Full-Day Masada and Dead Sea Tour from Tel Aviv with Ein Gedi

The journey

Trip highlights

• 01 Explore the caves of Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found
• 02 Ascend by cable car to Herod's fortress-palace at Masada
• 03 Walk through Masada's palaces, storerooms, steam bath, and synagogue
• 04 Enjoy an optional swim in the hot springs of Ein Gedi and the Dead Sea

Venture into Masada National Park, home to ancient palaces and fortifications perched atop an isolated rock plateau on the eastern edge of the Judean Desert. Travel along the Dead Sea, passing the caves of Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, then explore Herod's fortress-palace at Masada. Continue to Ein Gedi for an optional swim in the hot springs and the Dead Sea, and leave refreshed by the therapeutic touch of its waters.

Venture into Masada National Park, home to ancient palaces and fortifications perched atop an isolated rock plateau on the eastern edge of the Judean Desert.

From the itinerary

At a glance

What this trip includes

Duration 1 Day

Tour type Private

Activity level Moderate

Accommodation Not included

Transport Not included

Wheelchair access Not applicable

Cities Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Dead Sea (Israel), Masada, Ein Gedi

Languages English

Day by day

The itinerary

1

Day 01

Masada, Qumran Caves and the Dead Sea

• Meet your tour guide at the agreed-upon location.
• Depart early for the lowest place on Earth, traveling along the Dead Sea and passing the caves of Qumran, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found.
• Arrive at Masada and ascend by cable car to Herod's fortress-palace, which later became the last stronghold of the Zealots in their struggle against Rome.
• Walk through its palaces, storerooms, steam bath, synagogue, and more.
• Proceed with excitement across the top of the fortress.
• Descend and arrive at Ein Gedi for an optional swim in the hot springs and the Dead Sea.
• Return to Jerusalem or Tel Aviv.

The route

Where you'll travel

The fine print

Trip details

What's Included

• English-speaking Israeli tour guide

What's Not Included

• Transportation
• Entrance fees
• Tips and gratuities
• Personal expenses

Know before you go

• Historical context - follow the parable of the Good Samaritan on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho. In the time of Jesus, visit the Good Samaritan Inn.
• Masada features ancient palaces and fortifications on top of an isolated rock plateau on the eastern edge of the Judean Desert. After the First Jewish-Roman War, a siege of the fortress by troops of the Roman Empire led to the mass suicide of the Sicarii rebels. The Dead Sea, also called the Salt Sea, is the lowest elevation on the Earth's surface and a supplier of products ranging from balms for Egyptian mummification to potash for fertilizers, cosmetics, and health products. The Qumran caves, in which the Dead Sea Scrolls were hidden, contain the oldest surviving copies of Biblical and extra-biblical documents. Some archaeologists presented Qumran as a building in which John the Baptist, and probably Christ, studied. Ein Gedi is an oasis located west of the Dead Sea, near Masada and the caves of Qumran, and is mentioned in the Bible - King David hides in the desert of En Gedi (1 Samuel 24:1-2), and King Saul seeks him "even upon the most craggy rocks, which are accessible only to wild goats" (1 Samuel 24:3).
• Possible Dead Sea spa - swimming and floating in the Dead Sea is a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
• Full-day Masada, Ein Gedi, and the Dead Sea.

Logistics

Meeting & route

Meeting point

Tel Aviv, Israel

Tour start

Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel

Tour ends at the same location as the start point.