One Day at the Dead Sea

June 6, 2018
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Guides, Israel
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The Dead Sea is one of my favorite places in Israel; it’s definitely a must-see for any visitor. Not only is it stunning, a pale blue sea surrounded by brilliant desert mountains, it’s also a very healthy and spiritual spot! Since it’s an easy drive from both Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, you can squeeze your visit into one day, and if you come during the blistering summer months, one day may be all you can handle! Here is my guide to one day at the Dead Sea:

A few tid-bits of information:

The Dead Sea is actually a giant, saline lake located in the Judean Desert, with the border between Jordan and Israel running along its middle. Accordingly, you can visit the Dead Sea from the Jordanian or Israeli side. My visit was from the Israeli side.

The salinity of the Dead Sea is so high that no fish are able to survive in it. The high salinity is also what produces the Dead Sea’s most famous attribute: its buoyancy. The water is so buoyant that you can float in it with no effort!

The water is not just salty, but also rich in minerals, which are known to sooth, prevent, and even heal certain skin ailments. Moreover, the shore of the sea is so far below sea level (the lowest on earth) that the risk of a sunburn is lessened by the increased amount of atmosphere above, allowing sunbathers to more safely absorb the healing properties of the sun (of course – you should still wear sunscreen).

Though the Dead Sea is surrounded by red desert hills that seem uninhabitable, especially in the summer months, they were actually home to several important biblical communities, hence the spiritual aspect of a visit to the salty sea. In fact, this desert is currently home to many Bedouin communities and a number of Kibbutzim. Hmm… maybe after all this you’ll want more than just one day!

Getting There

The most convenient way to get to the Dead Sea is to rent a car and drive. The northern tip of the Dead Sea is about a 30-40 minute drive from Jerusalem. It is another 45-60 minutes to drive to Ein Bokek, a popular beach at the southern end.

Note that the highway (the 1) does go through the West Bank. Cars rented in Israel are permitted to drive on this section of highway 1, but driving into cities such as Jericho is not permitted. To visit Jericho (which should probably be a separate trip if you only have one day for the dead sea!), you can either take a bus from East Jerusalem or park your rental car at the end of highway 1 and take a cab into the city.

The best route to take to the Dead Sea from Tel Aviv is to drive south through the desert, arriving at the southern end of the Dead Sea. The drive is about two hours from Tel Aviv.

What to See

Masada

The first must see site at the Dead Sea (other than the Dead Sea itself, of course) is Masada. Not only is it structurally impressive, this UNESCO world heritage site has such an interesting history. The hilltop fortress was built by Herod the Great (or Herod the Builder) around 30-40 BC. Herod was known to be an ingenious city planner, and was able to build a strong and functioning fortress on the top of a plateau in the middle of the desert. He built storerooms for his food and wine (lots of wine), and collection systems and cisterns for water. Of course, he also added some luxuries for himself – like spacious and opulent baths.

Years after Herod, during the Jewish Revolt, Masada became a rebel stronghold. The Roman armies surrounded Masada (the remains of their encampments can still be seen today), but the unique setting, the strong walls, and the stores of food allowed the rebels to live for months under siege. After the Romans began building a ramp and neared the top of the mountain, the rebels chose to take their own lives rather than surrender. Today, Masada stands as a symbol of heroism, courage and dedication.

There is a small museum, a gift shop, an educational film, and a snack shop at the complex located at the foot of the Masada Mountain. To get to the fortress, you can either take the cable car or walk the snake path. The cable car is quick and easy. The snake path, which is a mix of stairs and gravel path, takes about an hour to walk up and 30-45 minutes to walk down. My recommendation is to take the cable car up, and walk the snake path back down. Definitely consider the weather conditions before choosing to walk, because it can get very hot during the summer months (above 100 F!). In fact, the snake path is sometimes closed due to extreme heat.

Which brings me to another bit of advice: before going up to the site, make sure you have at least one bottle of water, plenty of sunscreen, and a hat. There are places to refill the bottle once you are at the top. I would even consider popping an electrolyte tablet in the bottle for good (hydration) measure!

Visiting Masada will take about 2-3 hours depending on how much time you spend wandering around the site, plus the time it takes to walk the snake path if you choose to do so. I think it’s a good idea to start with Masada and then gauge how much time is left in the day before choosing your next activity.

