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Visiting the Dead Sea in Israel

Your trip to the Middle East isn’t complete until you’ve visited the Dead Sea in Israel. The lowest, saltiest place on earth! Visiting the Dead Sea in Israel is best done as a day-trip. It can be visited from Jerusalem, Tel Aviv or most other spots within Israel all as a day-trip. It’s best to partner up a trip to the Dead Sea with a trip to the Masada Desert fortress for a sunrise hike, and a walk around the Ein-Gedi Nature Reserve, before a final stop to the Dead Sea.

Where is the Dead Sea in Israel?

A difficult question to answer, as the Dead Sea runs down the whole eastern border of Israel and Jordan! The main Dead Sea beaches in Israel are:

• Kalia Beach
• Biankini Beach
• Neve Midbar Beach
• Ein Gedi Public Beach (currently closed due to sink holes)
• Ein Bokek (most popular Dead Sea spot in Israel)

On the Israeli side though, the best place to take a dip is Ein Bokek Beach (open 7am to 6pm, to 4pm in winter). Along the sea’s turquoise-hued southern basin. Recently given a complete makeover, this wide public beach, sandy and spotless, has lifeguards and offers a variety of free amenities. It includes shade shelters, changing booths, open-air showers, toilets, a paved promenade and nighttime lighting. It’s a touch less than 2 hours from Jerusalem as a day-trip.

Getting to the Dead Sea in Israel

The vast majority of people will be coming to the Dead Sea in Israel from either Tel Aviv or Jerusalem.

The distance between Jerusalem and the northern point of the Dead Sea is 39km (about 15 miles) and on to the tourist areas is about 45km. For me, using my hostel in Jerusalem as a base was the best tactic to use when I was trying to visit the Dead Sea. It’s only around 50 minutes drive from the door of Abraham’s hostel, to the northern shore of the warm, salty waters of the lowest place on earth, what more could you ask for?

There are a few ways to visit the Dead Sea via tours, or independently. Yesterday I talked about the very awesome Masada Sunrise Tour ($60). You’ll be pretty hot and sweaty after that, and you’ll have earned a break so if you went on the sunset tour, the last stop on the way back to Jerusalem is at the Dead Sea. But if you didn’t take the Masada sunrise tour, fear not.

TOP-TIP: Without a doubt, the best way to get to the Dead Sea in Israel is to book a day-trip from Jerusalem. It includes the amazing Masada desert, the Ein-Gedi nature park and the Dead Sea, and all for $59. Perfect.

The Dead Sea In Israel Entrance Ticket

If you’re feeling independent, you can take public transport to the Dead Sea. But, be warned, it doesn’t work out that much cheaper as each beach in the Dead Sea has a cover charge (crazy I know, but true) of around 10 Euro/$12. For your money, though you get showers, changing rooms, sun loungers and even a swimming pool if you choose the right one. Personally, I highly recommend booking a tour.

The ticket price to enter the Dead Sea is included in the day trip price from Jerusalem though!

So what’s the Dead Sea like?

It’s tough to put into words when you enter it’s such a strange sensation. The Dead Sea is the lowest place in the whole world, so the salt content is unreal. As soon as you stop standing and start ‘swimming’ you’ll see what I mean. Your entire body automatically defaults to lying within 10 inches of the surface of the water, you can’t swim because the water won’t ‘allow’ your legs deep enough under to kick out, they get drawn back up again.

If you’ve recently shaved or have any cuts or bruises though guys, be careful because the salt seriously stings! It’s really good for you though so if you can face it, you should jump in any way, just be careful to keep it out of your eyes. Agony doesn’t come close to explaining that.

Does the Dead Sea really have Healing Powers?

After experiencing the weirdness of floating in the water, it’s time to lather up with the dark clay/mud. People come from all over the world for the healing power of the Dead Sea, you cleanse with the mud, let it dry wash, it off and you’re skin is as good as new. I was a sceptic actually, but when you rinse off you’re smoother than a baby’s behind.

Time to reel all the praise in. So the Dead Sea is an absolute must-visit during your time in Israel. However, it’s not a normal trip to a lake or ocean, you don’t spend hours swimming and splashing in the water, getting in and out again.

One hour, two maximum is enough time to spend here. The feeling is great, and you’ll be so clean after your mud session, but the salt content is so high and the water tastes so unbelievably bad that after your first or second splash in the eye or mouth, you’ll be ready to escape. Suddenly you’ll understand why they build pools right beside the Dead Sea.

I’ve now been 3 times, once on the Jordanian side and twice on the Israeli side. It’s such a fun thing to do so make sure you don’t miss out. Happy travels!