This tour is hosted by John Apol, a member of CALL, is an experienced traveler and tour leader. In addition to leading private tours of the Grand Canyon area, John has planned and led several Calvin College student trips to South Africa. He has a special love of the American West… it is one of his favorite travel destinations!

Tour Inclusions:

• Air transportation from Grand Rapids
• Deluxe motorcoach transportation
• Hotel accommodations for ten nights
• Breakfast daily plus four dinners
• Services of professional tour leader
• Gratuities to your driver and local guides
• Sky City Pueblo
• Hubbell Trading Post
• Canyon de Chelly – 4 X 4 Tour
• Monument Valley – Navajo Country
• Antelope Canyon
• Grand Canyon
• Bryce Canyon
• Zion National Park
• And so much more!

Book Early and You May Win a $200 Tour Discount!

Return your application and deposit by March 1 and you’ll be entered in a drawing for a $200 tour discount.

The trip is being offered in conjunction with the Lansing Christian School community and will include high school students, but is open to all ages! We will travel the Land and study the Bible in-depth in its original setting. Our time at each site will include teaching, reflection time, and hiking. We will learn with our minds, our hearts, and our feet.

Mr. Tim Blamer has studied in Israel five times since 2004. He has traveled, lived, and studied in Israel at Jerusalem University College, under Ray VanderLaan of That the World May Know Ministries, and with IDEA Ministries. He has also traveled independently and has led others through the Land. He has taught 9th grade Bible at Lansing Christian for the past five years and has also taught Modern Middle East at LCS for the past two years. He has a passion for teaching the Bible in its original context and for bringing life to the Bible in new and exciting ways that will help others grow in their faith and knowledge of God.

Detailed LCS Itinerary

Tour cost inclusions

• Air transportation round trip from Grand Rapids
• All transfers, game drives and sightseeing via private minibus or 4-WD vehicles
• Accommodations at first-class lodges and hotels
• All meals except three lunches and one dinner
• The services of English-speaking driver/guides
• All park entrance fees
• Sightseeing in Stone Town
• Zanzibar spice tour
• Tipping to porters and waiters

Accommodations are planned at several Serena properties (www.serenahotels.com) including Serena Mountain Lodge in Arusha, Mbuzi Mawe Camp in Serengeti Park, and Ngorongoro Serena Lodge at Ngorongoro Crater. We will also be staying at Tarangire Safari Lodge (www.tarangiresafarilodge.com) in Tarangire Park and at Mtoni Marine (www.mtoni.com) in Zanzibar.

Against the glittering backdrop of New York City, we’ll see – and sometimes hear and play – several of the most famous organs in the U.S. Among the instruments we anticipate experiencing are those at St. John the Divine, Lincoln Center, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, St. Mary the Virgin, St. Thomas Church, St. Bart’s, Trinity Wall Street, and the Frick Museum.

Our confirmed visits will be reflected in the final itinerary for our tour, which will be made available two to three weeks prior to departure. In addition to a full program of organ visits, there will be free time to explore independently, take in a concert or current musical or dramatic production, seek out quintessential New York eateries, and shop.

Our New York City Organ Study Tour includes …

• 8 to 10 organ visits
• Nonstop flights round trip from Cleveland to LaGuardia
• Get-acquainted sightseeing tour with a native New Yorker
• All transfers via private motorcoach or minibus
• Four nights of accommodations at a Midtown Manhattan hotel
• Full breakfast at the hotel each morning
• Two restaurant dinners
• Porterage of luggage in and out at the hotel

This wonderful 10-day tour is highlighted by attendance at the Bloemencorso – Flower Parade – and visits to surprising Amsterdam, the Aalsmeer Flower Auction, the Keukenhof National Flower Exhibition, a replica of Noah’s Ark, Palace Het Loo, the windmills of Kinderdijk and Floriade, the fantastic floral showcase that happens only once every ten years!

Our itinerary includes Johannesburg and Cape Town, game viewing in Kruger National Park and visits to a number of townships and remote villages. As we travel, we’ll drink in the marvelous constantly-changing landscape of the Highveld and the Lowveld, the seacoast, the mountains and plateaus, and the unusual flora such as the fynbos of the cape region. While we’re in Cape Town, we’ll take a boat trip to Robben Island, Nelson Mandela’s prison home; and we’ll enjoy a cable car ride to the top of Table Mountain, known for its magnificent views. We’ll also drive down to the Cape of Good Hope where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Indian Ocean.

Your host will be John Apol, a CALL member, a Calvin alumnus, and a frequent traveler to South Africa, including four Calvin student interim tours.

September 20 – 30, 2012

Turkey’s Aegean Coast experienced the evangelization of Paul, John, and Barnabas, as they ministered in Ephesus, Miletus, Myra and Perge. Off the coast lies Patmos, where we will visit the cave of St. John where he received the visions for the Book of Revelation, and where today monks of the Monastery of John the Theologican continue to worship and pray.  Further inland, two of our intrepid biblical travelers, Paul and Barnabas, also preached in Iconium (Konya).

As such they brought the gospel to ancient cultures devoted to previous gods and goddesses (e.g., Diana of the Ephesians) and more contemporary deified Roman Emperors.  In their place came Christian bishops, one of the most famous being St. Nicholas of Myra.  This same coast witnessed some of the great Ecumenical Councils that hammered out orthodox Christian belief, one in 451 in Ephesus. Centuries later the religious scene became more diversified as mosques and minarets were added to churches and synagogues. On all eight previous tours, we have always encountered a warm welcome from wonderful people.

The tour is for everyone whose interests include learning more about the sites in which these faiths developed, together with their art and architecture.  TansuUygun is a very personable, highly educated, professional guide.  Prof. Bruggink taught the history of the church and development of doctrine for over three decades.   Members of the tour are invited, but not compelled, to share their interests or expertise with the group in any way that might relate to the tour.  The Aegean coast will entrance you with its beauty, and varied sea and landscapes.

Creature comforts and value: Hotels are four- and five-star and deluxe.  All breakfasts and dinners are included.  Breakfasts are usually wonderfully diverse buffets.  Dinners are sometimes served as four-course meals, but are often incredibly bountiful buffets, which challenge one’s capacity. Google our hotels at the printed links for a foretaste of luxury.

Note that we offer a full guided tour with an ample daily program.

Optional Extension to Cappadocia and Istanbul

September 30 – October 5, 2012

A must for those who have not been there, and a temptation for those who have.

With teak-lined decks, towering white sails, and accommodations for up to 148 guests—all in outside staterooms—the Wind Spirit feels like your own private yacht. Its luxurious amenities include meals prepared by world-class chefs, a spa, entertainment lounge, water sports platform, pool, and hot tub. Voted the World’s Best Small-Ship Cruise Line by Travel + Leisure Magazine and the Top Small-Ship Cruise Line by Condé Nast Traveler, cruising with Windstar is sure to be the experience of a lifetime!