Coming from Eilat and the Negev, we arrived at the Dead Sea in the early afternoon. It was perfect to jump in the water right away.
The Dead Sea – once or hopefully several times in life
Its location in the desert and being 500m below sea level may possibly be the reasons why it gets so unbelievably hot here. Especially during midday, no one in their right mind should be outside.
Nevertheless, the Dead Sea is on many people’s list and it definitely was on ours. Within minutes of bathing, the skin becomes baby soft. Many people with skin diseases come to the Dead Sea in hope of relief. The healing effect is well-known. Also, the air is pollen free and therefore a little, hot paradise for allergy sufferers.
It’s recommended to not spend more than half an hour a day in the water. More is, of course, possible, but maybe not in a row. Your skin is completely exposed to the sun and you might go up in flames. Of course, you don’t notice it at first as the water is so ‚cooling‘. But there were quite a few people with heavy burns. Note: Use sunscreen immediately afterwards.
Crowne Plaza Hotel Ein Bokek at the Dead Sea
The hotel-owned access to the Dead Sea was priceless for the short time we were there. The gods favored us that day as the hotel offered us a free upgrade. Which we thankfully accepted. It’s somehow different enjoying the view over the Dead Sea from the eleventh floor.
The sunrise from here was insane. I mean, look at the pictures!
There was just one disadvantage. At the Crowne Plaza beach, there was no black mud. If you want the mud, inform yourselves in advance where to find it or just buy it somewhere (hotels, shops,…).
Generally, accommodation and eating are expensive at the Dead Sea. If you want to stay longer and don’t have enough money on the side, we recommend you to search on Airbnb and cook. We went to McDonald’s instead, which was, as always an interesting experience.
Masada at sunrise
Jan made the hike up to Masada without me. While I was lazy and stayed in the hotel to see the sunrise, Jan got up at 4:30 a.m. and hiked up to the Masada fortress on his own. The hike along the so-called snake path was exhausting but feasible.
It takes 45-60 minutes to hike up and you get rewarded with a surreal view over the Dead Sea and the rocky landscape while the sun rises up over the mountains and the Dead Sea.
Masada is important to Israel. The saying ‚Masada may never fall again‘ refers to the times when Jewish rebels defended the fortress. Nevertheless, the Romans attacked it successfully after a long siege. After this, it should never happen again.
FYI: If you want to use the cableway – it doesn’t work in the morning. But once it does, it costs something. Regarding the temperatures sunrise seems to be the best time to hike up Masada. The hike is feasible and you save money. You have to pay the entry fee at any time of the day, also in the morning.