Things to do in Masada and the Dead Sea
And where to stay, the best time to visit, what a day costs, and the traps to skip.
Best time to visit Masada and the Dead Sea
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Winter is the best hiking season with mild shore days and cold Arad nights, and it is also flash flood season.
Spring is the best all round window. Passover in April brings peak hotel prices, busy reserves, and a need to book entry.
May heats up fast. Masada becomes a dawn only climb again and shade disappears from every plan.
Summer is extreme heat at the shore, often 40 degrees and above. Rebuild days around sunrise, pool, spa, and a late float.
Autumn is the second good season. Sukkot in October fills hotels and reserves, November is mild and quieter, and flood rules return.
What's on
- Dead Sea Land Marathon early February, check the year
A marathon and shorter races based at Ein Bokek. Rooms fill that weekend, so book early or avoid it.
- Masada Sound and Light Show selected evenings in season, check before travel
An evening show on the western side of Masada reached from Arad. It runs only on certain evenings and months.
Best things to do in Masada and the Dead Sea
Masada National Park
Herod's plateau fortress above the Dead Sea, best understood slowly over at least two hours on the summit.
Masada Museum
The visitor centre museum that explains the siege, cisterns, and palaces before you go up the mountain.
Qumran National Park
The Dead Sea Scrolls settlement below Cave 4, a modest ruin whose setting under the cliffs is the point.
Ein Gedi Antiquities National Park
An ancient synagogue with a mosaic warning against revealing the village balsam perfume secret.
Ein Bokek Beach
The main free public beach on the strip, the honest supervised place to float without a hotel day pass.
Dead Sea Mall
The only mall on the strip, useful for water shoes, water, snacks, salt cosmetics, and air conditioning.
Masada Sound and Light Show
An evening show on the western side of Masada, reached from Arad and best paired with an Arad night.
Oasis Spa Club Dead Sea
A spa focused day in Ein Bokek with an indoor Dead Sea water pool, the genuine luxury activity here.
Where to stay in Masada and the Dead Sea
Ein Bokek
floating, spa, and half board resorts
The resort strip on the southern basin, with private and public beaches and no town, no budget tier, and no independent restaurant scene.
Ein Gedi
walkers and the nature reserve
The kibbutz and botanical garden base beside Nahal David and Nahal Arugot, with a hotel, a hostel, and camping and no luxury tier.
Arad
western Masada, cooler nights, and real restaurants
A plateau town about 30 minutes above the shore, with the Roman Ramp and Sound and Light Show side of Masada and no luxury hotel tier.
Masada hostel base
one sunrise climb
A single hostel at the foot of the eastern Snake Path, isolated with no other eating within walking distance, ideal for one night only.
Think twice about
- Unmarked Dead Sea shoreline
Sinkholes open without warning and have closed beaches, roads, and car parks. Enter the water only at designated supervised beaches.
- Desert canyons in flash flood risk
Rain far inland can flood a canyon under a sunny sky. Never enter Nahal Darga, Nahal Arugot, or any stream bed when closures or flood warnings apply.
Best restaurants in Masada and the Dead Sea
Aroma Cafe
The chain cafe by the beach cluster, the reliable cheap coffee, sandwich, and air conditioning stop.
Baobar
The small cafe at Ein Gedi, the shaded cold drink to plan after a reserve walk rather than a dinner.
Taj Maahal
Ein Bokek's best known independent restaurant, shared Middle Eastern grills and salads near the hotels.
Mul Hayam
A sea facing restaurant and bar in Ein Bokek, the closest the strip gets to dinner with a view.
Ein Gedi Hotel Restaurant
The kibbutz hotel dining room in a garden setting, the sensible dinner for hostel guests in Ein Gedi.
Muza
Arad's landmark restaurant pub at the town entrance, open long hours and used by everyone on this route.
Kaparuchka
A family run Italian restaurant in Arad for pizza and pasta, the town's other reliable dinner.
Anna Maja - Fine Home Cooking
Hosted home cooking in Arad by reservation only, the most personal meal in this region.
Outdoor things to do in Masada and the Dead Sea
Snake Path
The classic pre dawn climb to the Masada summit, about 300 metres of zigzags to a sunrise over Jordan.
