Masada Sunrise Hike, Ein Gedi and Dead Sea Tour from Jerusalem

The $106 per person price buys the transport and the beach, and leaves the sites and the food to you. Here is how the money and the inclusions break down.

Included in the price

• Transport by air-conditioned vehicle for the full 10-hour day
• The Dead Sea beach entry fee
• A host or greeter and a driver who handle the logistics
• Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start, with reserve now and pay later available

Paid on the day or not covered

• Masada entrance fee of $11.92 (37 ILS), paid on the day
• Ein Gedi entrance fee of $9.99 (31 ILS), paid on the day
• Food and drinks
• A towel: rent one at the meeting point for $4.83 (15 ILS) before departure, or bring your own

One detail worth knowing before you book: towels can be rented at the meeting point, Ha-Nevi'im St 67, so you can travel light if you do not mind the small fee. Bring a passport or a copy, because the listing asks for identification. The listing is likely to sell out, so book ahead.

The Snake Path is the winding footpath up the east side of Masada, and it is the only way up on this trip. There is no cable car here. You climb it in the cool darkness so that you are on the plateau before the sun clears the horizon, and you walk back down the same way after sunrise.

The path earns its name from its switchbacks, and the climb needs moderate fitness, especially on the way down when the light is still thin at the edges.

What the climb asks of you

The listing states that a moderate physical fitness level is required for both the climb and the descent. Wear proper hiking shoes rather than sandals and carry water. The dark also means a headlamp or phone torch is sensible, though the listing does not state that one is provided.

Pack a sun hat and sunscreen for the return leg, because the Judaean Desert heats up fast once the sun is up.

Who should think twice

The trip is not suitable for pregnant women or for people with mobility impairments. If the climb sounds like too much, the guided coach options use the cable car instead. The Masada and Dead Sea Full-Day Tour from Jerusalem with Hotel Pickup lifts you to the top in 15 minutes with Masada entry already in the price, and the Tel Aviv version does the same.

From the top of the fortress you watch the sun rise over the Moab Mountains to the east and light up the Judaean Desert below. Masada is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, a plateau rising over 400 m (1,300 ft) above the surrounding terrain, where Herod the Great built palaces, storerooms, bathhouses and a water system. In the First Jewish-Roman War it was the last holdout of Jewish rebels until 73/74 AD, and the listing calls it one of the greatest Jewish symbols of hope and pride.

Exploring the ruins on your own

Because the trip is self-guided, you tour the fortress ruins at your own pace. There is no guide narrating the history, so the listing suits travellers happy to read up beforehand or simply enjoy the views. The atmosphere at the top in the first light, with the desert spread out below, is the reason most people book this departure over a mid-morning coach.

The way down

You descend by the Snake Path too. The walk down is easier on the lungs but harder on the knees, and by then the sun is working, so keep the water and the hat handy. After the descent the group moves on to Ein Gedi, north of Masada on the same shore of the Dead Sea.

For the history behind the ruins, see the UNESCO page on Masada.

Ein Gedi is an oasis on the western shore of the Dead Sea, north of Masada, and for many travellers it is the real highlight of the day. The reserve holds natural springs, waterfalls, desert plants and wildlife, and the walk through it is a different kind of exercise from the dark climb up the fortress. Entry costs $9.99 (31 ILS), paid on the day, and is not part of the $106.

The walk

The listing describes it as a long walk through the reserve, so expect a proper hike rather than a stroll. Good shoes matter here as much as on Masada. The springs and waterfalls give you shade and running water, which is rare in the Judaean Desert, and the contrast between the green canyon and the bare mountains around it is what makes the stop memorable.

Timing and pacing

The day is built around three stops in 10 hours, so time at Ein Gedi is set by the group schedule rather than by you alone. It comes between the fortress and the beach, and by the end of it most people are ready to rest their feet in the water, which is exactly what the next stop is for.

The last stop is a Dead Sea beach, with the entry fee included in the price. The sea sits at the lowest land elevation on Earth, its surface measured at 439.78 m (1,443 ft) below sea level, and at about 34.2% salinity it is roughly 9.6 times saltier than the ocean. The result is that you do not swim here, you float.

Walk in, lean back and lie on the surface.

Floating and the mud

You can float effortlessly or take a bath in the therapeutic mineral mud on the shore. Keep the water out of your eyes and mouth, never dive or put your face under, and skip shaving the day before because the salt stings cuts and freshly shaved skin. Short sessions of 15 to 20 minutes followed by a fresh-water rinse is the usual advice, and showers are at the beach.

What to bring for the beach

• Swimwear and a towel, or $4.83 (15 ILS) to rent the towel at the meeting point
• Flip-flops or water shoes, because salt crystals on the shore are sharp
• A dark swimsuit you do not mind marking with the mud
• High-SPF sunscreen, a sun hat and at least 2 litres of water
• A passport, a copy accepted

After the beach the vehicle returns you to Jerusalem, ending the day about 10 hours after it began at Ha-Nevi'im St 67.

This is the lowest ticket price for a full Masada and Dead Sea day from Jerusalem in the catalog, but it is also the only one where you climb on foot and pay the site entries yourself. Add $11.92 (37 ILS) for Masada and $9.99 (31 ILS) for Ein Gedi and the real total is about $127.91, more than the guided cable car day at $115. If you want a guide, a cable car and entries included, the coach trips cost more and ask less of your legs.

If you only care about the float, the half-day beach trip costs half as much and skips the desert entirely. Figures current for Q4 2026.

Further afield, the Bethlehem and Dead Sea Day Tour from Jerusalem swaps the fortress for the Church of the Nativity at $150, and on the Jordanian side the Madaba, Mount Nebo, Baptism Site and Dead Sea Tour from Amman starts at $18 for transport only.