Yuval
De-Joannes

Private tours in Israel - English & Italian

Shalom and Welcome!

My Name is Yuval De-Joannes. I live in Moshav Tzafririm in the Valley of Elah and I have been leading tours throughout the country for over 15 years.

My passion for traveling began during my early school days, when I joined the school of environmental studies in the Negev desert. Upon completing my military service as a paratrooper, and traveling the world for a couple of years, I began my academic studies.

I hold a bachelor's degree in Behavioral sciences from Ben-Gurion University, and a master's degree in Cultural Anthropology from Haifa University.

My academic fieldwork took place in one of the Islands off the west coast of Ireland, where I stayed for nearly two years.

Upon my return to Israel, I wanted to put the knowledge of people and history into practice. Therefore I completed the International Tour Guiding course, conducted by the Open University of Israel, the licensed Tour Guiding course conducted by the Ministry of Tourism of Israel, and more lately, completed a Youth Guide course accredited by the Ministry of Education of Israel.

Over the years I have received special expertise certificates, from the Ministry of Tourism in the following fields: Christianity, Zionism, Desert and Wine tourism.

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I am a qualified tour agent and a member of The Israel Association of travel agencies & Consultants

For me guiding is a passion, if not a calling. Every tour I take is unique for me. The sites may be the same, yet they are always fresh for me, as each time I see them through different eyes; the eyes of those whom I travel with.

When I'm not guiding I enjoy hiking in Israel and around the world, swimming, mountain biking and reading.

I guide families and individuals in English, Italian and Hebrew, offering a wide range of focal points: theological, archaeological, historical, botanical, geological and more.

For transportation of families and individuals (up to seven passengers) I use a luxurious Mercedes V-Class van, so you can be sure to travel in comfort and safety.

It could be a day tour or a full package tour, all customized to your needs and desires.

I had a one day tour from Tel Aviv and visited the Dead Sea as well as Jerusalem. Yuval's knowledge of the history was outstanding enlightening me on the years and years of history. He showed me many things that I could never have seen by myself. His car was exceptionally comfortable and he supplied water in the heat which was great! Not only did he have a great knowledge and provide an amazing experience, but Yuval was a very friendly, easy going guy! I cannot recommend his service high enough. If you are thinking of going on a tour in Israel, make sure you do it with Yuval!
Jim | Tripadvisor

Our family of six (4 kids aged 15 to 6) had a wonderful time with Yuval in Jerusalem and Galilee. Day 1 - he picked us up from our hotel and took us to the old city of Jerusalem and the city of David. We toured all day walking around the ancient sites of Jerusalem. We easily walked 12km, but never a step of disappointment or complaint (quite a feat with 4 kids!) Highlights were the western wall, hiking through the underground from pool of Siloam to western wall and the city of David. Day 2 - Yuval picked us up from our hotel and we drove to the Jordan River, a chocolate kibbutz, and round the sea of Galilee for the Christian stops, then back to Jerusalem hotel. Yuval gave a great balance of Jewish, Muslim, and Christian insights for each stop. He did a great job with the parents and kids to make it educational and fun. His van was very nice for transportation. All of the arrangements were straight forward and he communicated very well during the planning before hand. We really made some great adjustments to the plan based on the needs, wants, and circumstances we faced. A great attribute for guide to have.
Trevor | Tripadvisor

Yuval delivered an exceptional experience for myself and group I traveled with. He took us on an entire day (12 hour) excursion up the coast of Israel. He's so knowledgeable about culture, sites, religion, geography, geology....He made the trip very insightful and meaningful. He never lost his energy and gave our group complete attentiveness. Very professional and courteous. Delight to be with.
Barbara | Tripadvisor

Could not be a better way to experience Israel. It was a family trip and we were amazed how many places we visited, how deeply knowledgeable Yuval was about every aspect (history, current affairs, nature and geology, etc) and how well he took care of logistics - whether it was knowing what time tours started, where to eat, where to visit - everything was streamlined and smooth in his comfortable modern van, and went without a hitch! Yuval was extremely friendly and was able to relate to all of us regardless of our ages and interests, to make sure each had a meaningful experience. The one day we spent without him, we felt lost and wishing he was there to help us! Highly highly recommend!
Zack | Tripadvisor

