Dead Sea, Masada At Sunrise And Ein Gedi Tour From Jerusalem

My flights into Israel were suddenly cancelled causing a more than 24 hour delay in my arrival. That meant in turn that I was going to miss my scheduled tour. I emailed Abraham Tours to explain the situation and asked to be moved to another date; while waiting for a reply - caused by the time difference - I got worried that the only other date I could go was going to fill up, so I made a second booking. Abraham Tours not only honored my request to move my original booking to the new date, they refunded my money for the second booking. They didn't have to do that, so I really appreciate it. The tour itself was everything I hoped it would be. Abraham Tours has it down to a science with excellent scheduling, ample time on site, clear directions, and a comfortable bus experience en route. I would 100% take additional tours with them next time I am in Israel!

Samuel was very knowledgeable. The tour was prompt and meeting point was easy to find. My husband hiked the masada up/down. He said, it was a little hard with his bad knees . Bring a small flashlight because it is still a little dark at 5am. But the view up the Masada is interesting. Ein Jedi and Dead Sea was amazing. The tour gave us enough time to explore.

This was the highlight of our two-week stay in Israel. It was worth every step of the hike up Masada in the dark to be at the top to see the sun rise. Tour leader Liori did a superb job. She was brilliantly organised, gave clear instructions and useful tips as we arrived at each spot, without being overbearing. The day was well-structured and we had plenty of time at each of the three stops to enjoy where we were. We'd highly recommend this trip and I'd use Abraham Tours again on our next visit to Israel.

We were told the snake path was closed, and the tour left 45 minutes later than usual because of it. When we got to Masada we were told the path is actually open, and we're hiking it, when sunrise was in 15 minutes and it's nearly an hour hike up. Also, for the price I was not expecting such a large group - it was a full coach bus (54 people). Our guide/organizer for the day was great though, and we did get a decent amount of time at each place.

Tour was great! Our driver Sami went above and beyond. On the drive he told us about the places we were passing and the history of the places we visited. We learned so much. I have been on other tours to the same places but this one was by far the best thanks to Sami.

The tour runs like clockwork. Climbing Masada before sunrise is an unforgettable experience. Highly recommended

This tour is worth the start time - the hike up to Masada was one of my favorite experiences in Israel! It would have been nice to have time to do a longer loop through Ein Gedi, but we were still able to see a few waterfalls (and were tired from the Masada hike anyway). My group got extra time at the Dead Sea, so we had plenty of time to enjoy it. After two days of much larger tour groups, it was great to be in a smaller group and have the freedom to do what I wanted in each place rather than following a guide. I really recommend this to anyone visiting!

The early departure was absolutely worth it. Meeting point at 2.30 am at Abraham and then off we go to Jerusalem for pick ups and then Masada. We made it to the top in about 45 Minutes, recommended to wear good shoes and bring sunscreen as the sun was already hot at 8 am. Our driver Samuel gave us some Insight as a local during the ride, which completed with the Abraham App was the perfect amount of Information, still giving us independence to wander at our own rhythm. We suggest to do the Wet Trail in Ein Gedi if your a bit adventurous and don’t mind getting your feet wet :)

It was quite a climb up the Snake Trail, but this 68-year old made it. I earned a beer at the lowest bar on Earth at the Dead Sea stop.

Really amazing experiences, all three of them. The sunrise at Massada was great, even though we unfortunately arrived a bit too late so the sun was already over the mountains. Ein Gedi was really cool, animals and waterfalls amazing. The dead sea is obviously a one in the world event. Appart from the initial delay the organization was flawless and the guide was nice and informative.

I'm very happy with my decision to take the sunrise at Masada, Ein Gedi and Dead Sea tour. I was staying at Abraham Hostels so pick up was easy and guests get a tour discount. Loved hiking up to Masada at sunrise since I had no interest in taking the cable car or the mid day heat. There was plenty of time at the top to watch the sunrise and then explore. Ein Gedi was interesting. Wish we had more time there but I also wasn't super clear on what to see/where to go. Also lots of time at Dead Sea. That's definitely a once in a lifetime experience. Important to remember that this is not a guided tour but you can download a tour on the company's app. I used the guide at Masada and it was enough info for me. I brought a bit of my own food

This tour was an absolute highlight! Our driver Samuel took really good care of us, provided us with free towels and explained to us the disappearance of the Dead Sea. He is a true local and very knowledgeable about the area. The landscapes were stunning! I recommend bringing good hiking shoes, an old swimsuit (because of the dead sea mud) and flipflops!

A tour I would everyone recommend! It started with punctuality 3:35 at the carta parking lot. The bus driver Samuel, drove us safe back and forth and was additionally our unofficial guide. Gave us great information around the trip, was very friendly. The good thing with waking up so early was that there was no traffic at all on the streets. We arrived (16 persons in a great modern van, you could even charge your phone) at Masada together with another bus. At that time there was nobody else there. The climbing up to Masada was moderate difficult. Take your time. At least for us there was enough time because we were early enough to climb up. The sunrise was amazing! The view breathtaking! Take definitely at least one- two bottle of water with you. We left our things in the bus and took only suncream and water with us. We kept on to Ein Gedi, a refreshment after Masada and the heat. Follow the water trail. It is fun. Going through the waterfalls. Take care of your feet, the stones are pretty sharp. Flip flops maybe? There your will find a supermarket with drinks, food, eiscream. We drove further to the Dead Sea. On the way Samuel showed us many interesting places and had a small stop for a foto of the sea. He explained to us all the precautions we need to take for getting into the water. It wasn’t crowded at all. There were life guards on the beach. The restaurant cafe on Kalya beach offers you everything you need. A nice spot, wind blowers, drinks, cold beer, great food, you can even lay down and relax. Driving back was also without traffic. For me, my husband and our son was an amasing experience, felt very safe, the driving was great, would highly recommend. Thank you Samuel! Please don’t forget a Tip. Samuel is only the driver. The tour is supposed to have no guide.

