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Dead Sea
 The Dead Sea is a salt lake between the West Bank and Israel. It is said to be the lowest point on Earth, at 420 m (1,378 feet) below sea level its shores are actually the lowest point on dry land, as there are deeper points on Earth under water or ice. At 330m deep (1,083 feet), the Dead Sea is the deepest hyper saline lake in the world.
The Dead Sea has attracted interest and visitors from around the Mediterranean basin for thousands of years. It was a place of refuge for King David, one of the world's first health resorts (for Herod the Great), and it has been the supplier of products as diverse as balms for Egyptian mummification to potash for fertilizers.
Around three million years ago what is now the valley of the Jordan River, Dead Sea, and Wadi Arabah was repeatedly inundated by waters from the Red Sea. The waters formed in a narrow, crooked bay which was connected to the sea through what is now the Jezreel Valley. The floods of the valley came and went depending on long scale climatic change. The lake that occupied the Dead Sea Rift, named "Lake Sodom", deposited beds of salt, eventually coming to be 3 km (2 miles) thick.
King David, King Herod, Jesus, and John the Baptist were closely linked with the Dead Sea and its surroundings. The prophets knew it via the infamous Sodom and Gomorra. It is said that Queen Cleopatra obtained exclusive rights to build cosmetic and pharmaceutical factories in the area. Later on the Nabateans discovered the value of bitumen extracted from the Dead Sea and needed by the Egyptians for embalming their mummies.
Many animal species make their homes in the mountains surrounding the Dead Sea. A hiker can see camels, ibex, hares, hyraxes, jackals, foxes, and even leopards. Hundreds of bird species inhabit the zone as well. Both Jordan and Israel have established nature reserves around the Dead Sea.
Besides the unique water of the Dead Sea itself, there are also health spas and hot springs along the shore.
We have the finest assortment of Dead Sea Hotels and we also offer the most impressive range of Hotels in Israel.
Some of the main Sites to visit:
 Judean Desert - Nowhere other than here can a visitor find a compact, naturally preserved desert that features all desert characteristics and yet can be traversed and explored from end to end in less than a day. There is no place like a desert to give you an ex-territorial sensation, as if you have taken virtual leave of the planet for a while. Few westerners know the thrill of a few hours on a desert nature tour. Within half-an-hour's drive you are surrounded by lunar landscape, where everything, sun, air, life, vegetation, water, vistas are all stunningly different from everywhere else.
Desert Springs - Some of the few sources of natural fresh water are springs that well up in the rocky hills of the nearby Judean Desert, flowing down through the shaded canyons or riverbeds to the Dead Sea basin. The trails into these canyons attract a great many hikers and mountain bikers for a day of active fun.
Waterfalls - In the otherwise sun-swept landscape of rock and sand, the oasis of Ein Gedi with its waterfalls and pools are a cool surprise to the eye.
Winter rains in the Judean hills in the north, hurl down to the Dead Sea region huge quantities of water, creating sudden one-day rivers and lofty waterfalls, and then the water vanishes overnight.
Ein Gedi Nature - Visitors have access to the adjacent nature reserve for viewing bird sanctuaries and wildlife of desert, including the Nubian ibex. Hikers follow trails past waterfalls, springs, caves, canyons, and an early Bronze Age temple. Visitors have a choice of hiking along two riverbeds.
Zohar Fortress and Canyon - is made of white soft limestone. Above the ridge, west of Neve Zohar, remains of two road fortresses from the Israelite and Roman eras. These two points can also be viewed from the observation point on the Dead Sea-Arad road.
Flour Cave - is a short drive south from Ein Bokek. An intriguing 30 meters underground passage created by water erosion of the soft limestone located west of Mt. Sodom. It is recommended that you take flashlights with you.
Mt. Sodom - A 12 km geological ridge of pure salt in the southern part of the Dead Sea, believed to be the infamous biblical city that perished together with gomorra. Features unique salt pillars dubbed Lot's Wife, whom biblical legend says became a pillar of salt when she looked back on the destruction of Sodom.
Massada National Park - is Israel's second most popular tourist site after the Via Dolorosa in Jerusalem.
A mountain top fortress which King Herod transformed in 35 BC into a three tiered winter home, boasts two luxurious palaces, bathhouses, storage rooms and impressive water cisterns. An eternal symbol of Jewish history and heritage, it is the site of heroic defiance by a few Jewish zealots who took their own lives rather than surrender to the might of the Roman Empire. Masada offers fabulous views of the Dead Sea and Judean Desert. Easily accessible via a quick cable car ride or by hiking up the serpentine path.
Massada Sound and Light Show - recounts the dramatic history of Masada with special pyrotechnic effects. Spectators sit in a natural amphitheater on the west side of the mountain, Special shows for groups can be scheduled by request at other times and days, including a "late night" show that culminates with a spectacular sunrise viewed from the Masada mountain top.
Beit Hassofer Museum - Kibbutz Almog has an audiovisual presentation featuring the history of Qumran and the Essen's
 Qumran National Park and Visitors Center – are ancient caves and a settlement on the northern shores of the Dead Sea where the famous Dead Sea Scrolls , the oldest biblical documents were found, and traces the history and daily lives of the mystical Essen’s, a Jewish sect that fled Jerusalem 2000 years ago. Initially discovered in caves in clay jars by a Bedouin shepherd in 1947, the scrolls prompted excavations which revealed the complexity of Essen life. This restored archaeological site offers a glimpse into the life of this culture. An audiovisual show illustrates the story of Qumran. Many of the original Dead Sea Scrolls are displayed in the Shrine of the Book at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem.
Einot Zukim Nature Reserve – offers fresh water springs and pools. There are guided tours to the Hidden Reserve.
Metzoke Dragot - Center of desert tourism on the cliff, beautiful porch and coffee shop, provide extreme activities, Safari jeep tours and rappelling.
Ahava Visitors Center - Ahava produces cosmetic and health products based on mud, minerals and salts found in the Dead Sea. On site a presentation explaining the stages of production, a factory shop, a souvenir shop and a coffee bar.
Mamshit - is a potpourri of Nabatean, Roman and Byzantine cultures. The site was originally settled by the Nabateans in the 1st century CE, later conquered by the Romans who named it Memphis.
Highlights: restored Nabatean bazaar, churches, private homes and remnants of an ancient bath.
 The Mar Saba Monastery - dated 6th century AD, is the largest and the most colorful in the Judean Desert.
The cliff-hanging Saint George Monastery built in 900 AD in Wadi Kelt, is an unbelievably secluded hideaway for Greek Orthodox monks. Both are well worth the effort. Nearby caves and prayer niches serve many monks who seek solitude and Holy Communion.
Both are accessible from the Jerusalem-Dead Sea road.
Kasr el Yahud - is situated a few kilometers north of the Dead Sea, on the western bank of the Jordan, believed by many to be the historical Jordan River baptismal site.
Emergency Phone Numbers:
Police - 100
Magen David - First Aid 101
Fire Department - 102
Electric Company Hotline - 103
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