Yesterday we set off on a road trip by rental car, starting in Eilat in southern Israel. Our first destination was the Dead Sea and then we continued to Masada and Jerusalem. Today we tell you about the first stop on the road trip, the Dead Sea.
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Road trip in Israel
We decided the day before yesterday to go on a road trip and immediately started planning. Not easy when there is so much to see and so little time, but now we think we have an interesting plan.
We started by getting a local sim card to have access to the internet (and GPS!) while travelling. Then it was time to rent a car. We thought this would be the easiest thing to do, but it turned out that almost every car in Eilat was rented out... Finally, we found a company (Europcar) that had an office on the outskirts of Eilat and still had cars available. Yesterday morning we left!
Driving in Israel
On the way from Eilat to the Dead Sea, the speed limit was 90 km/h and the roads were good. The landscape consisted of desert, sometimes interspersed with some mountains or a palm grove. However, we did not see any camels, although the signs warned about it ...
Dead Sea
Located on the border between Israel and Jordan, the Dead Sea is today divided into a northern and a southern part after a section in the centre dried up. The lake is 65 kilometres long and up to 18 kilometres wide, with a maximum depth of over 300 metres. Another fascinating fact is that this is actually the lowest place in the world! The surface of the lake is 422 metres below sea level.
The Dead Sea is one of the most saline lakes in the world, with a salinity of 33.7 per cent. The lake is so salty because of the nearby salt mountains and salt marshes, the lack of rainfall in some areas, and the fact that the lake has no outlet and only loses water through evaporation.
We drove to an area of hotels and spas located at the top of the southern part of the lake. Here we parked and walked down to the beach.
White as snow or ice
We came down to a swimming spot, where there was also a long walkway into the sea. We started walking out here, and the most fascinating thing is the landscape. Sometimes you can almost feel like you are standing on the ice-covered plains of Greenland. But the white is of course not snow or ice, but salt. The salt covers every beach bed, sometimes forming entire channels or islands.
Bathing in the Dead Sea
We didn't see many people swimming, and that may have been because the water was a bit cool. For a Swede, it was probably like a normal summer day on the West Coast, but if you're used to a different climate, you might find it cold. So how was it? Well, just as they say! You float like a cork near the surface.
Here you can watch a film about Israel and the Dead Sea that Peter put together!
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Across the board says:
How stupid do you feel 😀 😀 😀 .
04 January 2018 - 6:38
Helena says:
Haha, yes, a bit light and airy like that 😉 .
04 January 2018 - 11:06
Christian says:
Hilarious!
04 January 2018 - 7:49
Helena says:
Haha, so you can see it 😉
04 January 2018 - 11:06
Farmers' wives says:
Wow! What a road trip! Was in Tel Aviv in 2014 and did a day trip to Jerusalem. Would love to go back and see more!
04 January 2018 - 8:38
Helena says:
Glad you were in Israel in 2014! We have also had time for Jerusalem now, will be on the blog as soon as we have time 😉.
04 January 2018 - 11:07
Matts Torebring says:
I have seen many pictures of people reading their newspapers, lying on their backs in the Dead Sea. Fantastic to experience it as you do now. Bold of you to rent a car, I think, especially in a country where so much is happening.
04 January 2018 - 9:18
Helena says:
Yes, it would work great to lie there and read a book or magazine 😉 We have driven around by car yesterday and today and it works great 🙂 Of course we are aware of the conflicts in the country and for safety's sake we have checked UD's travel recommendations, and talked to the tourist office, before we left.
04 January 2018 - 12:13
Motorhome Helge says:
Exciting trip
04 January 2018 - 9:38
Helena says:
Really, a little excitement cheers you up! 🙂
04 January 2018 - 12:14
Mr Nils-Åke Hansson says:
Exciting that you discover on your own, but as Matts says, it is a troubled country but maybe not in the tourist resorts, one can hope.
04 January 2018 - 9:41
Helena says:
Discovering on your own is always the most fun! Usually when travelling it's about finding out some information about what works and what doesn't. We have no problems at all travelling around here.
