Matzada, Ein Gedi, Dead Sea

The Student's Union at Sede Boqer organized a student trip this weekend. We went to Matzada, Ein Gedi nature reserve, and the Dead Sea.

The trip began, after a very curvy road, at Matzada. Matzada is an ancient fortress where the last stand of the Jews against the Romans took place. You can read a bit about the history of Matzada here: Matzada history

We walked up the path to the fortress (the path at the back--not the historical snake path up the front).


Part of the fortress on top of the cliff


Inside the fortress are some impressive tile floors.

You can still see some of the remains of the Roman camps. Here is a view from the top of the fortress.




After Matzada, we went to Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, near the dead sea. There is a natural spring there, and it is an amazingly lush, green spot in the middle of the desert.


Grass at Ein Gedi, with the Dead Sea and the Jordanian Mountains in the background.


The waterfalls at Ein Gedi create pools at the bottom. We went for a swim after our hike to the waterfalls. Swimming outside at the end of November!

Finally, we ended up at the Dead Sea. The Dead Sea is an incredibly salty sea between Israel and Jordan. You can actually see the salt in the water (it looks viscous) and it feels really oily against the skin. The water is also so salty, that you can float on the surface without effort....


It's a very bizarre feeling. Once your legs start floating to the top, there is no way to stop them--they just pop right up to the surface! Getting back out is an adventure, especially not getting the salt in your eyes as you try and put one leg down into the water, grip at the bottom with your toes so that you can hold that leg in place while trying to put the other one down, all the while both your feet are inexplicably drawn to the surface. Starting from floating on your front is even more of an adventure. It's not a place I would choose to go relax in the water, but it's something that has to be tried!

The sun started setting and it got cold really quickly! We all bundled up and headed back to Sede Boqer. Here's a view of the Dead Sea at the end of the day, with the Jordanian mountains in the background.


p.s. thanks for the comments Tess!