A beach vacation at the Dead Sea in Ein Gedi is an opportunity to swim in this unique body of water, which simply has no analogues in the world, as well as visit Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, famous for its unique nature and fauna.
View of the Dead Sea from the highway on the way to Ein Gedi
There are several options for how to get to Ein Gedi from Jerusalem or Tel Aviv. We reviewed them all on our website in the article: How to get to Ein Gedi. Personally, we decided that it would be easier for us to pay money for an excursion, so we visited the Dead Sea as part of an excursion group.
Near the Dead Sea they like to put marks indicating the height. This point is 417 meters below sea level.
There are several organized beaches in the vicinity of Ein Gedi. The Ein Gedi city free beach is located in the kibbutz (village) itself on a steep mountain slope. It doesn’t look very nice, the entrance to the water is inconvenient, but the tourist infrastructure is present here (there are umbrellas, showers with fresh water, shops and cafes). Local residents usually relax on this beach.
Tourists in organized groups are usually taken to paid beaches.
Salt crystals in the water of the Dead Sea look very beautiful.
The most famous and oldest Dead Sea resort in the area is theEin Gedi Spa. Once upon a time this resort was located on the very shore of the Dead Sea. But due to the fact that every year the water level in the Dead Sea falls, the coastline recedes further and further. Now from Spa Ein Gedi to the beach it takes about 5 minutes to travel by special transport. The complex itself has swimming pools with thermal water (water temperature from the source is +38 degrees), mud baths, and an equipped beach.
Hof Minerali Beach on the shores of the Dead Sea
Tourists are also taken to a lesser-known, but more comfortable paid beach on the Dead Sea, called “Hof Minerali“. There is also a developed tourist infrastructure here (changing rooms, showers, umbrellas, toilets, cafes, a store with Dead Sea cosmetics, etc.). The beach itself is sandy, but the entrance to the water is rocky.
The Dead Sea has a rocky bottom. It is better to go into the water in special shoes
Some tips from mashapasha.com:
1. Enter the sea with extreme caution; it is best to wear special rubber shoes (coral slippers). The bottom of the sea, as well as the stones, are covered with salt crystals, which are very beautiful, but at the same time very sharp. It’s very easy to cut yourself on them.
2. In the water itself you must behave just as carefully. If water gets into your eyes, you can get a burn and a lot of discomfort. Therefore, it is better not to splash or get angry in the water. Also, due to the fact that the density of the Dead Sea water is very high, the water constantly strives to push a person upward, because of this it is possible to turn over in the water unsuccessfully.
Beach on the shores of the Dead Sea Hof Mineralife. After 16:00 in winter the sun begins to set and it gets cold.
3. If you come to the Dead Sea in winter, then the best time to visit is from 13:00 to 15:00. At this time, the water temperature will be maximum (up to +23 degrees Celsius). Before and after this time, the water gets quite cold.
4. After you swim in the Dead Sea, be sure to immediately take a shower with fresh water. Otherwise, your skin may later suffer from salt burns.
5. All Dead Sea resorts have shops with local cosmetics. Don’t buy it there. These stores are designed for tourists and the prices there are greatly inflated. It will be much cheaper to buy Dead Sea cosmetics in a regular store somewhere in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem or Netanya.
General impression MashiPashi from visiting the beach on the Dead Sea: the local nature is very beautiful and unusual, and diving into the water of the Dead Sea gives an unusual sensation. It’s worth doing this at least once when visiting Israel.
