The Dead Sea is a unique gift of nature, which helps people to improve their health and gain many years of life, so medical tours on the Dead Sea are in particular demand among tourists from all over the world. The healing pond is located at the lowest point of the globe. Salt, useful minerals, oxygen and clean water favorably contribute to the human body and are able to get rid of many diseases. The composition of the water also contains dirt, which is used in medicine to create creams and masks for skin care. Mud treatment helps strengthen the immune system, relieve stress, get rid of joint pain and warm up the body completely. It is worth noting that the water of the Dead Sea has a high concentration of salt, which makes it almost impossible to drown, and the average year-round water temperature is at least 24 degrees Celsius. Such conditions allow you to come for health improvement at any time of the year.
In fact, the Dead Sea is not a sea at all, but a large inland lake that is fed by the waters of the Jordan River, which flows into its northern part. The Dead Sea is 67 km long, 18 km wide (at its widest point); the border between Israel and Jordan divides it almost exactly in half.
The salt content in the water of the Dead Sea is about 30%, 9 times more than in any sea or ocean, such salt water is unsuitable for the life of any organisms (hence the name).
During its existence, the Dead Sea has had many names. The Jews gave him the names of the Steppe, Salty and Eastern Sea. The Greeks called it an Asphalt lake, because they said that pieces of black bitumen were found in it. The Nabataeans sold natural asphalt for a lot of money, mainly to the Egyptians, who used it to mummify the dead. The Crusaders called this sea Dead, and medieval Muslims called it in different ways: the Fetid Lake, the Lake of Sodom and Gomorrah and the Inverted Lake.
A complex for vacationers has been created on the coast of the Dead Sea, consisting of hotels, inns, health resorts, hospitals and spas. Those who have visited the Dead Sea resort at least once leave only the best reviews. It’s no secret that the level of medicine in Israel is at a very high level, so the quality of medical procedures will appeal to every guest of the country. After resting on the Dead Sea, the human body is cleansed, blood circulation and metabolism are stimulated, and the overall condition of the skin improves. Dirt, climatic features, clean air, useful minerals – these are the components of the sea that make it a miraculous source of healing from many diseases. Despite the fact that the Dead Sea is not a beach resort, there are a lot of vacationers here.
Funny swimming on the surface of the Dead Sea is a must—have entertainment when visiting this region. The most popular (and therefore crowded) is Ein Gedi Beach, which attracts crowds of noisy young people with loud music and bonfires, who occupy campsites and restrooms (entrance to the beach is free). Ein Bokeke also has a magnificent but crowded beach of the hotel “Hordus”, which is easily accessible, and a nice sandy beach. If you come not in high season and not on weekends, it is much freer here (and also for free). At the northern tip of the sea there are more beaches, including the Biankini and Siesta hotels, and opposite Qumran there is a very beautiful beach of the Mineral Hotel.
Bathing itself — or, more precisely, lying on the surface of the water — in the Dead Sea leaves an unforgettable impression, but it is more difficult to do this than it seems at first glance. It is almost impossible to swim in water with such a high density, but we will give you some tips. To move forward, you will have to make funny movements, dodging and pushing off, spinning around its axis, like some kind of water-skimmer beetle moving on the surface of the water. Since the salt content in the water here is about 10 times higher than in the Mediterranean Sea, once on the body, the water makes it slippery and oily. Fish brought here by the current of the Jordan River die in the first minutes, once in the Dead Sea — they are found washed ashore, dried up and hardened like a stone. Be sure to make sure that extremely salty water does not get into the eyes — it can be painful and dangerous. If this happens, immediately rinse your eyes with fresh water. When salt gets on the skin, any small scratch is immediately felt, and therefore it is better not to enter the water with serious cuts or wounds.
Nevertheless, these warnings should not frighten you. It is an indescribable feeling to float, like a cork, on the surface of healing waters surrounded by the harsh beauty of the Judean Desert, steeped in ancient and biblical history, at the lowest point of the earth’s land.