Masada & the Dead Sea in Israel

Written on Wednesday, December 28, 2022 by Emma Whiting Travel

About an hour and half from Jerusalem lies the ruins of the ancient fortress of Masada.
We had an early start to avoid the heat of the midday sun.  Not long into the journey after leaving Jerusalem, the landscape became more and more barren and desert-like.

Then the road started to descend and, in the distance, we could see the Dead Sea – the lowest place on earth. We drove southbound along the shore of the sea, which is really a lake, until we reached the base of these massive rocky hills towering up ahead of us. We had the option to walk up to the top or take the cable car, but time didn’t allow us to walk. As we were ascending, we could really get a sense of wonder looking over the Dead Sea and all the lands around it. What an amazing and ideal location to build a fortress.

As the sun began to beat down, we walked through the ruins, seeing remains of King Herod’s palace; all the while trying to imagine what it took to build what would have been such an imposing structure.

After almost two hours we made our way down again by cable car and headed to our base at the Milos Hotel to discover the marvel of the Dead Sea. The waters and the mud from the Dead Sea have been known to have many health benefits.  I knew that there was a high salt content in the water which makes it very easy to float, so off we went to float in the Dead Sea. It was very relaxing, but I felt I could only stay there for about 10 minutes before my skin started tingling, and as I came out of the water, my skin felt very oily.

Such a great day trip from Jerusalem combining the heights of the majestic Masada to the depths of the salty Dead Sea.

 

Want to read more about Jerusalem? Click here