First, pardon the quality of the images in this post. It was so dark and our phones were limping in quality.
Our recommendation from very hard experience, if it’s your first time at Ein Kedem springs – come in daylight or with someone who knows the way. if you’re alone and at night and it’s your first time there, it’s not worth it and don’t come.
You have to understand that the surface of this whole area is constantly changing. There are many sinkholes in the area, quicksands, potholes, no road markings and no lighting.
And if someone had told us this before, maybe we would have been spared two hours of horror 😱
But we didn’t have a righteous person in Sodom, which we were also in the area of Sodom and set off.
A charming couple who wanted hot springs in the Dead Sea
We took a zimmer (B&B) in the southern area of the Dead Sea in Neve Zohar and were really looking for an interesting attraction at night.
We heard a lot of recommendations, mainly from different Facebook groups and friends, about going to the hot springs of Ein Kedem at night. We asked the owner of the B&B about directions and he sent us a post on Facebook with the most obvious explanation possible.
We were told that there is a good vibe there, a lot of young guys come at night with musical instruments and jam all night.
On the surface it sounded really fun and we set off for the northern Dead Sea.
Waze: Ein Kedem Springs
Please note: There is no signage. There are many vehicles parked up there and the descent from the road to a dirt road is a bit dangerous. The vehicles drive fast on highway 90 and the dirt road has potholes. And don’t forget that there is no lighting at night. It’s best to slow down before.
Ein Kedem Hot Springs at Night at the Dead Sea
After driving half an hour – 40 minutes north from Neve Zohar we arrived at the location according to the instructions, really close to the cliffs of Dragot.
As I mentioned before, the owner of the B&B sent us a Facebook post with directions to the hot springs. I won’t attach the post here because it may have been true in the past, but for when we were and more at night it really wasn’t.
After we parked, we started going down towards the Dead Sea and to the right (south). The road is very winding and we fumble after jeep tire tracks on the road. After 40 minutes of walking, we feel that the ground is soft and a little sinking and it becomes harder for us to walk. We look towards Highway 90 and it is very high and far from us. We keep walking and suddenly realize a huge hole (sinkhole) so deep that we can’t see its bottom.
What is written versus what is on the ground
According to the instructions we received – we looked for a huge rock with a rectangle painting on it which took us a long time to find, but after a long walk in the quicksand we found the long-awaited rock and around it everything was with pits and quicksand. We heard a raging stream next to us (Nahal Kedem) and reached some high cliff that we were afraid would collapse.
We decided to stop for a moment, we walked for two hours, the road is dark, rocky, the pits are multiplying, we got another sole of mud from all the quicksand – and we didn’t see any living soul on the way! Not even one person. We sat down on the rock with the rectangle, which is more of a lump of salt than a rock. We recalculated the route and decided to return – just not worth the risk.
We couldn’t find the hot springs, going back
The way back was simpler and shorter and when we reached a line parallel to the car’s parking lot we decided to at least take a dip in the Dead Sea, even if we didn’t find the hot springs.
We reached the sea and what’s right next to it? Hot springs.
20 minutes of walking from the parking towards the east and we found springs with 42 degrees.
This whole round of terror could have been spared if only there had been light or someone who could steer us through the field.
Some tips for upgrading the Ein Kedem springs experience
- For the first time – not at night or without a person familiar with the area – which could have saved our horror story.
- If already at night (again, not recommended for the first time) – bring a headlamp with you – the road is completely dark and there is lighting only from the moonlight.
- Bring fresh water with you to wash – The hot water of the springs contains sulfur and fats from the salt, unpleasant on the body for a long time after leaving the water.
- This is also a general tip for the entire Dead Sea region that includes water sources – prepare bottles of fresh water in advance that you will always have with you to wash before getting into the car.
- If water has already been washed – heat it in the hot spring – you can insert the fresh water bottles into the hot water hole to make it warm and pleasant for the time of rinsing.
- Don’t forget a swimsuit and comfortable walking shoes
A few words in conclusion
The next day we arrived during the daytime at the place worth seeing where we walked at night.
We looked down at the area we were in and saw the amount of sinkholes that were around, and in retrospect it’s even more frightening and dangerous. We came to the hot springs during the daytime and it was really nice. You can definitely skip the night attraction.
