Dead Sea Overview

How low can you go? At 412m below sea level, this is it—the Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth. If that doesn’t sound impressive, wait until you’re driving on the highway, pass a “sea level” signpost, and then round a bend to see entire mountains whose peaks lie below you.

The morbid “dead” moniker was coined by Christian monks astonished by the apparent absence of any form of life in the sea’s waters; however, kill-joy scientists have recently discovered 11 types of hardy bacteria in the water. The sea’s Hebrew name, Yam ha-Melakh (The Sea of Salt), is more appropriate: the water has a salt concentration eight times that of the ocean, making it so heavy and dense that even fish would have to walk. This comes as good news to those who can’t swim: everyone floats in this sea, without so much as moving a muscle. Besides the much-acclaimed floating effect, the high concentration of minerals is responsible for the gorgeous salt formations that adorn the seaside rocks and postcards. Businesses have capitalized upon these natural resources, building a vast series of evaporation ponds at the southernmost tip, which suck select salts from the water.

The Dead Sea is actually a large lake—65km long, 18km wide, and 412m deep. Its coasts are shared by Israel and Jordan, with the peaceful border drawn smack down the sea’s middle. The sea’s formation is the result of a geological phenomenon called the Syrian-African Rift, essentially a mega-valley between shifting tectonic plates extending from southern Africa to Turkey. The resulting image of hollowness has led some to nickname the Dead Sea area “the navel of the world.”

Water flows into the sea from the Jordan River and underground water sources from the surrounding desert. But with no outlet for the lake’s water, the intense sun evaporates it faster than you can say “Ra.” Inadequate rainfall, coupled with Israeli, Jordanian, and Syrian reliance on the sea’s freshwater sources for drinking and irrigation, has begun to take its toll. The sun now evaporates more water than flows in; the sea is shrinking so severely that the southern tip has been cut off by a sand bar, and the northern part now recedes at the frightening rate of 80cm per year. Emergency measures to save the Dead Sea, driven by ecological and economic interests, are in the planning stages.

From its northern tip, 25min. from Jerusalem, to the southernmost Sodom area, the Dead Sea and its surroundings are replete with sights and activities to please even the pickiest of travelers. Many visitors take a quick dip at the tourist-trappy Ein Bokek beach, snap the famous floating-while-reading-a-magazine and caked-in-mud photos, and go along their merry ways. This is an area of great beauty, but the ruggedness can be marred by postcard racks and the hum of international tour buses. Not far from these oft-visited spectacles, shy-horned ibex, camouflaged by their light brown hues, prance vivaciously around the supposedly “dead” sea. Nestled above apparently barren wasteland lie lush nature reserves, and below-ground, the desert dust hides bottomless mineral springs. A trek to the region’s more secluded spots, such as Mitzokei Dragot or Nakhal Arugot, often yields the most rewarding Dead Sea experience.

• Getting There And Around

The Egged buses that serve the rest of the country do so poorly in this region. Fares are outrageous (up to NIS10 for a 10min. ride) and the routes don’t cover every destination. These difficulties ...more

• Orientation And Practical Information

The Dead Sea coast is 65km long, and for easy reference may be divided into northern, central, and southern regions. This section is organized from north to south. Remember: if the sea is on your left ...more