Excursion «124. Cave towns»

During the journey, you will encounter fragments of the multi-century history of the Holy Land – the bloody Maccabean wars, the luxurious cities of the Roman Empire, the remains of fortresses and crusader-era churches, and much more.

The Shephelah region is located in the Judean foothills. It is rightly called the land of cave cities, and we will be able to witness the accuracy of this name as our tour takes us through an area where one landscape swiftly changes to another, and numerous attractions serve as a backdrop to the surrounding cave cities. Here, a large number of various architectural and historical landmarks have been fully or partially preserved, such as churches, cemeteries, remnants of walls, and ruined towers, all set against the backdrop of large and small man-made caves. Along the way, we will see real evidence of the long-suffering history of the Holy Land, which has endured devastating wars, numerous raids, and looting, and how it defended and rebuilt itself. The remains of fortresses, churches, and cities from the reigns of different governors are a vivid confirmation of that.

Beit Guvrin is a national park that preserves many attractions. Here, you can see the remains of the once-famous city of Maresha, which is currently undergoing excavations. Thanks to archaeologists, many artificial and natural underground complexes consisting of bell-shaped caves have been discovered. Beit Guvrin itself is interesting because within its territory, you can see the remains of a theater structure from the time of Roman procurators, as well as buildings that served as shelter and housing for the Crusaders during the wars for the Holy Sepulchre.

As part of the tour, we will visit the following attractions:

Ancient city of Maresha – an important city in the Judean foothills. Columbarium Cave – a huge cave with 2,000 niches for raising doves. Ancient and unique olive presses – 22 oil presses were found in Maresha. Phoenician burial caves with original frescoes and mythological animals. Bell caves. Roman city of Eleutheropolis – Beit Guvrin. Roman amphitheater. Crusader castle of Beit Jibrin and a large church converted by Muslims into a mosque. And for dessert, the "Moni" winery.

Order cancellation conditions:

If a tourist cancels an excursion in less than 2 days, the penalty is 100%, unless insurance against non-departure has been purchased.

Important

Tourists should arrive at the boarding point 10 minutes before the scheduled departure time.

• People who are late and do not go on the excursion will not receive a refund.
• Requests for excursions for children under 5 years old are not accepted.
• The company is not responsible for lost items.
• Responsibility for having an individual insurance policy falls on the tourist.
• Tourists may wait up to 30 minutes for the bus.
• Minor changes to the route are possible.
• The company reserves the right to change the departure time for the excursion, which is communicated to the tourist the day before.
• The company does not sell excursions indicating seats on the bus.
• Physical activity level: 3/5

We recommend: take drinking water, a hat, sunglasses, and comfortable shoes with you on the excursion.

The cost of trips does not include and is paid on the spot:meals.