8 Days: Catholic Ascension Pilgrimage, Keep the Feast on the Mount of Olives
Direct Operator Pricing
Save up to
$700
per person, compared with the same package sold through reseller agencies
Why are our rates lower?
We organize and operate this pilgrimage ourselves, on the ground in the Holy Land. When you book with our local team instead of a third party reseller or overseas agent, your payment goes into your journey, not into middleman commissions. Same holy sites, same hotels, same care.
Serving pilgrims since 2007
Border crossings
The Route
Your journey, mapped
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For church leaders and group organizers
Considering this journey for your church?
See the group leader terms and inclusions, and how we shape a departure around your church community
Most pilgrims come to the Holy Land for the Cross, the tomb or the manger. The Ascension is the feast that is easiest to overlook and the one that sends you out. This pilgrimage is timed so that the feast of the Ascension falls on the Mount of Olives, where the Lord was taken up before his disciples.
You begin with the Way of the Cross and the Holy Sepulchre, then visit Bethlehem and Ein Karem, Nazareth, Mount Tabor and the Sea of Galilee, where the risen Lord met his disciples. You return to Jerusalem by the Jordan and Jericho, and on Ascension Day you go up the Mount of Olives to the Chapel of the Ascension and the Church of the Pater Noster. A private Mass can be arranged for your group.
You come home having kept the Ascension on the mountain where it happened, and the last words of the Gospel, go and make disciples, will sound as though they were spoken to you.
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Your pilgrimage begins as you land at Ben Gurion Airport, where our team gives you a warm welcome. We drive up to Jerusalem and you settle into your hotel. This evening we gather for dinner and a quiet time of prayer, preparing our hearts for the days ahead.
"I rejoiced with those who said to me, let us go to the house of the Lord."
Psalm 122:1
We walk the Via Dolorosa, the fourteen stations of the Way of the Cross, and come to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, which holds both Calvary and the empty tomb. We visit the Pool of Bethesda with its Church of Saint Anne and pray at the Western Wall. The Ascension makes sense only after the Cross and the Resurrection, and today we walk both.
"Carrying his own cross, he went out to the place of the Skull."
John 19:17
We travel the short road to Bethlehem and enter the Basilica of the Nativity, kneeling at the silver star that marks the birthplace of Jesus. We visit Shepherds' Field, then drive to Ein Karem, the birthplace of John the Baptist and the place of Mary's visit to Elizabeth.
"She gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger."
Luke 2:7
We drive north to Galilee. In Nazareth we enter the Basilica of the Annunciation. At Cana we remember the first sign of Jesus, and we climb Mount Tabor to the Church of the Transfiguration. We spend the night beside the Sea of Galilee.
"Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you."
Luke 1:28
We begin on the Mount of Beatitudes and visit Tabgha, where Jesus multiplied the loaves and, after the Resurrection, gave Peter his charge. We walk through Capernaum, sail across the Sea of Galilee, and share a St. Peter's fish lunch by the water.
"Jesus said, Feed my sheep."
John 21:17
We drive south through the Jordan Valley to Qasr al-Yahud, where Jesus was baptized, and you may renew your own baptismal promises in the water. We pass through Jericho and climb the ancient road up to Jerusalem, the way pilgrims have come for thousands of years, arriving in time for the eve of the Ascension.
"As soon as Jesus was baptized, he went up out of the water."
Matthew 3:16
On the feast of the Ascension we go up the Mount of Olives to the place where the Lord was taken up into heaven. We visit the Chapel of the Ascension and the Church of the Pater Noster, where he taught his disciples to pray, and we keep the feast together with prayer. A private Mass can be arranged for your group.
"He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight."
Acts 1:9
The morning is yours until we take you to the airport. You came to the Holy Land and kept the Ascension on the mountain where it happened. You leave having been sent, as the disciples were, to carry what you have seen.
Home
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✦ Keep the feast of the Ascension on the Mount of Olives
✦ Visit the Chapel of the Ascension and the Church of the Pater Noster
✦ Private Masses can be arranged for your group
✦ Walk the Via Dolorosa and pray at the Holy Sepulchre
✦ Pray at Mount Tabor, Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee
✦ Renew your baptismal promises in the Jordan River
He was taken up before their very eyes, and a cloud hid him from their sight. (Acts 1:9)
Included- Warm airport welcome and all group transfers in modern, air conditioned vehicles
- Seven nights of hotel accommodation in Jerusalem and Galilee
- Daily breakfast and dinner throughout the pilgrimage
- A licensed English speaking guide
- Arrangements for the Ascension Day celebration on the Mount of Olives
- All entrance fees to the holy sites in the itinerary
- A private boat ride on the Sea of Galilee
- A traditional Saint Peter's fish meal
Not Included- International flights to and from Israel
- Tips and gratuities for the guide and driver
- Travel insurance, which we strongly recommend
- The Israeli ETA-IL entry authorization, roughly eight US dollars
- Lunches and personal expenses
- Anything not listed as included
Pilgrims Who Walked This Road
Tour FAQ
You are welcome to join as an individual, a couple, a family, or a full church group. Many travelers arrive on their own and leave with a whole new family, which is one of the most common things we hear.
There is a fair amount of walking, some of it on old stone and uneven ground, and a few climbs such as Mount Tabor. Most people of reasonable health manage well. If anyone in your group has mobility needs, tell us in advance and we will plan around them.
Yes. Entry requirements for Ethiopian and Eritrean passport holders need more hands-on support, and AJET has long experience guiding travelers through exactly what their passport requires. We coordinate between our teams in Jerusalem and Addis Ababa at every step, so you are never left to work it out alone. Please start the process early, as some steps take time.
You stay in comfortable first class hotels in Jerusalem and on the shore of the Sea of Galilee in Tiberias. A tourist class option is also available if your group prefers. All rooms are clean, well located, and include daily breakfast and dinner.
A deposit of $300 or $400 per person (the amount shown on the tour page, or the stated deposit for your custom journey) is required to secure your booking. A reservation does not hold a seat until the deposit clears into AJET’s account. Final balance payments are strictly due 60 days prior to departure.
One exception: if you reserve a journey online without a fixed departure date and we cannot confirm dates that match your preferred dates, your deposit is returned in full.
If you must cancel your pilgrimage, written notice must be submitted to AJET. Cancellations incur the following tiered fees based on the departure date:
- 61 or more days prior: Full refund of all monies paid minus the non-refundable deposit.
- 60 to 46 days prior: 35% of total package cost is retained (65% refund of balance).
- 45 to 31 days prior: 60% of total package cost is retained (40% refund of balance).
- 30 to 15 days prior: 85% of total package cost is retained (15% refund of balance).
- 14 days or fewer prior / No-show: 100% of total package cost is retained (non-refundable).
Because unexpected medical or travel disruptions can occur, AJET strongly recommends that every pilgrim purchase comprehensive travel insurance covering trip cancellation, medical care, and emergency repatriation.
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