Dead Sea

About Dead Sea

The Dead Sea is **the lowest place on the surface of the Earth that is accessible on foot — sitting 430 metres below sea level and dropping further every year**. It is not, technically, a sea at all, but a landlocked hypersaline lake fed by the Jordan River and several smaller streams but with no outlet, allowing water to escape only by evaporation. The result is a body of water **approximately nine times saltier than the ocean** — so concentrated with dissolved salts and minerals that **no fish, no seaweed, and virtually no organism capable of being seen by the human eye can survive in it** (halophilic bacteria and algae are the sole exceptions, visible only under a microscope). The salt content causes the water's density to be so much greater than the human body that **it is physically impossible to sink: every visitor bobs on the surface as if lying on a slightly yielding mattress**, a sensation unlike any other body of water on Earth. The Dead Sea has been a destination for thousands of years. **Cleopatra is said to have coveted its mineral-rich waters and mud**; Herod the Great built one of his palaces on the clifftop above its western shore; the Essene community that produced the **Dead Sea Scrolls — the oldest known manuscripts of biblical texts, discovered in caves near Qumran in 1947** — lived on its northwestern shore for centuries. The minerals in the mud and water — **including magnesium, calcium, potassium, and bromide in concentrations far exceeding any other body of water** — have given the Dead Sea a long reputation for therapeutic and cosmetic benefits, and its shores are lined with spa hotels that offer treatments ranging from mud wraps to floating sessions. The Dead Sea is **shrinking at an alarming rate — roughly one metre per year in water level**, resulting in the appearance of thousands of sinkholes along its former shoreline as underground salt deposits dissolve. Scientists project that **at current rates, the sea could become too shallow for swimming within decades**. The main access points are **Ein Bokek on the Israeli side and the Dead Sea resorts on the Jordanian side near Amman**. The best time to visit is spring or autumn; summer temperatures on the lakeshore regularly exceed 40°C. The nearby **Masada fortress — a clifftop Herodian palace where Jewish rebels made their last stand against Rome in 73 AD** — is one of the most dramatic archaeological sites in Israel.

Highlights

• ✦ Lowest point on Earth at 430 m below sea level
• ✦ Ten times saltier than the ocean
• ✦ Famous for its mineral-rich mud and floating experience

Practical info

Frequently asked questions

How much does it cost to visit a Dead Sea beach?

Public beach entry runs roughly €10 to €20 depending on the site and side, while many resort hotels offer day passes that include pools, showers and mud stations for a higher fee. Prices are usually posted in local currency (Jordanian dinar or Israeli shekel) at the gate. Bringing your own towel and water shoes keeps costs down.

How do you get to the Dead Sea from Amman or Jerusalem?

There is no train to the Dead Sea from either country; it's reached by car, shared taxi, or organised tour bus. From Amman it's about an hour's drive to the Jordanian shore, and from Jerusalem it's roughly 1 to 1.5 hours to the Israeli shore near Ein Bokek. Many day tours bundle transport with beach access and a stop at a viewpoint or historical site en route.

Why do people float so easily in the Dead Sea?

The water's exceptionally high salt concentration, roughly ten times that of the ocean, makes it far denser than the human body, so swimmers float without effort. This same salinity means no fish or plants survive in the water, which is part of how it got its name. It also makes the water sting noticeably in cuts, eyes or freshly shaved skin, so caution is worth taking.

How long should you stay in the Dead Sea water at once?

Most guides recommend limiting a single float to around 10 to 20 minutes, since the extreme salinity dries and can irritate skin with prolonged exposure. Rinsing off with fresh water afterwards, widely available at beach facilities, is standard practice. Avoid getting the water in your eyes or mouth, and avoid shaving right before a visit.

Which side of the Dead Sea is better to visit, Jordan or Israel?

Both shores offer floating and mud experiences; Jordan's side tends to have more resort development around the Dead Sea Panorama area, while Israel's Ein Bokek area has a denser strip of hotels and public beaches. The choice often comes down to which country you're already visiting, since crossing between the two requires a border crossing and separate visas. Check current travel advisories for both Jordan and Israel before deciding.

Explore more

• Israel
• Jordan
• Holy city of Jerusalem

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