Archaeology & history
Canaanite, Judean, Hellenistic, Roman, Byzantine, Crusader, Ottoman — all of it is standing in this country. My wife is a leading Israeli archaeologist, so what you hear on site is current, not a decade old.
Private licensed guide · Israel
See Israel from a Land Cruiser,
with a guide who knows the ground
A licensed Ministry of Tourism guide, in English, Hebrew or French — and a 4x4 that reaches the wadis, cisterns and viewpoints the coaches never get to. Herodion and the Judean Desert, archaeology across the country, and family heritage and Bar/Bat Mitzvah days.
- Licensed by the Ministry of Tourism
- English · Hebrew · French
- Toyota Land Cruiser 4x4
- Private — your group only
Check availability for your dates
Leave your details and I will come back to you with a route and an exact price — usually the same day.
3languages — English, Hebrew, French
4x4reaches what a coach cannot
Privateyour group only, your pace
LicensedIsrael Ministry of Tourism
A day, hour by hour
Herodion & the Judean Desert
This is the flagship day, exactly as it runs. It can be reshaped around young children, limited mobility or a particular interest — just tell me in advance.
- 1
09:30Meet and set off
We meet in the Gilo area on the southern edge of Jerusalem, get organised in the vehicles and drive to Herodion.
- 2
10:00Herodion
The viewpoint over the monumental pools, the climate-controlled theatre with its sound-and-light display, the site of Herod’s tomb, the bathhouse and the palace.
- 3
12:30Into the desert by 4x4
We leave the road for the Judean Desert: ancient water cisterns and a working cheese farm.
- 4
14:00Finish
Back to the meeting point — ten minutes from Jerusalem if you are continuing into the city.
What I guide
Three kinds of day
Every tour is private and built around you. These are the three people ask for most.
Desert & 4x4
The Judean Desert, the Negev, the Arava, the Carmel, the Golan and the Galilee — driven, not just looked at from a car park. Cisterns, wadis and viewpoints with no road to them.
Family & Bar/Bat Mitzvah
A private family day built around the Bar or Bat Mitzvah child — prayer at sunrise in the desert, and the places where Jewish history actually happened rather than a classroom account of it. Two routes: the northern Judean Desert and Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, or the UNESCO caves at Beit Guvrin.
Toyota Land Cruiser 4x4Private vehicle — just you and your guide
The vehicle
Why we reach places a coach simply cannot
We travel in a Toyota Land Cruiser — the same family of vehicles used by research expeditions and nature reserves around the world. That is not a technical detail. It decides whether we stop in the coach park with everyone else, or drive down into the wadi, to the ancient cistern and to the viewpoint that has no road to it.
The vehicle is private and yours alone. There is no group to wait for and no one else’s timetable, so we can stop whenever something is worth stopping for — or whenever the children need a break.
From the road
Photographs from real tours
Every photograph on this page was taken on a tour I guided. None of it is stock.
Cost & terms
What it costs, said plainly
The Herodion and Judean Desert tour is NIS 1,600 for guiding a half-day — about four hours — for one private group. Longer days and multi-day itineraries are quoted individually, and always agreed before you commit.
From ₪1,600guiding fee for a half-day of about four hours, for one private group (≈ US$430 — the fee itself is in shekels)
Check availability
- A half-day of guiding — about four hours — in English, Hebrew or French
- Travel by Toyota Land Cruiser 4x4
- An itinerary built around what interests you
- Planning by phone or WhatsApp before you arrive
- Site and nature-reserve entrance fees — paid at the gate
- Meals and drinks
- Pick-up away from the meeting point — an extra, from ₪150
- Payment is in cash
What people write afterwards
Real letters, in their own handwriting
These are not reviews harvested from a listings site. They are the notes guests left at the end of their tour, on the letterhead of the hotel they were staying in.
"Words can’t express our appreciation to you for your guidance over the last ten days. It has been a trip of a lifetime — made best because of your expertise, professionalism, care and concern."An American family, after ten days of guiding
"Dear Nimrod — thank you for making our Israeli trip fantastic. You were wonderful."Hank, Sue, Jenna, Ilana & Kayla
Before you book
Questions I am asked most
Are you licensed?
Yes. I hold a guiding licence from the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, in Hebrew, English and French. I studied history at Beit Berl College and completed the Ministry’s guiding course after five years of service in the combat engineering corps.
How long is a tour?
The standard tour is a half-day — about four hours — and that is what the NIS 1,600 guiding fee covers. Longer days and multi-day itineraries are entirely possible and are quoted separately, agreed with you in advance.
Can you collect us from our hotel?
Yes — tell me where you are staying and we will agree a pick-up time. The Herodion tour meets on the southern edge of Jerusalem at 09:30, which is a short drive from most Jerusalem hotels. A pick-up away from the meeting point is an extra, starting at ₪150 depending on the distance, and I will tell you the amount before you commit.
Is it suitable for children?
Very much so. A large share of my work is family touring, and the 4x4 is exactly what keeps children engaged — most of the distance is driven rather than walked. Tell me their ages and I will set the pace accordingly.
Do we need to pay in cash?
Yes, the guiding fee is paid in cash, in shekels. Site entrance fees are separate and paid at each gate. I say this in advance so there is no surprise at the end of the day.
Can you build a multi-day itinerary?
Yes. Several of the letters on this page came from families I guided for a week or more. Send me your dates and what you would like to see, and I will propose a route.
What should we bring?
Closed shoes, a hat, water and sun cream. In winter add a warm layer — the desert is far colder at first light than Jerusalem suggests.
Tell me your dates
Send me when you are in Israel and how many of you there are. I will come back with a proposed route and an exact price — usually the same day.