Dead Sea
ATTRACTION Keywords:
Must-Do Experience,
Must-Do Experience,
Nature & Wildlife,
Nature & Wildlife,
Swim & Snorkel,
Swim & Snorkel,
Monument - Natural,
Monument - Natural
Dead Sea Reviews
We've found 33 Dead Sea reviews from Viator.com travelers and members: what they loved, what they liked and what they think could be improved. It's all here to help you make the most of your next trip.
Review by B W W, March 2013
Doing what: Masada and the Dead Sea Day Trip from Jerusalem
It was great fun getting plastered with mud and floating in the Dead Sea and the fort at Masada was very impressive. The tour guide was very knowledgeable but rather sergeant major like in her attitude to herding us around. We could have lived without the sales trip to the cosmetics factory - unwelcome commercilaisation in an otherwise rewarding tour.
Review by tony m, February 2013
Doing what: Highlights of Israel Day Trip from Tel Aviv: Jerusalem and the Dead Sea
Very good service, guide was very knowledgeable and looked after everyone well. We were very unlucky to have bad weather which stopped us visiting the Dead Sea. However the tour guide was very good at explaining and rearranging the day so we got to see Bethlehem instead which was very worthwhile.
Review by Merlin S, November 2012
Doing what: Masada and the Dead Sea Day Trip from Jerusalem
A great day out, saw everything we wanted to, loved floating in the Dead Sea!
Review by Judy I, November 2012
Doing what: Masada and the Dead Sea Day Trip from Jerusalem
A terrific tour led by a guide who had an obvious passion for the desert and the Dead Sea. Floating in the Dead Sea after a curative mud bath, followed by a relaxing 30 minutes in the warmth of the sulphur spring, is a great way to forget all your troubles.
Review by Karen S, November 2012
Doing what: Dead Sea Spa and Wellness Trip from Tel Aviv
Our Tour Guide, "Ayyha" )sp?) was less than pleasant. We had signed up for the Dead Sea Tour only, but it became evident that people going to Masada were also on our bus. Our Tour guide offered to include us on the trip to Masada, and we also wanted a massage; this proved to be impossible to discuss with her. Any questions from us regarding price, or how long things would take were met with responses like: "look - do you want to go or not...you must decide now..there is no time to discuss". Some customers left the bus by accident when we arrived at the Dead Sea, and rather than explaining politely (they spoke very little English) our Tour guide referred to them as "Taiwan" and hollered at them: Taiwan - you -get back on the bus!" over and over again until they figured out what she wanted. She never explained things very well and seemed like she would have rather been anywhere else than there. The stop at the factory would have been fine if we hadn;t been attacked by sales people who kept trying to order us into a sales room for a sales pitch. The experience did NOT encourage us to buy from them. Our bus was a "Sasha" tour bus, and our trip was Friday the 2nd of November, I believe. We really feel that the web site could be better at explaining what our options were and how much it would cost. Trying to extract this information from the Tour Guide was not possible...we would have been better customers...no one likes to feel like they are being railroaded.
Review by Patricia A, October 2012
Doing what: Highlights of Israel Day Trip from Tel Aviv: Jerusalem and the Dead Sea
We were picked up at 7am, and taken to the meeting site...We boarded the Jerusalem Dead Sea tour...we brought snacks and bottle water for the road trip,(its a long day, highly recomend it..) our tour guide was very informative and nice...the holy city is amazing a must see, before the dead sea we stopped at a rest stop to buy food and water and souvenirs, then to the dead sea...also amazing, wish we could have spent more time there enjoying the public beach....we had a great time..we love VIATOR..thank you for taking good care of us.....Jimmy, Becky, and Donna from Arizona, USA.....
Review by Elizabeth A, October 2012
Doing what: Dead Sea Spa and Wellness Trip from Jerusalem
I am very disappointed with our tour of the Dead Sea, which I booked through Viator. The tour took place on Saturday, October 20th.
To start, I was told via email when I confirmed our reservation that our pick up from Dan Panorama Hotel would be at 8am. When no one showed up, I called and was told this was a mistake--that Jerusalem pick ups started at 8:30am. At 8:45am, we were picked up and brought to Mount Scopus hotel, and told to wait in the lobby. It was completely confusing--I had no idea that we would be brought to a separate location. I called you again, and was told that our guide would come in to the lobby at Mount Scopus Hotel and call us by name when our tour bus was ready.
Instead, our tour guide (Elia was her name, if I remember correctly) came in and yelled "Dead Sea/Masada!". Since we booked for the Dead Sea "wellness" trip, I did not think this referred to my mom and I, but after a while, we were two of the few people left in the lobby, so I went to her to ask. Turns out that she had my mother's name on her list--not mine, even though I was the primary traveler---and that we were supposed to go on her bus. She never came into the lobby to call us by name, nor did she say "Dead Sea only" until I had already gone up to her to ask if her group was the one my mom and I were supposed to travel with. It was a very frustrating and disorganized start to the day.
