a unique Israeli way of life.

Afternoon: we shall explore one of the Romans’ most admired sites at the ancient city of Caesarea, followed by dinner overlooking the sunset on the Mediterranean Sea.

Day #3

For breakfast, we will be joined by a senior professor from the faculty of Biomedical Engineering at the Technion – Israel's leading research and development center. The lecture will focus on Biomedical Engineering and Medicine.

Heading north to Beit Haemek’s TC (Tissue Culture) lab, and on to the amazing site of Rosh Hanikra, natural grottoes created by the sea and wind.

An afternoon walk of the ancient fishermen's city of Acre (Akko), will be followed by a fresh fish lunch in this typical Mediterranean town. We will be joined by a CEO of an Israeli "Clean-tech" start-up company, who will speak about Israel's latest innovations in advanced clean-energy technologies and their contribution to the local economy.

Our next visit is in Karmiel, the capital city of the Galilee County, where Opgal Ltd. combines state of the art military technologies with agriculture, by manufacturing a special thermal - imaging night vision system, which can detect precise variations from the desired water level, for sensitive plants grown over large areas, such as cotton.

Day #4

Visit Bio-Bee, an Israeli break-through company located in Kibbutz Sde Eliyahu, which mass produces and implements beneficial insects and mites for agricultural purposes. These organisms include natural enemies for biological pest control and bumblebees for natural pollination in greenhouses and open field crops.

Leaving the northern parts of Israel, this educational and professional day starts at Kibbutz Magal, visiting the Netafim factory, owned by an Israeli global entrepreneurship which produces an innovative drip irrigation system.

En route to Jerusalem, at the interesting 2000-year-old village of Sattaff, we are going to witness a few Amish-type Israelis who grow vegetables and fruits with natural spring water and practice biblical agriculture methods.

Day #5

Welcome to the Capital city of Israel – Jerusalem. Holiest to Christians, Jews and Muslims, this city is the heart and soul of ancient and modern Israel.

Going 3000 years back in a time tunnel, we will explore the mysteries of Jerusalem from the underground – visiting the City of David, and learn how this great King made sure his capital city will have constant supply of fresh water even in days of siege.

We continue exploring the multi-cultural mix of Jerusalem – visiting the Armenian, Jewish, Muslim and Christian quarters and magnificent colorful markets, all located within less than a square mile.

Now, just before Shabbat (the Jewish holy Sabbath day), it's time when the local Jews come to pray at the Western Wall - the last remaining evidence of the holy Temple and holiest site for Jews,

Day #6

Leaving Jerusalem, we descend to the lowest place on earth – the Dead-Sea, a lake where no plants nor fish can live, due to it's extremely high density of salt.

Our tour takes us to the heroic events that took place on the mountain of Massada 2000 years ago, where thousand men, women and children jointly committed suicide, rejecting the idea of becoming slaves to the Romans. We wil climb up the mountain by a cable car, and witness the giant water cisterns that the ancient inhabitants of the mountain built.

The rest of the day will be spend at leisure, to give our body and soul the best treatment nature can offer: the special minerals of the Dead Sea will spoil our skin, the view of giant desert cliffs combined with the blue salty lake will free our soul, and the luxury hotel restaurant will arouse our taste buds….

For our BBQ party at the foothills of the Judean mountains, bring only good spirits and hearty appetites – our team will do the rest: Look forward to excellent food, great beer, and many surprises, including traditional drumming and more...Be ready!

Overnight at the Dead-Sea.

Day #7

Our day starts at the Desert Research Center in Sde-Boker, to learn about the advanced high tech methods used by the local farmers to produce surprisingly high yields from this dry land.

After a short tour of the ancient Nabatean village of Ovdat, we shall visit a "loner farm" – a large piece of land given to individual farmers in attempt to reserve the land and develop agriculture in the desert.

Our next stop is at the manufacturing site of Israel's largest agriculture company – Makhteshim-Agan, world's leader in branded off-patent crop protection solutions.

Driving to Tel-Aviv, the lively city that is the financial, cultural and entertainment center of Modern Israel. Check-in and dinner at the hotel.

 
Day #8

A senior official from the Israeli Ministry of Agriculture will join us over breakfast, to speak about Israel's innovations and leading technologies in this field.

Morning hours will be spent at Volcani Center – Israel's research arm of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, responsible for most of the agricultural research conducted in Israel. Lectures will be given on Micro-propagation and biotechnology ornamentals and horticultural crops, and Bio-technology promises and impact.

Afternoon – visit Ayalon Institute, an underground ammunition factory used by the Israeli armed forces during the pre-state days of the British Mandate over the country.

Day #9

Our day starts with joint breakfast with the head of the Science & Technology Office at the embassy in Israel, who will review the many aspects of Israeli-Chinese cooperation in these fields.

Time to taste some of Israel's world-known wines, in some of it's most unique and interesting boutique wineries.

Traveling 30 minutes and 4000 years back to biblical Israel, the “Biblical Landscape Reserve” in Neot-Kedumim will reveal biblical plants, landscapes and agricultural methods practiced by Abraham, the Prophets and King David. Be ready to meet and watch them as they produce olive oil, harvest the wheat and bring water out of the well.

Farewell dinner in a restaurant.

 
Day #10

In our last day in Israel, we will explore the lively and modern city of Tel-Aviv, visiting Old Jaffa, Neve Tzedek, and the Old Harbor.

Some free time for shopping, before we drive to the airport for departure.

Shalom From Israel!