Swimming in the Dead Sea? Here is everything you need to know for an amazing experience
When I was planning my trip to the Dead sea in Jordan I looked for information on how to get there, best places to swim and basically everything I would need to know before embarking on my journey. Everywhere I read it said that it was impossible to swim outside resorts, that swimming was dangerous and that you could not spend more than 10-15 minutes in the water. After being there myself I started to wonder where all this information was coming from, because it was so different from my experience. So, I decided to write this post which hopefully can help answer some of the questions I had before going and what my experience was.
How to get there?
The public transport in Jordan is not optimal, so the best ways of getting to the Dead sea is to rent a car and drive yourself or to join a group trip. From Amman, the capital of Jordan, its just an hour drive so you can easily do it as a day trip. However, we chose to take it as a stopover on our way to Wadi Rum.
If you choose to drive yourself as we did, you can easily find a car to rent here. Make sure to always take pictures of every scratch and bump before you start driving. This has saved me many times!
Or you can check out some great day trips from Amman here, either just going to the dead sea or adding some time to go to Petra or Wadi Rum too, which is definitely worth it!
You don’t have to enter a resort to swim at the dead sea
If you are joining a group trip you can skip this one :) But for those driving yourself this can be nice to know. I read so many places that people could not find anywhere to swim outside of the resorts. That baffles me a bit, because most of the area is free of resorts. If you want to swim on your own check out Salt beach. It is very easy to find along the road. It does not have any amenities, but you can park your car and have an easy walk down the mountainside to the water. Be aware that it is a bit further to drive away from the resorts, so don't despair if you think you have driven too far, you will see a sign on the way and it is very obvious because there are not many other places you can park your car along the road.
However, I actually would recommend going to a hotel for your swim so you can rinse the saltwater of afterwards. But its not cheap, so it is up to you and your budget. Most of the resorts sell day passes which let you stay there the whole day and includes lunch. The price for a day pass varies, but is approximately 50 JOD including food per person.
We chose to stay here and would come back here if we travel back. The facilities were great, and the buffet lunch was amazing! They have the possibility to book day pass and overnight stays if you want to stay longer.
It’s not dangerous to swim
Yes you have less control of your body in the water than you are used too and it might feel a little uncomfortable if you try to swim or float on your stomach. But it never felt dangerous, you just tilt your body back to your back and all is good. This is advice for adults, so if you travel with your kids just make sure to pay extra attention because they might not understand what to do to get back into a good position and find it intimidating.
The salty water does not sting
I had read so many places that you could only stay in the water for 10-15 minutes because of the salt. However, that was not the case for me or any of the people that was swimming near us. People were floating or relaxing for as long as they liked. I personally never noticed the salty water that much except if I got some in my mouth or eye. Its salty, but not dangerous. When you touch the water you can feel that the consistency is a bit different than you are used to, but you quickly get over it. I was also worried about some cuts I had gotten walking the day before, but that was no problem at all after the first 2 seconds.
It’s not really a beach
Maybe silly of me, but I was imagining a beautiful beach. In reality there is a small area reserved for swimming, but the surrounding area is cliffs, wasteland and mountains. The ground is very rugged and stony, so if you have trouble walking or might find this uncomfortable, I would advice to bring shoes to wear in the water. Just make sure they are stuck to your feet otherwise they will just float off.
Most of the area is free from resorts
I had the impression that most of the shoreline would be packed with resorts since it’s advertised so much, however I was surprised to find that there were only some resorts at the beginning of the Dead Sea, the rest of the shore line was completely empty. It gave us a very beautiful drive.
Your swimsuit will not get ruined
Everywhere it said to bring an old swimsuit because it would get ruined. I only had a brand new one with me, and it still looks completely the same. I swam multiple times for long periods, I just made sure to rinse out the saltwater afterwards. And if you do the mineral mud spa, just make sure to not smear it all over your swimsuit.
How much time should I spend at the Dead sea?
If you have enough time I would recommend staying one night at a resort of your choice since the day pass is pretty expensive. In some cases it’s probably better to just check in and stay there. That way you can enjoy a full day of relaxing and floating in the sea or opt for some time by the pool. Most of the hotels offer day passes you can use to enter the facilities. This includes a full day there, lunch and towels + amenities like shower and bathroom.