04 January 2018 - 12:21
Role o Carina says:
Yes, you would like to swim there, but you wouldn't dare to be in that country!
Keep up the good work.....
04 January 2018 - 9:52
Helena says:
When you are here, it does not feel unsafe in any way. Then, of course, you have to keep an eye on the current security situation, because there are conflicts.
04 January 2018 - 12:23
Ditte says:
Good idea to go on a tour. And there is so much to see here. Many years ago I did a big tour of Isralel and it is memorable.
I'm glad you took a dip in the Dead Sea, it's part of the experience.
Jerusalem has a lot to see and I hope you have a few days to do so.
Keep up the good work.
04 January 2018 - 10:12
Helena says:
Glad you made a tour here Ditte! There is really a lot to see, and we will only be able to do a little of it ... 😉.
04 January 2018 - 12:24
Alexandra says:
We have bathed in the Dead Sea on the Jordanian side. 🙂
It's good to go there if you have asthma because it's the lowest point in the world and there is high oxygen in the air!
We were also told how much the water level drops there every year, it was huge but I don't remember exactly. The problem is also that at a certain level it becomes so salty that the water will instead crystallise instead of being salt water and then it can never be restored again. So the Dead Sea seems to be drying up.
Our guide also tried to fool us that there is only one fish that can live in the Dead Sea.... salty herring. 😉
04 January 2018 - 10:57
Helena says:
Interesting! Now I got to learn a little more! We were also worried about it drying out, it feels terrible if that happens!
04 January 2018 - 12:26
Solan says:
Yep, the sea that no one has ever drowned in.
Now I am waiting for the Wailing Wall. Don't forget to stick a piece of paper with a prayer between the beautiful stones ?
04 January 2018 - 10:59
Helena says:
The wall is coming! We missed the slips of paper ?
04 January 2018 - 12:28
Lena & Jan says:
Wow great experience, amazingly different landscape, even though we have been in several deserts...reward for the hassle of car hire.
04 January 2018 - 11:07
Helena says:
The landscape is fascinating and different from what you are used to! Exciting to travel around here! 🙂
04 January 2018 - 12:29
Renate's travels says:
Oh, I love the Dead Sea. It gives a very special feeling to just bob around there. 😀 Have somehow strangely ended up there three times already.
So smart to rent a car! Looking forward to seeing what else you will experience on the road trip. Have a good trip and drive carefully 🙂
04 January 2018 - 11:28
Helena says:
Wow, impressive to have ended up here three times!!! We continue to report from the road trip 🙂
04 January 2018 - 12:53
Family trekking says:
Ohh I would like to go there!
04 January 2018 - 12:21
Helena says:
Highly recommended! 🙂
04 January 2018 - 12:54
Ruth in Virginia says:
How do you rinse off the salt after bathing?
Where does drinking water come from?
Water for everything needed in a hotel,
I mean like water and sewage?
Is it right-hand or left-hand traffic?
04 January 2018 - 16:34
Helena says:
You always have such good questions Ruth!!! There were outdoor showers on the beach, so it was easy to hose off the salt water. I don't know where they get their water from though... And it's right-hand traffic!
04 January 2018 - 17:13
Ruth in Virginia says:
I just googled and read about water in southern Israel.
Very interesting, but I know that you don't have time
for such things on your trip. Maybe a snowed-in evening on the houseboat. 🙂
04 January 2018 - 22:03
Helena says:
Interesting! Sure, it's a bit of a tight schedule right now, but I'm like you, getting curious. Must read! 😉
05 January 2018 - 4:50
Anna, New York - My Bite of the Big Apple says:
How interesting to get more info on why the Dead Sea is so "dead" (salty). You should experience that sometime. Cool floating picture!
04 January 2018 - 17:55
Helena says:
One of the things that is fun about travelling is that you always learn a lot 🙂.
04 January 2018 - 19:39
Britt-Marie Lundgren says:
Wow, how delicious it looks (and nice pictures as usual).
