Ein Bokek (Israel) is a resort town on the west bank of the Dead Sea. Although, the city is not an exact name in this case. After all, Ein Bokek is just 11 hotels, 1 medical clinic, SPA salons, 3 shopping centers, restaurants and cafes. The city actually has one street, where several hotels are located, and most of them and SPA centers are located on the other side of highway No. 90.
There aren’t even any permanent residents here – only tourists and service personnel coming from the nearest settlements in Israel.
Interesting fact! Of all the cities on Earth, Ein Bokek is the lowest in the world.: it stands 404 m below sea level. And this is only 18 m above the lowest point on the planet.
Treatment at the Dead Sea
Ein Bokek is one of the largest and most popular health complexes in Israel. The first thing that tourists come here for is treatment.
Interesting fact! The Dead Sea has developed unique climatic conditions that are useful in themselves. The air here is much denser than in any other place on Earth, and it is also characterized by an increased oxygen content – 15% more than usual.
Special attention should be paid to the mineral mud of the Dead Sea – it is also present in Ein Bokek. This mud, which is extracted from the very bottom of the sea, has long been known for its healing properties:
- accelerates the metabolism and cleanses the body of toxins;
- promotes vasodilation and improves blood circulation;
- it has a bactericidal and anti-inflammatory effect;
- it helps to improve the condition of the skin and creates a rejuvenating effect.
All Ein Bokek hotels have SPA complexes and wellness centers with qualified medical staff. Guests are offered therapeutic baths, massages, inhalations, a variety of beauty treatments with mineral mud.
Ein Bokek provides treatment for diseases of the nervous system, respiratory and gastrointestinal tract, musculoskeletal system, and cardiovascular system. There is also a specialized clinic “I. P. T. C. Dead Sea”, where they deal with the problem of psoriasis.
Neve Zohar, another seaside health resort, is located not far from Ein Bokek. You can find more information about it on this page.
Beach holidays
Along the entire coast of the resort town of Ein Bokek there are beaches – one public and about seven private, owned by hotels.
This is interesting! The Dead Sea in Israel is actually a lake, and the saltiest on our planet!
The beaches have a half-sandy, half-salt surface, in some places there are areas with healing mud. The bottom of the lake is completely covered with salt chips, in some places on the shore, near the water, there are huge salt stones. Many advertising photos of Ein Bokek create a sense of presence on the Caribbean Islands, and the salt deposits resemble coral reefs.
The water here is a very beautiful color! And it is also so rich in minerals and salts that its consistency is more like vegetable oil (by the way, after bathing, the skin even seems greasy to the touch). Due to the high volume of salt in the water, it is very difficult to swim here.
It is important! It is necessary to make sure that water does not get into the eyes, as it can lead to severe burns of the retina. It is best to swim on your back, without making sudden movements that can upset the balance. As soon as you are on your stomach, the water begins to push your feet to the surface, and your head goes down. If you get confused, you can not only injure your eyes, but also drown.
Absolutely all the beaches in the city are very clean, well-groomed and well-equipped. Everywhere there are walking paths, benches, sports and children’s playgrounds. Free showers, changing rooms (with hangers and mini-benches), fountains with drinking water are installed everywhere. There are also toilets, and quite a few, but in the reviews of tourists you can often find complaints that all of them are closed.
Ein Bokek Public Beach is free of charge. Access to the water is convenient, there are handrails. Large awnings are installed on the territory, you only need to pay for a chaise longue (15 shekels) or a high chair (5 shekels). There are special fenced solariums (women’s and men’s), they are designed for those who are shy about skin problems or just want to sunbathe naked.
Private beaches at hotels are more comfortable, and sun beds and umbrellas are included in the price for guests. As a rule, the territory is fenced, and outsiders can not go there.
This is interesting! A salt processing plant is located near Ein Bokek Beach. Due to the fact that salt is constantly taken from the lake for processing, its size decreases: every year the water drops by 1 m. In addition, the water becomes not so useful.
Things to do in Ein Bokek
Entertainment in Ein Bokek is not easy – people come there mainly to improve their health or just to see the Dead Sea. However, there is plenty to do in Ein Bokek. You can sit in the Taj Mahal, where they show belly dancing and offer to smoke hookah. There’s even a place in town where you can stay up late – Olive’s Night Pub, which is open until 2: 00.
Among the attractions located in the vicinity of Ein Bokeq are the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, Qumran Archaeological Park, the ancient fortress of Masada, and the legendary Mount Sodom.
One of the most interesting places is the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve in the Judean Desert, 33 km from the resort town. The reserve includes the valleys of two freshwater springs (Davida and Arugot), which are full of water at any time of the year. Ein Gedi is a real oasis in the desert, with islands of lush greenery, waterfalls, salt caves, and ruins of ancient buildings. The park is open to the public at this time of day:
- April-September – from 8: 00 to 17: 00;
- in October-March – from 8: 00 to 16: 00.
Interesting to know! A mineral water bottling plant is located next to the reserve. Since the springs that start under the rocks go more than 1 km in height, the water in them is very clean, mineral and quite suitable for use.
