Tours & Dates
Bible Land Expedition 2027
"Moses: from Midian to Mount Nebo"
Jordan & Saudi Arabia, 10–20 March 2027
Your Expert Teachers/Guides*: Dr Steven Collins and Dr Gary Byers
OVERVIEW:
BLE, and countless other churches and organizations, offer Holy Land Tours. But the title “Holy Land Tour” is where the similarity ends. The fact is, there isn’t another tour available that does what a BLE tour does. Our guides and lecturers are expert Bible scholars and archaeologists, not local guides trained to cater to religious pilgrims as opposed to people interested in real biblical history and the archaeology that reveals it so dramatically. Not only will you experience the Holy Land’s breathtaking panoramas and biblical sites, but also you’ll see minute details illuminating biblical stories, subtleties that only expert eyes can reveal. We limit group size to a single bus (unlike many of the large tours that have multiple buses and spend more time waiting at restroom stops than actually visiting sites!), which is a real plus. Like our 2027 theme, “Moses: from Midian to Mount Nebo” says, you’ll explore and experience amazing places from the life of Moses. Of course, dozens of other biblical characters from the Old and New Testaments encountered these same locations, including Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Joshua, King David, Elijah, John the Baptist, and Jesus. And you’ll walk in the footsteps of every one of them! Your Bible will never read the same again.
TOUR ITINERARY:
Day 1 (Wed, Mar 10) Depart from your home location.
Day 2 (Thu, Mar 11) Arrive Amman, Jordan. We’ll all meet at the Movenpick Hotel/Resort at the Dead Sea in Jordan. A welcome and orientation meeting is scheduled for 7:30pm after dinner.
Day 3/Tour Day 1(Fri, Mar 12) Geography: Jordan Valley & Kikkar, N Transjordan Highlands. OT theme: Moses & Joshua in Gilead. NT theme: Jesus & the Decapolis cities. Places: Jerash (Gerasa), Umm Qeis (Gadara). We’ll follow the campaign of the Israelites into Gilead and witness the “oak-park forest” of Joshua’s day. We'll enter the "Ten Cities" (Decapolis) area visited by Jesus. Overnight Movenpick Dead Sea.
Day 4/Tour Day 2(Sat, Mar 13) Geography: The Kikkar of the Jordan. OT theme: God’s judgment on the Cities of the Kikkar. NT theme: the Messiah revealed. Places: Tall el-Hammam/Sodom, Beth Jeshimoth, Abel-Shittim, Bethany beyond Jordan, Perea. We'll visit the location of the Israelite encampment on the Plains of Moab, and stand where the Tabernacle and the Ark of the Covenant rested before being carried across the Jordan River. We'll walk over evil's "ground zero" at Sodom, and you’ll touch the ashes of its destruction. We’ll see the area where John baptized Jesus. Overnight Movenpick Petra.
Day 5/Tour Day 3(Sun, Mar 14) Geography: Dead Sea Valley, Edom. OT themes: Esau, Israel’s wilderness wanderings. Places: Dead Sea Valley sites, Edom. We'll visit the amazing rose-red city of Petra, carved out of surrounding sandstone cliffs. It’s possible that Aaron was buried on a mountaintop near Petra. This is a great day for some serious hiking, or just casually enjoying the wonders of Petra, recently voted one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. Overnight Movenpick Petra.
Day 6/Tour Day 4(Mon, Mar 15) Geography: Edom, Midian. OT Theme: Moses in Midian. Places: Aqaba, sites in Midian. We’ll cross the Durra border to Saudi Arabia, into the core of the Land of Midian. Driving in our convoy of luxury Land Cruisers (our mode of transportation for the entire Saudi Arabia segment), we’ll get spectacular vistas along the way. We’ll visit “Split Rock” and “Snake Rock” (Rephidim?), and an Amalekite high place for some inscription hunting. Overnight Vista Hotel, Haql.
Day 7/Tour Day 5(Tue, Mar 16) Geography: Midian. OT Theme: Moses in Midian. Places: sites in Midian. We’ll drive to Jabal al Lawz (a Mt. Sinai candidate in some minds) and nearby features like “Moses’ Altar” and associated ancient inscriptions, then to a remote location (Israelite encampment?) and “Aaron’s Altar.” We’ll visit a Neolithic cemetery recently surveyed by Japanese archaeologists. Overnight Vista Hotel, Haql.
Day 8/Tour Day 6(Wed, Mar 17) Geography: Midian. OT Theme: Moses in Midian. Places: sites in Midian. We’ll see “Jethro’s tomb,” “Moses’ well,” and the extensive Oasis of Midian, the core of the Midianite culture. We’ll visit a large Bronze Age archaeological site (a French excavation) adjacent to the oasis, and other sites (time permitting). Overnight Vista Hotel, Haql.
