Our group (6 active women in their 60s) was extremely happy with our tour of Israel, and was specifically very pleased with our guide, Arie. He was quite knowledgeable of Israel, clearly updating his expertise on all thing Israel whenever he’s not engaged in leading a tour. Our tour visited the majority of the important archaeological sites in Israel and we particularly enjoyed our excursion into Jordan to visit Petra, a wonder of archaeological and anthropological history. We felt very well chaperoned and informed (not to mention entertained) by Arie each step of the way. Although we had great local guides in Arab territories (Bethlehem and Petra), we applauded loudly when Arie got on our bus after each excursion, which shows how exceptional we found his guiding expertise and his support. I had only one suggestion regarding the Smartours itinerary. While it was extremely thorough, I personally would have appreciated more time experiencing the landscape of Israel. I would have liked, for example, taking a little time for a reflective walk along the banks of the Sea of Galilee, strolling through the sites on the Mount of Olives, spending time visiting a park frequented by Israeli families, etc. That being said, I would highly recommend this tour, especially with the Petra excursion included. the food was amazing and generous, the accommodations and buses were very comfortable and convenient, the people were Especially friendly. Thank you, SmarTours!!