Another interesting place nearby is Qumran Park, where you can see the remains of an ancient water pipeline, a pottery workshop, and a ceramic kiln.
The ruins of the ancient Masada Fortress, built by King Herod the Great, are 7 km from Ein Bokek. This landmark rises among the sheer cliffs, and you can go up to it on foot along the Snake Path (which is very tiring in the heat) or by funicular.
The legendary Mount Sodom is interesting because it consists entirely of rock salt. People believe that the mountain originated on the site where the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah once stood, destroyed by a rain of fire.
Hotels in Ein Bokek
Ein Bokek is home to most of the hotels in the vicinity of the Dead Sea. But even here there are only 11 of them.
Almost all hotels in Ein Bokek on the Dead Sea are classified as 4*-5*. All of them have their own beaches, and the entrance and use of beach attributes are usually free for hotel guests. Each hotel has SPA complexes, but their treatments are not included in the room rate. In more budget hotels, the service is also at a fairly high level: there is a swimming pool, SPA complexes with a minimum number of procedures.
Important! Using the portal booking.com, you can quickly find and book accommodation in any city of Israel that is most suitable for the price and level of service.
Here are a few hotels in Ein Bokek (Israel) that have the highest rating on the site Booking.com:
- The stylish Isrotel Dead Sea 5* Spa Hotel is located right on the seashore. The hotel has an outdoor swimming pool, a gym, a children’s playroom, and a restaurant. The SPA center is equipped with a sulfur pool, sauna, steam room, massage rooms. The hotel’s rating is 8.1 points, and the price of a double room per night starts from NIS 600.
- Isrotel Ganim Dead Sea 4* Hotel is located 500 m from the city center, within walking distance from the beach. There are two indoor saltwater pools, an outdoor freshwater pool. The hotel’s SPA area has two hot tubs and a sauna. The hotel’s rating is 8.1 points, and the cost of a night’s stay in a double room starts from NIS 440.
- Located right by the sea, Crowne Plaza Dead Sea features a large freshwater pool. The SPA center has a fitness room, hot tubs, saunas, a heated sea water pool, beauty and massage rooms. The rating of the hotel is 8.0, a room for two people per night costs from NIS 815.
On a note! You can save a lot of money if you stay in the town of Arad, which is 25 km from the Dead Sea. For more information about the locality, see this article.
When is the best time to visit Ein Bokek
You can visit the Dead Sea, as well as any other place in Israel, all year round. However, there is a distinction between “high” and ” low ” season for recreation.
Winters in Ein Bokek are warm, with the air warming up to +18°C on average, although sometimes there are cold snaps up to +10°C. And the water temperature in the sea below +20°C never drops. Rain in this part of Israel, although very rare, but they all fall in winter.
In early summer, the air temperature is kept in the range of +36°C, in August it already rises to +40°C. And in the sea water you do not have to look for coolness, because its temperature is about 31°C.
In September, it is not so hot anymore – about +28°C, in November it is already +22 °C, but the beach season is not over yet, because the sea is warm – at least +23°C.
Note to tourists! It is best to come to Ein Bokek from mid-March to mid-November, when the day and night temperatures are not too different, and it is not cold to go out of the water on land. The peak season usually falls on March-April and September-November.
How to get to Ein Bokek from Tel Aviv
Getting to the Dead Sea is easy enough from anywhere in Israel. But you can’t get there directly from the CIS countries. The journey will consist of several stages: you need to fly to Tel Aviv Ben Gurion International Airport by plane, and then get to the desired city and hotel from there. From Ben Gurion airport to Ein Bokek, you can only go with a transfer, and it can be in different cities of Israel: Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Beersheba. The most convenient way to transfer is in Tel Aviv, which is about 160 km from Ein Bokek.
First stage: Ben Gurion – Tel Aviv
At the airport, at the exit of Terminal 3, there is a railway station where trains depart for modern Tel Aviv. You need to go to the station “Merkaz-Tsentralnaya”, the road takes up to 20 minutes.
Trains in this direction run from 5:35 to 23:35 with a frequency of 30-60 minutes.
You can buy a ticket at the ticket office of the railway station or at a ticket machine, its price is NIS 13.5. The ticket must be saved until the end of the trip, it is necessary at the exit.
Important to know! On the website of the company “Railways of Israel” www.rail.co.il there are train schedules, current fares, and other useful information.
If your plans include exploring Tel Aviv, read what to see in Tel Aviv first.
Second stage: Tel Aviv-Ein Bokek
Next, you need to decide how to get from Tel Aviv to Ein Bokek.
In the city of Tel Aviv, from the Merkaz-Tsentralnaya railway station, you need to go to the Arlozorov bus station. It is located across the road – it is only 350 m.
There is only one direct route from Tel Aviv to the Dead Sea resorts: bus number 421 “Tel Aviv Arlozorov-Ein Gedi” of the Egged transport company. It runs on the following schedule:
- on weekdays, twice a day – at 9: 00 and 12: 00;
- on Friday – only at 9: 00;
- there are no flights at all on Saturday.
Ein Bokek (Israel) is a 2-hour, 40-minute drive away. The fare costs NIS 42.5.