It's always fun to go out on your own even if it requires a bit of work and planning, but you're great at that!
04 January 2018 - 18:56
Helena says:
Glad you like our pictures! Of course it's a bit more work to plan, and it's far from always perfect... But it's always a fun way to travel! 🙂
04 January 2018 - 19:40
BP says:
Absolutely wonderful photos and almost surreal to lie in the Dead Sea and read a book;-)
Can't help but be surprised that so many of your readers write that they don't dare go to Israel or are at least hesitant. Got as many such opinions in 2013 when we were there. Even then I said that I felt totally safe in the country, much safer than in the USA/Florida and Gambia. I have probably never met so many friendly and helpful people as in Israel.
I can't wait to see what you've been up to in Jerusalem. Did you sneak up on any soldiers and/or Jews with corkscrews?
04 January 2018 - 20:46
Helena says:
Glad you like the photos! It was fun to shoot here, magical landscape! We haven't felt worried in any way either. And hehe, we will soon come up with a post about Jerusalem. Just some other things we saw on the road first! 😉
05 January 2018 - 4:53
Christina Löfgren says:
Ohhhh so fun to follow you on your journey. I travelled around Israel in 1992 and it is so much fun to see new photos. Waiting with excitement for the continuation.
Christina
04 January 2018 - 20:47
Helena says:
What fun that you travelled around here in the 90s Christina, and fun that you follow us now! We'll keep reporting, and you'll see what you recognise and what you don't 😉.
05 January 2018 - 6:05
Ann-Louise says:
How exciting with the Dead Sea, it is really a place you should visit once in a lifetime. Very nice pictures!
04 January 2018 - 21:21
Helena says:
Glad you like the pictures Ann-Louise!
05 January 2018 - 4:54
Ruth in Virginia says:
Dead Sea - Thought of Death Valley, Calif.
Both have to do with death.
And water! My husband,
geologist, always said that water will be the cause of the
many wars in the future. Whoever has access to water,
has the upper hand. You can live without oil, but not water.
The lowest point in North America is the Badwater Basin in ...
Death Valley - 86 metres (282 ft) below sea level.
No competition there. 🙂
04 January 2018 - 21:56
Helena says:
Water is the most important thing! It becomes very obvious when you are in the desert... And yes, your husband was probably right! I'm afraid so.
05 January 2018 - 4:56
Lena - good for the soul says:
Hehe, recognise the feeling of having so much to do with so little time 🙂 Delicious floating picture!
Hug Lena
05 January 2018 - 5:59
Helena says:
Haha, yes, that's what happens ... you never know if you'll get the chance to come back 😉.
06 January 2018 - 7:26
åsa in åsele says:
Read BP's comment and thought that it is fortunate that we are different, some of us think that Israel feels like a less safe place and some don't understand the concern, if we were the same, some countries would lose all the tourists 😉.
Most of the pictures I've seen from the Dead Sea are of people lying on their backs and floating, preferably with a newspaper or something else readable 🙂.
Have a nice Saturday.
06 January 2018 - 10:50
Helena says:
Maybe it's good that we spread out a bit 😉 We have felt very safe here.
06 January 2018 - 15:01
Anna in Dubai says:
What fun you seem to be having! I have been to the Dead Sea with Adam from Jordan. I always wondered why everyone floats on their backs and why no one actually swims. So I turned around...and immediately realised that a butt floats better than a beach ball!
06 January 2018 - 11:46
Helena says:
Haha, I never tried to turn around. Don't know why, but it felt very natural to float on my back... But if you're curious, it's always best to try 😉.
06 January 2018 - 15:03
Maria's Memoirs says:
I don't doubt for a second that you float like a cork, considering the ease with which I floated around when I snorkelled in the salty waters of Western Australia, without hardly having to take any swimming steps 😉 Don't you need to wear swimming shoes when you go into the water? It looks a bit sharp in the pictures, I think, but maybe the appearance is deceiving.
13 September 2018 - 9:40