Dead Sea
The lowest point on the planet, water so dense you can read the paper while floating, and rust-coloured cliffs: the strangest swim of a lifetime.
Suggested stay — 1 night
At 430 metres below sea level the air thickens, your eardrums feel it, and the water — ten times saltier than the ocean — literally expels you towards the surface: you float sitting up, legs outstretched, laughing. The full ritual includes the coat of mineral-rich black mud, drying in the sun and the rinse that leaves baby-soft skin. Practically, you choose between the equipped public beaches near Sweimeh and a resort day pass (JD 20-40), showers and pools included — essential, as the salt burns at the slightest graze.
The Jordanian shore is earned by car on Route 65, which hugs the turquoise water beneath rust-red cliffs — one of the country's most beautiful roads. Halfway along, Wadi Mujib offers the best counter-programme: the Siq Trail, a water hike between walls 100 m high, wading up the torrent to a waterfall, harness and life jacket provided (April-October). The viewpoint on the Madaba road, 1,200 m above the water, closes the show at sunset.
Don't miss
- The float-swim, black mud included, public beach or resort
- The Wadi Mujib Siq Trail, a water hike between the canyon walls (April-October)
- Route 65 along the shore, photo stops at the salt evaporation pans
- Mount Nebo and the Madaba mosaics, on the road from Amman
Our tips on the ground
- Don't shave the day before and protect the slightest cut: the salt turns every graze into a fire alarm. And not one drop in the eyes — rinse immediately on contact.
- Wear an old swimsuit: salt and mud punish fabric and colours. Flip-flops compulsory — the salt crystals cut like glass.
- Aim for late afternoon: raking light on the cliffs opposite (Israel and the West Bank), the heat fallen, and the sunset over the water as a bonus.
Our flagship guide — €29
Guide available“Jordan on Your Own”, the complete edition, is out
10 chapters: day-by-day itineraries, driving and transport, a costed budget and checklists — the same method as our Namibia guide.
The guide is currently written in French — an English edition is in the works.
Before you go
Readers' questions about Dead Sea
Public beach or resort for the swim?
The equipped public beach (basic showers, a few dinars) is enough for the one-hour experience; a resort day pass (JD 20-40) adds pools, loungers, showers worthy of the name and mud supplied — welcome if the Dead Sea is your relaxation stop. Either way, the flotation is identical: physics is doing the entertaining.
How long can you stay in the water?
Short sessions: 15-20 minutes maximum, then rinse. The hypersaline water dehydrates the skin, and the slightest swallowed mouthful is a very bad moment. You don't really swim — putting your head under is genuinely risky — you float, you pose, you laugh, you get out. Two or three dips in the day beat one long one.