Disclaimer: Some links on this site are affiliate links, meaning that if you click on a link and later make a purchase, we may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
I feel as though visiting the Dead Sea is a must when in Jordan, so you might be wondering why.
To start with, the Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth at 427m below sea level, add to that the health benefits associated with the hypersaline water, and then ask yourself, who wouldn’t want to go for a mud mask and a float at the lowest point of the Earth’s surface?
So, the main purpose of this post, how do you go about floating in the Dead Sea?
The Dead Sea
Ways to Visit
Stay in a Resort
There are a number of resorts along the Dead Sea coast which provide access to their own private beaches, pools, and spa treatments. Choosing one comes down to your budget and what facilities you want.
If you’re staying in the area for a while, these can be a great option for a relaxing break; somewhere to retire to after a busy day exploring Wadi Mujib, or floating on the Dead Sea.
Get a Day Pass
Many hotels and resorts in the area offer a Dead Sea Day Pass; which is pretty much what it sounds like. You get access to their Dead Sea beach for a day, usually with the added benefit of being able to use other facilities such as their pools.
Prices vary from place to place, with some offering extras such as lunch. Have a look at review sites (such as Tripadvisor), and you can usually search by reviews containing ‘day pass’ to help you make a decision.
Go to a Public Beach
Resorts aren’t your only option of course, there are spots along the coast where you can go into the water for free. Usually you’ll find people manning stalls selling food, water, and other various items.
Some spots are more accessible than others. As you drive along the Dead Sea highway, you’ll notice that you’re usually quite high up, and some free swimming spots have a tricky descent down to the water.
We spoke to a couple at the airport who visited one of the free public beaches along the Dead Sea coast. Unfortunately, the woman felt uncomfortable, even in a conservative swimsuit, as a group of men were staring at her. Additionally, neither of them felt safe leaving their belongings unattended.
Now, I’m not saying that to put you off! It’s to help you be informed. Do some reading on the different public spots, maybe look for ones that are a bit busier, but go with what you’re happy with.
Our Experience
Rather than staying in one of the resorts dotted along the coast of the Dead Sea, we chose a villa, mostly because it worked out to be so much cheaper for us!
Our villa actually had some Dead Sea mud available for us to use which was a fantastic addition, but we obviously wanted the floating experience too.
I did a fly-through tour of the villa, which you can see below. Honestly, I think this was the best way to end our two weeks in Jordan!
We booked this through booking.com, and you can find similar properties for your stay by using the search below:
To visit the Dead Sea itself, we opted for a day pass at the nearby Holiday Inn Resort; it was within walking distance for us and only cost 40 JOD each and that included a buffet lunch. We bought our tickets at the security hut outside the entrance and then headed through the hotel to get to the changing rooms outside.
At the beach, we were given towels and bottles of ice cold water which were much appreciated in the heat! We got set up on our sun loungers and then went for our first dip.
It’s honestly such a strange sensation, if you take your foot off the floor, you do feel your leg just start to rise up. It took me a few minutes (and a bit of panicking) to trust that I wasn’t going to sink or drown! It was somewhat reassuring to have a lifeguard on hand, although we were confused about his presence at first since it seems impossible to drown, but then we saw him pour fresh water in someone’s eyes after they got salt water in them and we understood his purpose.
We spent about 10 minutes in the water before going to hide in the shade (I think it was about 40°C that day!) and gulp down copious amounts of (non-salty) water.
We relaxed for a bit, before venturing to the shoreline again, this time to cover ourselves in the Dead Sea mud and go for another float.
You can just about see in the image below, there were basins full of Dead Sea mud to use, and there were even mirrors so we could see if we’d missed any spots.
The mud dried up so quickly in the heat, it felt like we were being turned into clay statues. The mud did go a bit chunky and a bit flaky, it was such a satisfying feeling, it reminded me of those charcoal face masks I used to apply liberally as a teen. When it dried, we went back into the water to let it all soak off.
