The Dead Sea, Israel: What to Expect When You Visit

The Dead Sea is one of those places you have heard about your whole life and still manage to be surprised by. I visited as part of a week-long Israel tour – our early-morning drive from Tel Aviv took about two and a half hours, stopping first at Masada on the way (known as מצדה or metsada meaning ‘fortress’).

By the time we reached the shores of the sea itself, the desert light was doing something extraordinary to the water. And I was really thankful to be here again after nearly 15 years. The last time I was here, was with my parents and siblings when we were visiting Uncle Benny’s family. (Uncle Benny was dad’s Jewish friend and his children and grand-children are still our friends. Life long is a real word!)

What Is the Dead Sea?

The Dead Sea, also known as Yam Ha-Melah or the Sea of Salt is the lowest place on Earth, 400 meters below sea level. Our drive there from Tel Aviv was about 2 and 1/2 hours. It is about ten times saltier than the ocean, which means almost nothing lives in it (hence the name), and the density of the water makes it physically impossible to sink. You float whether you try to or not. First-timers usually spend a minute trying to get their feet down before accepting the situation.

Ein Gedi Kibbutz Hotel

Our first stop in the Dead Sea region was the Ein Gedi Kibbutz Hotel for lunch. The kibbutz itself is no longer a working agricultural community – it has been converted into a hotel and spa that uses the minerals and salts of the Dead Sea for treatments. The botanical garden on the grounds has over 900 species of plants from around the world, which feels improbable in this landscape but is genuinely worth a slow walk through.

After visiting the hotel, we saw the Botanical Garden that has a wide variety of plant life from all over the world. The plants and trees number well over 900! Later that afternoon, we headed to our hotel near the Dead Sea and relaxed for a bit. The treatment rooms in the hotel that pampered us use water from the Dead Sea.

Dead Sea swim and sunrise – The Mud Bath and the Float

We woke before sunrise the next morning and headed down to the beach. This is the right way to do the Dead Sea swim; early, before the heat, when the light is coming over the Judean Mountains and the water is completely still.

The ritual goes: cover yourself in the mineral-rich black mud from the shore, let it dry slightly, wade in and wash it off, then float. The mud is supposed to be good for your skin and joints, and whether or not you believe that, the experience of standing on a beach covered in black mud while watching the sun come up over Jordan is one you will not forget.

Then you get in the water. The floating is as strange as advertised; you sit back and the water simply holds you, effortlessly, like a very dense bath. Reading a newspaper while floating is the classic photo, and I understand the impulse even if I did not manage it. The salt burns any small cuts immediately and thoroughly, which is worth knowing in advance. Do not shave your legs the day before. Do not splash your face.

In the evening, we had a cocktail dinner with entertainment at the Noga by Isrotel Collection – The Renewed Ganim Hotel, and feasted on some fine wine and food. The next morning, we woke up early (well before sunrise) and headed down to the beach. After covering ourselves with the mineral-rich mud, and posing for a few muddy pics, we took a dip in the sea and floated on the dense salty water. You can’t sink, you know!

Sunrise Over the Judean Mountains

After about an hour in the water, we watched the sun come up over the Judean Mountain range. The colours are a deep orange over the mountains, silver-pink across the water, and Jordan is a faint grey line on the far shore. It’s the kind of stuff that makes you understand why people have been writing about this place for four thousand years.

I even managed to get a pic of the other side of sunrise, the lovely moon setting over the mountains. Almost as different as night and day.

Mount Sodom

On the way out of the region we stopped briefly in a valley near Mount Sodom on the next leg of our tour. A tall salt mountain, Mount Sodom is supposedly according to biblical tradition, all that remains of the city destroyed by brimstone and fire in Genesis 19. The landscape here is stark even by Dead Sea standards: white salt formations, no vegetation, the silence of somewhere that has been desert for a very long time. An eerie reminder of both grace and judgment, and oddly hard to shake.

We then continued on our trip to Eilat, with its calm waters and teeming nature reserves.

Practical Tips for Visiting the Dead Sea

A few things worth knowing before you go:

• Go early. Sunrise is the best time to go in the water, because it’s cooler, quieter, and the light is extraordinary. The beach gets really busy by mid-morning.
• Do not shave the day before. The salt in the water will find every cut immediately.
• Bring old swimwear. The minerals stain and the salt is hard on fabric.
• Shower immediately after. The salt dries on your skin quickly and becomes uncomfortable. Fresh water showers are available at most beach access points.
• Do not put your face in the water. The salt concentration is high enough to cause real eye and throat irritation. If you actually end up testing this theory, make sure your eyes are closed.
• The sea is shrinking. The water level drops about one metre per year due to water diversion from the Jordan River. The shoreline has moved significantly even in the past decade. It’s just something to remember.

Where to Stay Near the Dead Sea

We stayed at the Noga by Isrotel Collection (formerly the Ganim Hotel). The hotel uses Dead Sea minerals in its spa treatments, which is either a selling point or irrelevant depending on how you feel about hotel spas. What is not irrelevant is the beach access and the early morning float, which the location makes very easy.

More Israel Travel Posts

• Visiting Masada: Israel’s Fortress in the Desert
• Things to do in Eilat, Israel’s southernmost tip
• What to Do in Jerusalem: Two Days in the Eternal City
• Best places to eat in Jaffa
• Israel: A Biblical and Christian Summary