Floating in the Dead Sea on the Jordan side

Nature
The wow factor for nature - does it show nature at its best? Doesn't need to be the wildebeest migration or diving with hundreds of hammerheads. Rather make you pause as you realise just how awesome the natural world can be
6
Culture
How much does this experience showcase some of the better and finer things that us humans can offer? Sure, it can be ancient ruins and renaissance churches, but it can also be festivals or soaking up some of the great modern cities of the world
4
Fun factor/activity
Very simple - was it fun? This is usually linked in with doing some kind of activity - i mean, walking along some cliffs is nice, but paragliding from them, now that is fun. Its a vastly underrated factor in a truly great experience
9
Avoid the crowds
Big tour groups and being surrounded by loud fellow tourists can sap the life out of even the greatest of travel experiences. This score is to reflect just how much you can avoid this. But. . . The score also takes into account if the crowds actually add to the experience, such as with a party town or a bustling local market
5
World famous
How world famous is the experience?
8
unique
How hard is it to have a similar experience in other places round the world?
10
Overall TE Score
The overall travel experiences score:  fun factor + avoid the crowds + (best of nature or culture) + (best of world famous or unique). Then convert into a score out of 100
75 *What the scores mean and where do they come from
RANKING
How this travel experience ranks compared to all the other experiences on this site, based on the travel experience (te) score
101st/457
Top 30%
continent
Asia / Middle East
country
Jordan
Length of time
1 day or less
Typical daily price
This gives you a rough idea of the daily price based on 2 people travelling where they can split costs like accommodation. It excludes travel there and back, and factors in inflation the numbers in brackets show the price range for the full time of the experience (so not necessarily daily). It is a range to reflect different budget vs higher end
$80 (typically $40 - $130)
Time of year visited
January
Primary Tags
Click on any of the tags to see all travel experiences with the same tag
Beaches Cliffs Swimming
All Tags
Christian site Mountains
Wow Factor
Two scores: first is the wow factor which ranges from ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️, and a separate category for the truly "gash". The second is the more analytical travel experience score, which considers 6 varied criteria to give an overall score out of 100.
⭐⭐⭐

Summary

This is just one of those experiences that we’ve all heard about, but really needs to be experienced to be believed.  Surrounded by history with the likes of Jerusalem, the King’s Highway and crusader castles nearby, you are very likely not only in this part of the world for the Dead Sea.  But, if you are, be sure to give it a go as its heaps of fun.  Plus, has the added attraction of being the lowest point on earth (408 metres below sea level).

You’ll most realistically access it via one of the hotels / spa treatment areas because you’ll want access to running water, ease of walking into the sea, towels, access to mud etc.  The extra cost, either through a day pass or access via the hotel, is worth it.

Highlights

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#1 Floating - really floating! - on top of the water and trying as much as you can to push yourself down. Heaps of fun

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#2 The views out across the world-famous Dead Sea and its surrounding shores

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#3 If driving through, checking out the former crusader castles such as those of Karak

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#4 Taking in the beautiful scenes nearby made famous by the bible

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#5 The views and mosaics of Mount Nebo

Travel tips

  • We stayed at the Dead Sea Marriott Resort & Spa for a night and would recommend it.  They have the simple access to the Dead Sea with the towels, running water, crocs for your feet, mud for rubbing all over yourself etc, plus a series of cascading levels which all give nice views of the Dead Sea, especially for sunset.  Its JD50 to access the beach if you’re not staying the night as a guest, and this also includes a food voucher for the buffet which is good
  • Make sure you slaver yourself in mud for the supposed healing properties, but mainly just for fun
  • Really try not to get the water in your eyes or in your mouth – it is SUPER salty.  Roughly 10 times that of the sea you are used to and can be quite unpleasant – even taking a tiny lick!
  • We went in January so the air temperature was cold (around 18 Celsius), but the water was fine for swimming in
  • Couple of hours max needed
  • Nearby I’d say Jerash and Karak Castle are worth visiting; Mount Nebo, Amman, Madaba less so
  • For a bigger Jordan and Israel itinerary – see the entry for the A supercharged week seeing the highlights of Israel and Jordan, for the highlights and tips on how to have the best trip

Experiences Nearby

Wow Factor Score Two scores: first is the wow factor which ranges from ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ to ⭐️, and a separate category for the truly "gash". The second is the more analytical travel experience score, which considers 6 varied criteria to give an overall score out of 100. LowHigh
  • Elite, unmissable
  • World-class, downsides
  • Meets the Wow Factor
  • Worth it
  • Meh
  • Gash

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Score Detail

The scores above are the real point of this site.

Over 20+ years and 100+ countries, I’ve tried to rank the world’s best travel experiences - from genuinely mind-blowing ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ to the properly gash.

Every one of the 500+ places on this site has both a Wow Factor rating and a more analytical Travel Experience (TE) score based on the things that actually make travel memorable.

If you're curious about the thinking behind it, head to the About page.

Otherwise, explore the map above or on the Home page and see which places truly deliver maximum wow.

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