Yuval met us at our hotel, outlined his plans for our day and off we went....he spent the next 10 hours walking us through the city while he walked us through the history, religions, and architectures. He tailored his tour to our interests, but ensured we were exposed to all the facets of the city all while he answered our many questions. We were absolutely impressed with his detailed knowledge of the nooks and crannies of such a historic city. He was great for a personal tour for the two of us, but it was easy to envision him working with any size group.
John | Tripadvisor

We were two couples visiting Israel for the first time. We needed a bi-lingual guide who spoke both English and Italian. Our original plan was to use Yuval for three one day tours of Israel. We ended up using his services for five days. We could not have asked for a better guide. He has great expertise on a wide variety of issues. He is knowledgeable on both Jewish and Chjristian history. He is personable and charming. We spent one day touring Jerusalem; another day was spent in the Dead Sea/Masada area. Another day we did the Meidterranean coast including Caesaria and Akra. We did a one day tour of Tel aviv, and spent another day touring the Golan Heights and the Sea of Galilee. He was flexible enough because we made some changes on the fly. I cannot recommend enough. He was absolutely terrific. I would use his services again if I went back to Israel. I have already recommend him to my friends.
Bill | Tripadvisor

Qualche settimana fa siamo tornati da Israele dopo una permanenza di nove giorni ,cinque dei quali trascorsi assieme ad una guida fantastica :YUVAL! Grazie alla sua profonda conoscenza del territorio abbiamo potuto conoscere e apprezzare le bellezze di Gerusalemme ,Tel Aviv ,Haifa ,Akko ,Masada e il mar morto ecc. Ma ancora piu' vasta e completa ,e per noi appagante , si e' rivelata la sua conoscenza storica del popolo ebraico ,e non solo ,dalle origini a nostri giorni .Per farla breve ,diro' che non c'era domanda alla quale Yuval non desse una esauriente risposta ;peraltro passando dall'inglese all'italiano ( eravamo in quattro ,di cui tre parlavano inglese e il sottoscritto italiano ) e viceversa ,con grande naturalezza .Un'ultima annotazione :a fronte dei cambiamenti del programma iniziale la disponibilita' di Yuval e' stata assoluta . Grazie Yuval da Antonio e Angela !
Antonio e Angela | Tripadvisor

I did a fantastic one -day tour with Yuval in July 2015. The tour included Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and the Dead Sea-all in only one day Yuval is one of the best tour guides that I have ever had. He is extremely knowledgeable, very friendly and totally focused on his client's requirements and adapts the tour as required Yuval is passionate about his work and he ensured that I had such a memorable experience that I am encouraging people to visit Israel and use Yuval as their tour guide The highlights of such a great day was the Western Wall and to swim in the Dead Sea I can strongly recommend that travelers in Israel use Yuval as their guide Thank you Yuval for a day that will last forever in my memory!!!
Stef | Tripadvisor

We spent 7 out of 10 days in Israel touring with Yuval, and he added layer upon layer of enjoyment to the experience. We were escorted from one meaningful site to another efficiently and conveniently. He paid close attention to our personal interests, used the time in between sites to offer us supporting information so that we could make the most of what we were seeing, and shared his tremendous base of knowledge with us in a pleasant, easy to digest manner. Our trip to Israel was greatly enhanced by this professional, pleasant to be with Israeli, and I highly recommend traveling with him.
Constance | Tripadvisor

We spent 7 days in Israel with Yuval, going from Tel Aviv to a kibbutz and the Golan in the north to Masada in the south and ending in Jerusalem. Throughout the tour he was unfailingly punctual, well-organized, good-natured and most important, flexible. When he sensed we could do a bit more than just sit in a car and tour, he suggested bike riding in the Hula Valley or a hike in the En Gedi preserve. He is knowledgeable about the history of Israel and illustrated that which he shared with us with maps, pictures, etc. He arranged an off-schedule event (visiting the Israeli Supreme Court) because of my interest. Our conversations with him were wide-ranging in subjects and evidenced a thoughtful, intelligent man with a great sense of humor. I'm a very experienced traveler and consider Yuval one of the best guides I have ever used.
Louise | Tripadvisor