Dead Sea mud is meant to be great for a number of skin conditions, including eczema, I had a flare-up on my arm, and it did seem to be less inflamed afterwards, although, a word of warning, it did tingle in the salt water, maybe that was the salt working its magic?
Another 15 minutes later, we were all rinsed off, and we were done. We’re not very beachy people. We’d had our Dead Sea experience and so we decided to go get dressed and take advantage of our buffet lunch since our stomachs were rumbling at this point!
Lunch
We can wholeheartedly recommend having lunch at the Holiday Inn Resort; it only cost us an extra 10 JOD each as the swim only ticket was 30 JOD each.
There was so much variety in food; there were salads, breads, fresh fish at a live cooking station, the list goes on and on. It was so diverse and it was absolutely delicious.
We had two plates of food piled high each before attacking the dessert section. What can I say? Floating on the Dead Sea clearly makes us hungry.
Our Tips
Bring water shoes
The salt stones can be sharp, so it’s a good idea to protect your feet in some way.
Don’t shave in the days leading up to your visit
Shaving can cause skin irritation and small cuts. When exposed to the high salt concentration of the Dead Sea, these irritations and cuts can become very painful due to the high salt concentration.
Don’t do a half day camel ride two days before
Honestly, it’s like with shaving, any irritated skin is likely to burn in the salty water, and that’s all I’ll say on the matter!
Don’t wear your best swim gear!
The salty water can affect clothing in a couple of ways. The high salt concentration can stain fabric and weaken fibres. Additionally, the Dead Sea mud can stain lighter fabrics. So, it’s best to wear older, dark-coloured, or inexpensive swimwear that you don’t mind potentially damaging.
Don’t get water in your eyes
Okay, this one is self-explanatory, but don’t splash around and don’t dunk your head, because it will hurt if you get salt water in your eyes.
Remember to rinse off
It’s important to rinse off after being in the Dead Sea to help remove the salt residue from your skin and clothes. Resorts will usually have showers on their beach for you to use. If you choose a public section of beach, some have people charging around 2 JOD to use their facilities. An alternative is to bring a large bottle of water with you and use that to rinse off instead.
Museum at the Lowest Place on Earth
On our drive from Wadi Rum, we stopped in at the Museum at the Lowest Place on Earth as it was included in our Jordan Pass. Enjoyment of museums naturally depends on your interest in what’s on display.
There was information on the people and the Dead Sea environment, but the rest was just objects that were found in the region with not much description. Given the number of tools and clay pots we’d seen in every other museum we visited during our time in Jordan, we found we weren’t that interested. We were, however, VERY interested in the air conditioning!
Wadi Mujib
Just down the road from the resorts, and on the coast of the Dead Sea, is the nature reserve of Wadi Mujib. We visited Wadi Mujib not knowing much about it. A walk down the Siq trail cost us 21 JOD each, plus extra for the rental of a dry bag. There’s so much to say (and so many hilarious videos to share) that I’ve had to put it in a separate post which you can read here:
Beit Sweimeh
A highlight of our time at the Dead Sea was a rooftop restaurant, Beit Sweimeh. The restaurant is run by women, uses local produce and is supported by UNICEF.
The view from the rooftop is stunning, I could have happily sat there for hours (in the shade) just taking it all in.
The food was amazing, we went for lunch one day and were so impressed that we went back for breakfast the next day before leaving the Dead Sea.
The staff were so friendly, and the price, which some reviews complain of being too high, was well worth the quality of the food, and it felt great knowing we were supporting a local women’s cooperative.
We’d definitely recommend checking this place out if you’re in the area.
Final Thoughts
The Dead Sea and surrounding area is well worth a visit; floating on the Dead Sea, trekking through Wadi Mujib, and munching on delicious food were all fantastic experiences. If you’re going to Jordan, make sure you visit this beautiful area!
