In the southeast of the country has Israel via an access to the Dead sea. Unlike the sections further north leading to the West Bank belong, this region is Israeli territory.
Tourist highlights of the region are the rock fortress Masada, the oasis En Gedi and the seaside resort En Bokek.
Regional breakdown
The Israeli stretch of coast of the Dead Sea is surrounded by the Palestinian part of the Judean desert in the north and northwest, that Dead sea or. Jordan in the east and the desert Negev in the south and west. The region stretches about 60 kilometers along the southwestern shore of the Dead Sea and is only a few kilometers wide. The actual Coastal strip is relatively narrow, as the terrain further west very quickly by several hundred meters Judean hill country increases.
The Israeli coastline borders on both parts of the Dead Sea, into which the inland sea is now effectively divided. The northern, larger part has been drying out for many years, while the water level of the southern part - which is also used industrially - is constantly refilled by pumps, so that the drying out is not noticeable here. In a few years, however, this could change: The constant pumping leads to the fact that more deposits form in the southern part of the Dead Sea, which paradoxically causes the water level to slowly rise (an interesting series of photos on this subject can be found at Süddeutsche Zeitung).
places
- En Gedi, located just south of the West Bank border, is a well-known oasis with two beautiful nature parks on the west bank of the Dead Sea. There used to be a public beach there, unfortunately it is currently closed. closed. The entrance fees for Ein Gedi Spa (incl. Wellness offer) are horrific for a pure swim stop at the Dead Sea.
- On the southern part of the Dead Sea lies with En Bokek the most famous Israeli seaside resort on the Dead Sea. Very convenient bathing facilities in the public beach (low parking fees; showers available).
- The Israeli settlement is still south of En Bokek Neve Zohar also with a public beach (no fresh water showers).
Other goals
- Between En Gedi and En Bokek is with Masada a well-known rock fortress that originally goes back to Herod the Great.
background
The west bank of the Dead Sea, including the Israeli coastline, is geographically predominantly part of the Judean Desert, which slowly merges into the Negev Desert to the south. While the Negev is a dry desert, the Judean Desert is a rain shadow desert. The traveler, however, hardly notices the difference; the whole region west of the Dead Sea is stone desert.
The area is still popular due to the sights, and the area with En Bokek offers one of the most touristically developed places on the whole of the Dead Sea.
getting there
By plane
As a rule, the Ben Gurion Airport at Tel Aviv arrive and take a rental car or bus from there. A small airfield (which is not served in regular air traffic) is also at Masada, another airfield with connections from Germany in Eilat at the southern tip of the country.
By train
The region is not connected to the Israeli rail network.
By bus
There are connections to the Dead Sea from Jerusalem, Beer Sheva (Beersheba), Eilat and Arad (Detailed information can be found in the local articles). The buses run comparatively rarely and irregularly, you should find out about the timetables in advance.
In the street
Israeli Road 90 runs along the west coast of the Dead Sea in a north-south direction (only). This road crosses Israel as a whole from Eilat in the south via the West Bank and the Lake genezareth up to the north at Kirjat Schmona. The road from Jerusalem is the road 1, which is at Jericho crosses, and the road 31 from Arad; You can drive onto the last-named road north of Beersheba.
Due to "sinkholes", erosion and undercutting of the street, it came to the Ein Gedi area in the spring of 2015 Interruption of road 90, the road layout has been adapted and relocated a little inland. Access to the former sunken bathing beach of Ein Gedi is no longer possible.
mobility
The bus lines, which are also the feeder to the region, run along road 90 and can therefore also be used to get around the coast.
If you are traveling by car, you should also stick to road 90; it leads past all important places.
Tourist Attractions
The main attractions are En Gedi and Masada. In addition, however, the barren and rugged desert landscape on the western Dead Sea impresses with its bizarre variety of shapes and its few green spots.
activities
Swimming in the Dead Sea
Probably the most important activity is bathing in the Dead Sea; the possibility of this is still available - after the public beach at Ein Gedi has crashed due to undercutting and the development of sinkholes En Gedi Spa (managed, high entry fee, also thermal baths fed from hot springs), En Bokek (numerous hotels with their own beaches, also free beach sections) and Neve Zohar.
For many, bathing pleasure also includes smearing the mud with its high mineral content and rinsing off the mud with (fresh) water after it has taken effect.
Important: Carrying the packaged healing mud, which is offered for sale for mud packs, in luggage on the flight home can lead to major surveys and suitcase checks at the airport; the mineral-containing mud is obviously unpleasant on the screening systems!
In the cooler season you can go hiking in the region; There are also interesting hikes away from the main destinations. Those interested in archeology will get their money's worth in Masada, but there are also excavations in En Gedi and En Bokek.
kitchen
In En Bokek there are numerous hotels and restaurants (including the fast food restaurant with the big M for those who only rely on their usual fare) on En Gedi Spa a coffee / restaurant and im En Gedi kibbutz a dining restaurant open in the evening.
nightlife
Since many travelers make day trips, it gets quiet at the Dead Sea in the evening, most likely in En Bokek something going on with his hotels.
security
Occasionally one sees people along the coast who bathe outside of the designated beaches at the Dead Sea. In your own interest you should refrain from doing this. There are fresh water showers only on the official beaches and it is uncomfortable if the salt water has been on the skin for a long time. It can also be dangerous if you swallow water or get it in your eyes because there are no lifeguards around and you cannot wash out the water. Another danger is rather inconspicuous, but not to be underestimated: The sinking of the Dead Sea leads to subterranean washouts in the northern part of the Dead Sea; as a result, cavities near the shore break in again and again.
climate
The Dead Sea is generally very warm, humid and often stuffy; compared to Jerusalem it is on average about 10 degrees warmer at the Dead Sea. On the one hand, this is due to the deep location below sea level (Jerusalem is approx. 1200 meters higher) and, on the other hand, to the geographical conditions: The prevailing westerly wind falls on the eastern edge of the Judean mountain country and warms up as a result (similar to the foehn winds in the Alps). The high humidity results from the high evaporation. In summer temperatures of over 40 ° C can be reached, in winter the temperatures do not fall below ten degrees.
