We visited the Dead Sea as a part of our Jordan itinerary but you can visit it from the Israel side as well. If you want to enjoy your time to the fullest, there are some things you need to know before visiting. Below you can read my top 10 tips for visiting the Dead Sea!
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Table of Contents
Tips for Visiting the Dead Sea
1. Enjoy floating in the water
The Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth and it is the deepest hypersaline lake in the world. It’s almost 10 times saltier than the ocean, therefore you can float effortlessly on the surface of the water. It’s the most unique experience ever! You can even read a newspaper while you’re floating – how cool is that?
2. Don’t stay too long in the water
Floating is truly an incredible experience, but unfortunately, it is not recommended to stay in the water for more than 15-20 minutes. The salty water can easily dehydrate your body and can cause electrolyte imbalance. Don’t forget to drink lots of water afterward!
3. Don’t forget to shower after
It’s important to rinse off your body with regular water as soon as you get out. Otherwise, the salt will dry on your skin and you will not be able to stop scratching yourself.
That’s why staying in a hotel with direct access to the beach is a good idea – you will have immediate access to fresh water and towels. If you’re planning to do so, you might be interested in reading my complete review about the Hilton Dead Sea Resort & Spa!
4. Don’t get water in your eyes
As I mentioned before, the water is extremely salty. If the water gets in your eyes it will burn like hell. Try to avoid splashing and definitely do not jump in the water!
5. Don’t swim with your face down
For the above-mentioned reasons, it’s better to keep your eyes and mouth out of the water. You can’t actually swim in the water anyway as the salty water will push you to the surface. Make sure you fall backward and not with your face down!
6. Don’t wear your shiny new bikini
The high level of salt can easily ruin the color or the texture of your bikini. It’s better to use old swimwear just to be on the safe side. If you wanna try mudding then wearing a dark-colored bikini is the best idea. Mudding and white bikini don’t go well together, trust me, I know!
Side note: I didn’t have any other swimwear with me and I didn’t want to skip mudding for the world. And it seems like I managed to save my bikini after all!
7. Don’t shave before entering the water
Yes, you’ve heard it right! Forget your razor at least 2-3 days before you’re planning to get in the water. Any cuts and scrapes will sting like crazy due to the high level of salt, so it’s better not to shave before entering.
8. Protect your feet
Walking in and out of the sea barefoot can be quite challenging, even if the bottom of the sea is muddy like it was at the beach in the Hilton resort.
But if you are planning to get in the water outside of the hotel area then having a water shoe is a must! The shore and the bottom of the sea are covered with salt crystals and sharp rocks, so you definitely need to protect your feet!
9. Watch out for sinkholes
The Dead Sea is constantly shrinking, leaving behind thousands of sinkholes. They can be really dangerous! So it’s important to watch out for the signs and don’t go in the water where swimming is forbidden. Just because you float on the water, it doesn’t mean that you can’t drown – so please be safe!
10. Go before it’s too late!
If you wanna try the floating experience in the Dead Sea, you better hurry, because you may only have a few years to do so! As I mentioned before, the Dead Sea is constantly shrinking – more than one meter every year.
The Jordan River is the only major source flowing into the Dead Sea. When the freshwater reaches the Dead Sea, it starts to evaporate (this is the cause for hyper-salinity).
Up until the mid-20th century the evaporation rate was equal to the rate of freshwater. But then a huge pumping station was built and the neighboring countries started to divert water from the stream.
As a result, the Dead Sea doesn’t get enough fresh water and it started to evaporate faster than the water flows in.
Stopping this process is very hard. Jordan and Israel already signed an agreement about trying to save the Dead Sea – let’s hope they will succeed!
Planning a trip to Jordan?
Then you might want to take a look at all our other travel guides about Jordan. I promise, they are just as awesome as this article was!
- The Ultimate Jordan Travel Guide for First Time Visitors
- The Perfect Itinerary for Spending One Week in Jordan
- Top 8 Most Instagrammable Places in Jordan
- How to Find the Best Viewpoint in Petra – Treasury From Above
- 10 Tips for Visiting the Dead Sea
- Hotel Review: Hilton Dead Sea Resort & Spa
Lovely post, the dead sea is definitely on my bucket list 🙂 Thanks for sharing!
Thank you for your sweet comment! The Dead Sea is really a bucket-list destination, I hope you can visit soon! 🙂