Things to do in 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 The Dead Sea
• a note or something on ✦ an occasion worth the trip
Best all round months, warm and swimmable, with Mujib wet trails open in season.
Extreme heat at the shore, 40 degrees and above. Dawn activities, pools and spa only.
Mild shore days and best Ma'in season, but Siq Trail closed and flash flood closures possible.
Quieter and mild, wet trails closed after 31 October, first rains can bring flood closures.
What's on
- Epiphany celebrations at the Baptism Site January
Large pilgrim gatherings at Al-Maghtas. Book the excursion and shore hotels early.
- Wadi Mujib wet trail season 1 April to 31 October
Siq and Canyon trails run in this window, weather permitting, and close outside it.
Best things to do in The Dead Sea
Amman Beach
The public managed beach at Sweimeh, the cheapest supervised way to float with pools and showers.
Panorama Dead Sea Complex
A hilltop museum and terrace above the shore, the best orientation and sunset view on the drive down.
Dead Sea Spa Resort
A full resort day pass at the low end of strip pricing, with a private beach and a medical wellness centre.
Movenpick Resort and Spa Dead Sea
A garden resort day escape with private beach and pools, cheaper and quieter on weekdays.
Zara Spa Dead Sea
The shore best known spa, a large Dead Sea water and treatment circuit at the Movenpick.
The Ishtar Spa by Resense
A very large luxury spa at Kempinski with salt, mud and hammam treatments above the shore.
Where to stay in The Dead Sea
Sweimeh
floating, spa and resort stays
The north-eastern resort strip with private beaches and almost nothing walkable outside the gates.
Ma'in
hot springs wellness stays in winter and shoulder season
A single gorge resort around hot waterfalls, a drive from the Dead Sea shore with no beach.
Wadi Mujib shore
early canyon starts and quiet nature stays
RSCN chalets opposite the Mujib Adventure Center, with a rocky shore and no resort strip.
Think twice about
- Unmanaged southern Dead Sea shore
No facilities or supervision, sharp salt, soft ground and sinkhole risk on closed sections. View it from highway pull offs only.
- Highway strip outside resort gates at Sweimeh
Isolated roadside frontage with no pavements or walkable dining. Fine inside a resort, a poor base without one.
Best restaurants in The Dead Sea
Obelisk Restaurant
The Arabian fine dining room at Kempinski, the closest the shore gets to a destination dinner.
The Codes
The Thai restaurant at Kempinski, a specific cuisine as contrast to the strip buffet pattern.
Burj Al Hamam
Lebanese mezze and grills at Crowne Plaza, the standard shared escape from a hotel buffet.
Oak Tree Kitchen
The Jordanian restaurant at Marriott, home recipes and tableside plates on a buffet dominated strip.
Saraya Restaurant
The main all day buffet restaurant at Movenpick, the reliable centre of a resort stay.
Beit Sweimeh
Reservation only Jordanian home cooking north of the hotel strip, the most local meal you'll get here.
Amman Beach cafe and restaurant
The simple cafe inside Amman Beach, making a cheap public float day self contained.
Outdoor things to do in The Dead Sea
Wadi Mujib Siq Trail
A seasonal water hike through a slot canyon to a waterfall, open 1 April to 31 October, 18 plus swimmers only.
Wadi Mujib Canyon Trail
The guided harder Mujib canyon with deep pools and a rappel, in the same April to October wet season.
Ibex Trail
The dry guided reserve hike above the Dead Sea, run year round and the family alternative to the wet trails.
Baptism Site, Bethany Beyond the Jordan (Al-Maghtas)
The UNESCO baptism park on the Jordan River, visited by guided shuttle and walk from the visitor centre.
Ma'in Hot Springs
Hot mineral cascades and public pools in a gorge, the cheap thermal excursion best from October to April.
Southern shore salt formations and the Lisan Peninsula
A daylight highway drive past salt formations to the Lisan Peninsula, scenery from pull offs, not a swim.
Best hotels in The Dead Sea
Kempinski Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea
The luxury heart of the strip, with nine pools, a private beach and the Ishtar Spa in gardens.
Movenpick Resort and Spa Dead Sea
A village style garden resort with a private beach, multiple pools and Zara Spa.
Hilton Dead Sea Resort and Spa
An international luxury resort by the convention centre, with a private beach, pools and a spa.
Dead Sea Marriott Resort and Spa
A large mid to upper resort with a private beach, several pools and a Jordanian restaurant.
Crowne Plaza Jordan - Dead Sea Resort and Spa
A family resort with a long private beach, a huge lagoon pool and a Lebanese restaurant.
Holiday Inn Resort Dead Sea
The family workhorse of the strip mid range, with a private beach and multiple pools for children.
Dead Sea Spa Resort
Usually among the lowest priced full resorts on the strip, with five pools and a medical wellness centre.
Ramada Resort by Wyndham Dead Sea
The budget leaning resort set back from the water, with pools and a beach shuttle, priced as mid range.
Is The Dead Sea expensive? What a day costs
| Budget | JOD 45 a person |
|---|---|
| Classic | JOD 110 a person |
| Splurge | JOD 260 a person |
A day of food, drink, sights and getting around, before the room
What to book ahead
- Dead Sea Spa Resort: a few days ahead
- Movenpick Resort and Spa Dead Sea: a few days ahead
- Zara Spa Dead Sea: a few days ahead
- The Ishtar Spa by Resense: a few days ahead
- Wadi Mujib Canyon Trail: weeks ahead
- Ibex Trail: a few days ahead
- Kempinski Hotel Ishtar Dead Sea: weeks ahead
- Movenpick Resort and Spa Dead Sea: weeks ahead
- Book resorts for weekends and holidays, spa treatments on weekends, and Canyon and Ibex trails through the RSCN. Recheck Siq Trail status that morning.
Is The Dead Sea safe?
- Float on your back only, never dive or swallow the water, enter only at managed beaches, obey wadi closures, and call 911 in an emergency.
The Dead Sea travel tips: tourist traps to skip
- Paying a luxury day pass for a one hour float, assuming every luxury resort sells day passes, and visiting Ma'in at summer midday.
Getting around The Dead Sea: public transport and more
- A car or hotel driver is the practical transport. Amman is about an hour, Madaba about 45 minutes, Wadi Mujib about 30 minutes south.
Who The Dead Sea suits
| Solo travellers | OK |
|---|---|
| Groups of friends | Good |
| Couples | Great |
| Bachelor parties | Not ideal |
| Families | Good |
| Bachelorette parties | Good |
Make The Dead Sea your trip
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