After stopping at Sea Level, we visited the Ahava factory--another unexpected part of the trip. When we finally made it to the Dead Sea at Mineral Beach (until that point I had no idea where at the Dead Sea we would be heading), I finally started to relax and enjoy myself. My mom and I were ready to board the bus again at 4pm, because Elia told us that's when we would depart, but instead she found us at 3:45pm and said that the rest of the group who had gone on to Masada had come back late and that we would leave at 4:45pm instead. In reality, we left a half hour later than that, and 5:15pm.
At this point I was frustrated because I felt the Tour Operator (and/or Viator, with whom I made my booking) should have told me that the initial pick up would take us to Mount Scopus, where we would have to wait; our group would be included with a group going to Masada as well, instead of just the Dead Sea as I had booked; the tour would stop at Ahava; the Dead Sea portion would be at Mineral Beach, while the rest of the tour went to Masada; there would be a risk of a late return to Jerusalem if the Masada group got delayed, etc etc. None of these elements of the tour were communicated ahead of time.
All of that was annoying, but as my mother and I are part Palestinian, I was outraged and deeply offended when Elia, our tour guide, told our group how Arabs were responsible for all of Israel's problems, and how "anti-Israelism" is a politically correct front for anti-Semitism, how we shouldn't believe what we read in media about Israel because it doesn't reflect reality, etc etc. She is certainly entitled to her opinion, but I thought that was very inappropriate and highly unprofessional to introduce her own personal views--completely unprompted--to a tour group.
I will never use your tour company again after such a poor performance. I am very disappointed.
Review by Isobel C, September 2012
Doing what: Masada and the Dead Sea Day Trip from Jerusalem
Excellent value. The guide (forget the name) was magnficent and obviously very proud Israeli. Masada rates for me along with the Lost City of the Incas for spectacular enactment of previous history. The Dead sea was a unique experience but no one where I could personally see the value in spending an entire day as did some tour participants. Pick ups were prompt and whilst the congregation at meeting points with other tours was unavoidable it did not detract from the overall merits of the trip. Would certainly recommend
Review by andrew c, June 2012
Doing what: Masada and the Dead Sea Day Trip from Jerusalem
In principle the trip was very good as was the guide and driver.and collection times. But, the masada part wasn't very thorough and we had a disaster at the Dead Sea as they had failed to explain to us that rubber soled shoes were essential in view of the very stony beach they had taken us to.
That made barefoot walking on such stones, being very hot, extremely painful and under water even more so.
Even though they pick you up from your hotel, they don't necessarily return you to it.
Review by Zehra S, June 2012
Doing what: Masada and the Dead Sea Day Trip from Jerusalem
This trip was worth the money. You get to spend enough time in Masada and at the Dead Sea and even driving there is really inyteresting. Biggest minus was that you do not stop at Jericho (Palestine), if this was included it would be perfect!
Review by Diane S, USA, June 2012
Doing what: Masada and the Dead Sea Day Trip from Jerusalem
I really enjoyed this trip. It was a long day because Masada is a distance from Jerusalem, but it gave us a good chance to see the country. Masada itself is pretty well preserved, and you can even see the Roman forts of the army that besieged the plateau. It was much larger that I was expecting, and much higher! Going up in the cable car is quick, but it is a long way down. We got a long stop at the Dead Sea and we had plenty of time to swim and/or cover ourselves in the mud. This tour had the usual problems tours have (the must stop at the tourist shop), but overall, we had plenty of time to see what I wanted to see.
Review by Cathleen C, May 2012
Doing what: Masada and the Dead Sea Day Trip from Jerusalem
Wonderful, wonderful guide!! Haya (sp?) was so informative! Great sense of humor! ! Loved the tour of Masada - perfect time of the year to be there. Swimming at the Dead Sea location was crowded and not as clean as other parts I've been too and would have liked. Beautiful day - education, fun and sun!
Review by Mark W, May 2012
Doing what: Highlights of Israel Day Trip from Tel Aviv: Jerusalem and the Dead Sea
The Dead Sea was amazing but I felt like we were rushed through Jerusalem. The guides was very rude to some of the other guests.
Review by Jason G, May 2012
Doing what: Highlights of Israel Day Trip from Tel Aviv: Jerusalem and the Dead Sea
First half of the day was excellent. Tour guide was very knowledgable, friendly and funny. Really enjoyed this part of the day. When we split up and went to the Dead Sea - this was a little disappointing. The guide was more of a driver and just said - "Ok see you back here in 2 hours". Was at the Dead Sea for too long.
Review by Yuriy U, United States of America, May 2012
Doing what: Masada and the Dead Sea Day Trip from Jerusalem
Tour guide was below average, had no enthusiasm at all. The first stop was in the Dead Sea product cosmetic store for almost an hour. When we finally arrived to Massada, she rashed the group to the cable car and we got lost. Main points were covered but nothing extra.