Sunrise option

If you’re a morning bird (I am not), you can climb Masada to watch the sunrise over the Dead Sea. You’d have to check the time of sunrise since it varies by seasons, and make sure you arrive early enough to climb to the top; the snake path opens an hour before sunrise (the cable car won’t be running at that time).

Ein Gedi

The next stop on my itinerary is Ein Gedi. If you like hiking (even moderate hiking) then Ein Gedi is a great spot. It is a little oasis in the desert. There is a small-ish stream that flows down through the mountains and into the Dead Sea. Although there are many trails in Ein Gedi, the main trail follows this stream up, and then loops around to the other side to follow it down. There are crossing points along the way so that you don’t have to hike the full loop. Along the path there are waterfalls and pools of water, some of which you can swim in! Plus, the view of the Dead Sea is amazing!

Bonus: if you’re lucky, you’ll see some ibex and rock hyrax!

Ein Bokek

Depending on when you finish your visit to Masada, you may want to skip Ein Gedi and head straight for a swim in the Dead Sea. I personally think a late afternoon swim is the best, since the sun won’t be quite as hot!

There are several public beaches (and some paid beaches) along the Dead Sea. Ein Bokek is one of my favorites despite it being located in the “resort” area. Ein Bokek is just south of Masada, and is surrounded by several hotels. The reason I like this beach is because it is saltier than some of the others, which is a great experience. The shores of the beach are lined with salt mounds that look like icebergs, and in certain areas the “sand” is actually white crystallized salt pebbles. Once you’re in the water you’ll lean back carefully so as not to splash water in your eyes (it burns!) and float. In fact, it is difficult to not float!

The salt is not drying or itchy. Since there are so many minerals in the water, it is extremely moisturizing. It actually creates this slimy, slippery feel on the skin. I love it! I always leave feeling soft and refreshed!

The public beaches do have fresh-water, outdoor showers for you to rinse off. So you don’t have to worry about spending the rest of the day covered in salt!

Remember that the salt is very strong and can sting. Keep your face away from the water. If you have any cuts, try to cover them as best as possible.

During the winter months the water can be chilly, and during the summer months the daytime temperatures are easily over 100 degrees. Keep this in mind while planning your trip.

Where to Eat

Finding food around the Dead Sea can be challenging. There are really only restaurants or snack shops at the tourist spots. Ein Bokek has a few restaurants (such as McDonalds and Café Café). The hotels will also have restaurants, but each has specific hours that they are open.

Masada and Ein Gedi both have snack shops where you’ll find chips, crackers, ice cream and soda.

Masada also has a dining hall type restaurant, but it’s only open for certain hours of the day (usually around lunch).

Where to Stay

If you do decide you want to spend the night by the Dead Sea, there are a few places to do so:

Ein Bokek beach: There are several name brand hotels. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza, which is right on the beach (plus the free breakfast buffet was amazing)!

Ein Gedi Kibbutz: located in the lush green kibbutz gardens, the hotel sits on a hill off overlooking the sea below.

Masada Hostel: a backpacker’s option (also good for a sunrise hike).

Tours

I personally like having the freedom to go about my day on my own schedule, which is why I prefer to rent a car. However, there are plenty of tour companies that run one-day tours to the Dead Sea, including sunrise trips to Masada. Maybe being able to sleep on the bus is worth it!

Abraham hostels runs daily tours to the Dead Sea from both their Tel Aviv and Jerusalem locations.

Bonus Spot: Qumran

Qumran is a little, historic site at the northern end of the Dead Sea. It is most famous for being the site where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found. The ruins of the ancient town were then discovered and excavated.

The community that lived in Qumran (around 2^nd century BC) was deeply religious, and founded a town on the remote shores of the Dead Sea so that they could practice their rituals freely.

Qumran is significant not only because of the scrolls, which are the second-oldest manuscripts of the Hebrew bible, but also because many scholars believe that John the Baptist spent time in Qumran.

The site is quite small and takes about 30 minutes to an hour to tour. Since it’s located at the northern tip of the Sea, it may not be an ideal spot to visit if traveling from Tel Aviv.

How you spend your day at the Dead Sea is really up to your personal preferences. Are you a history buff? An avid hiker? A sun worshipper? Maybe you’ll want to sit by the sea the entire time! Whatever your preferences may be I really hope you can spare a day to visit the Dead Sea. After all, this special salty spot is shrinking; who knows how long it will be around for. You must take advantage of the minerals while you can!