Roman Ramp Trail
The short steep western ascent from the Arad side, the practical sunrise route for an Arad base.
Nahal David
A shaded canyon walk to David Waterfall, with ibex and hyrax near the entrance at opening time.
Nahal Arugot
The larger Ein Gedi stream, a wet walk of about 4 km to the Hidden Waterfall and upper pools.
Nahal Bokek
A free spring fed stream walk behind the Ein Bokek hotels, small pools in a reed lined channel.
Einot Tzukim Nature Reserve
Freshwater springs and pools at the northern shore, a cool wade a short walk from the salt sea.
Mount Sodom
A salt mountain of caves and chimneys with marked lookout loops above the southern evaporation basins.
Jeepers Desert Jeep Tours
Guided off road jeep routes from Arad into Judean Desert tracks a rental car should not attempt.
Best hotels in Masada and the Dead Sea
Herods Dead Sea
The luxury resort on the strip, with a private beach, a large spa, and full half board on site.
Crowne Plaza Dead Sea
A large beachfront resort with its own beach and a big spa, the core Ein Bokek package a step down in price.
Leonardo Plaza Hotel Dead Sea
A large family resort with a spa and beach shuttle, best chosen on the half board price for your dates.
Ein Gedi Hotel
A kibbutz hotel inside a botanical garden, the calmest and greenest base on the western shore.
HI Ein Gedi Hostel
Dorms and simple rooms close to the reserve, the budget base that makes an 8am entry easy.
Ein Gedi Camp Lodge
Camping and simple lodge units at Ein Gedi, the cheapest way to wake up beside the reserve.
Yehelim Boutique Hotel
A small, personally run boutique hotel in Arad with desert views, the top pick on the plateau.
Inbar Hotel
Arad's solid town hotel, used by hiking and tour groups, with parking and straightforward half board.
Is Masada and the Dead Sea expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | ₪350 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | ₪850 a person |
| Splurge | ₪1,800 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Masada National Park: a few days ahead
- Masada Sound and Light Show: a few days ahead
- Oasis Spa Club Dead Sea: a few days ahead
- Nahal David: a few days ahead
- Nahal Arugot: a few days ahead
- Jeepers Desert Jeep Tours: a few days ahead
- Nahal Darga: weeks ahead
- Herods Dead Sea: weeks ahead
- Book Nature and Parks Authority entry for Masada and Ein Gedi ahead in holiday periods, and the cable car if your plan depends on it.
- Book spa treatments on weekends and Anna Maja well ahead, as it is a home kitchen with very small numbers.
- Confirm the Masada Sound and Light Show night before basing an Arad stay on it, as it runs only on certain evenings.
Is Masada and the Dead Sea safe?
- There is a risk of rocket and drone attacks throughout Israel; know your nearest shelter and have an exit plan.
- Never float alone, never put your head under, and never swallow Dead Sea water. Swallowing it can be fatal. Seek urgent help if it happens.
- Only enter the water at designated supervised beaches. Sinkholes have opened without warning on unmarked and closed shore.
- Hike at dawn with at least 3 litres of water per person. Trails close for extreme heat and flash floods and closures must be obeyed.
- Emergency number in Israel is 100 for police and 101 for Magen David Adom ambulance.
Masada and the Dead Sea travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Trying to do midday Masada, both Ein Gedi streams, and a float in one summer day.
- Paying for a private beach club when Ein Bokek Beach does the same float for free.
- Assuming any Ein Bokek mid range resort is meaningfully better than the others. Compare the half board package for your dates.
Getting around Masada and the Dead Sea: public transport and more
- A car is the practical way to do this region. Buses from Jerusalem to Ein Gedi, Masada, and Ein Bokek are infrequent and there is no train.
- Public transport and many businesses stop from Friday afternoon to Saturday evening for Shabbat.
- Ein Bokek hotels are about a 20 minute drive from the Masada Snake Path. Only HI Masada Hostel is a walk from the trail.
- Drive Route 90 and Road 3199 from Arad with care for flood damage, bends, and occasional closures.
Who Masada and the Dead Sea suits
| Solo travellers | Good |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | OK |
Make Masada and the Dead Sea your trip
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