Dead Sea Extravaganza

The Dead Sea has a border with Israel, the West Bank, and Jordan. It is a salt lake whose banks are more than 400m below sea level, the lowest point on dry land. I went to the Jordanian side, and it was quite impressive to be so low under sea level.

Its famously hyper-saline water makes floating easy. I found it very intriguing. You don’t have to try very hard to float – when getting in the water you automatically float: it is quite a weird sensation!

 

Its mineral-rich black mud is used for therapeutic and cosmetic treatments at area resorts. The surrounding desert offers many oases and historic sites. I didn’t manage to go to the historic sites, but not very far from here, apparently, there is an area where Jesus was baptised.

I did try the mud on, and my skin was ever so soft afterwards.

 

The Dead Sea can easily be done in a day trip. It is about an hour way from Amman. The thing that is quite annoying is that you have to go through a resort to get to the sea. I don’t think there is a way to get just get to the coast.

We hired a taxi from our hotel and the prices were quite reasonable. Me and my friends had a great time there. It was very hot, 40c, and we went late afternoon on a weekday.

If you go to Jordan, visiting the dead sea is highly recommended.