Day 9/Tour Day 7(Sat, Mar 18) Geography: Wadi Rum. OT theme: Israel’s wilderness wanderings with Moses & Joshua. Places: sites in Wadi Rum. We’ll cross the border back into Jordan and experience a bit of what it was like to live in a tent during Israel’s wilderness wanderings (but much better food!) and amazing scenery. Overnight glamping in the Wadi Rum.
Day 10/Tour Day 8 (Sun, Mar 19) Geography: the Transjordan Plateau, Wadi Mujib (Arnon Gorge). OT Theme: Israel wanders in the wilderness, S Transjordan. NT theme: the ministry of John the Baptist. Places: Aroer, Dibon, Machaerus, Mount Nebo. We'll trace the steps of Moses to Mount Nebo where he viewed the Promised Land. We’ll visit the palace/fortress where Salome danced before Herod Antipas and John the Baptist was executed. Overnight Movenpick Dead Sea.
Day 11 (Mon, Mar 20) Departure day.
PRICE AND REGISTRATION:
Early Registration Discount: you will receive a $500 discount from the price given below if you make your reservation before 15 July 2026.
The cost is $5,950 per person, double-room occupancy. Note that airfare is not included (we do this because most people have a favorite airline, and/or frequent flier miles, and/or like to arrive early or stay longer). The trip cost for a single room is $7,200.
The registration down payment is $750. Trip price is subject to change until the balance is paid in full. Balance must be paid no later than 1 December 2026 (review the refund policy at www.bletravel.com).
For details and answers to your questions, contact Dr Glenda Austin in our Albuquerque office by email (admin@tsu-edu.us) or phone (505-33-BIBLE; 505-332-4253).
*TEACHERS/GUIDES:
Steven Collins, PhD, is among the world’s foremost biblical archaeologists. He is Director of the School of Archaeology at Veritas International University, and serves as Consulting Research Professor in the College of Archaeology, Trinity Southwest University. Also a Bible scholar, Dr Collins teaches Old and New Testament history, biblical languages, biblical interpretation, and Christian apologetics. He is also Director and Chief Archaeologist of the Tall el-Hammam (Sodom) excavations in Jordan, now in its 21st year. A prolific author, he has written numerous articles in professional journals and magazines (including Biblical Archaeology Review), and many books including Discovering the City of Sodom (Simon & Schuster 2013) and the Harvest Handbook of Bible Lands (Harvest House Publishers, 2019) for which he is co-editor and a principal author. He’s been excavating in and leading tours of Israel and Jordan for over 30 years. Dr Collins is a much-sought-after conference speaker/teacher, and is featured in documentary films airing on the National Geographic, Discovery, Science, History, and Travel Channels.
Gary Byers, PhD, is a leading biblical archaeologist, and Dean of the College of Archaeology & Biblical History at Trinity Southwest University. Also a Bible scholar and teacher, he is Assistant Director of the Tall el-Hammam/Sodom excavations in Jordan, and Senior Archaeologist at the Shiloh excavations in Israel/Samaria. Dr Byers has over 35 years of experience excavating in Israel and Jordan, as well as leading tours through the Holy Land. Dr Byers most recently contributed articles to the Harvest Handbook of Bible Lands (Harvest House Publishers, 2019), and has written numerous articles for archaeological publications.
Join us for this amazing adventure!
See Cancellation and Refund Policy below.
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CANCELLATION & REFUND POLICY: For this tour: 100% of cancellation fees are usually covered by travel insurance, provided the premium has been paid and reason for cancellation is insurable. Those who do not purchase travel insurance should be aware of the following cancellation penalties relative to the down payment and funds collected by BLE toward the tour: from the day of registration a $250 non-refundable administration fee applies. Excluding the $250.00 administration fee: for cancellation 90 or more days prior to scheduled arrival 75% of the amount paid is refundable; for cancellation 60-89 days prior to scheduled arrival 50% of the amount paid is refundable; for cancellation 30-59 days prior to scheduled arrival 25% of the amount paid is refundable; for cancellation 0-29 days prior to scheduled arrival there is no refund. If the tour is cancelled by BLE for any reason, 100% of the amount paid is refundable, less the $250 non-refundable administrative fee.
Learn More
“Discovering the Biblical World,” focuses on great biblical characters like Abraham, Moses, Joshua, Kings David and Solomon, Elijah, John the Baptist, and Jesus. Your Bible will never read the same again!