The trip has an early start to allow you to get to Masada and climb up to see the sunrise. It is great to do this as you climb before the heat of the day and thus is slightly more comfortable to do this. The view of the sunrise was amazing and so recommend doing this rather than the same tour without the sunrise. The Masada site itself is ok, so worth spending some time to explore after sunrise. Ein Gedi offers a chance to hike up and see a number of waterfalls, it is quite relaxing, albeit that there is not a vast amount of time at this location to experience the location. The Dead Sea take in a location that is nearest to Jerusalem and was quite busy. There is a chance to float in the sea and have a mud pack! I had previously been to the dead sea at a another location where there were less people and I found that to be more enjoyable, but this covers off the vists to a must do trip to the lowest point on earth.

Great tour overall!! The pickup was smooth and there was a good amount of time allowed for exploring Masada (AMAZING sunset views and ruins). I wish we could have explored Ein Gedi a bit more as Wadi David is not that impressive, but the visit to the Dead Sea was stellar. Could have stayed for hours more!!

I wanted to see Masada and Ein Gedi and the Abraham tour was an ideal way to do so - and being able to get town to Masada before dawn to start the climb was a bonus. Although an ‘unguided’ tour, our driver actually provided a lot of helpful information along the way. I would certainly recommend this tour and also the ‘sunrise’ version if you are keen for a stunning start to your day :-)

The logistic of the tour was amazing. The site was the scenario of the heroic people of Israel. Dignity and proud All my respect for the Israeli people.

I have used tour services all over the world, and in my experience, Abraham Tours might provide the worst customer service. Read the information that they provide very carefully, and double-check with them on anything that is confusing (and if you read it carefully, something will be confusing). They will treat you poorly when you check with them, but it is worth getting it right.

The early wakeup for the sunrise tour was totally worth it! Hike is about 40 minutes and is a great morning workout. Part of hike are steep but doable. When we got to Masada, you have to wait in line to buy entry tickets. Fortunately, we got thee on time but a large line quickly formed and some people probably missed the sunrise because the ticket person was extremely slow. Ein Gedi was a cool stop but not a must-do. The stop for Dead Sea has a restaurant with good food though the service was very slow - worth eating there.Overall, this tour added diversity to our trip since we got to immerse ourselves in an outdoors terrain for most of the day. Abraham was organized and timely in departures and rounding everyone up after each stop

It has been so far my favourite day here. It’s tough to wake up so early but you will be thankful of the effort once you see the sunrise in Masada. Especially interesting is all the history of the place! Must do for history freaks like myself. The oasis in Ein Gedi is also a great place. But the Dead Sea is also an amazing place. You will never ever experience anything similar. Overall it was a great experience with a good and very friendly driver. I just wished for more time at Masada. Next time I will come and stay longer there.

This day trip was an amazing experience! You'll get to see so many beautiful places in one day, do some hiking and get some good exercise at the same time. The tour was very well organized. We had a nice driver who drove a modern minibus with wifi and told us about the destinations. At the locations we had a few hours to hike in our own pace and take in the breathtakingly beautiful views. The excursion felt very safe and I recommend this to anyone who wants to see the Masada desert, Ein Gedi nature reserve and the Dead Sea. Great value for the money!

This tour is amazing and we highly recommend it to everyone. Our driver was really good as well, a history teacher who told us on our way to each site a little story and also keen to answer all our questions. Definitely recommend Abraham tours!!!

We are in our 60s and handled the trail up in time for the sunrise. The small group was collegial and the driver engaging. The waterfalls at Ein Gedi were awesome.

Overall a great experience ! Masada sunrise - Ok you need to get up early to have time to travel to the bottom of the mountain and hike up before sunrise... but it is worth an early rise. The hike is 45 min max if you're fit and better do it in the moon light , when the sun is up, it's roasting ! The views are absolutely amazing. It's a self guided tour so you're free to wander in your own time Ein Geidi - It was nice and relaxed but I would have like to have more time there. There are several hike paths to go to different waterfalls and places in the park but there wasn't enough time so this was reduced to a short and very easy walk to the closest waterfalls ... Dead sea (Kalia beach) It is something to experience, the mud , the floating. Again this could have been longer but the driver was waiting on the dot to return to Jerusalem You leave at 4am and you're back at 1.30 pm ... it could be longer but really after that you really feel like a nap! Great day

The Tour was well organised and the timing was great as we had enough, but not too long breaks. The Sunrise over Masada was really breathtaking after a 50-min. hike to the top (Keep in mind, 30 degrees at 5:30 am in September), and swimming in the Dead sea was a once in a lifetime experience! The driver and the personnel at the hostel were very friendly. The Tour was definitely worth my money and time.

Deposited at back of long line to purchase tickets are Masada. Many in my group did not make it to summit due to time given. Giant ripoff.

Enjoyed trip to Masada, ein Gedi and Dead Sea. Sunrise trip and did hike up Masada which was very challenging. ONLY do this if in good shape otherwise you may not make to top in time allotted 2 hours up and back. My friend (and several others) did not. Not enough time to do slowly. No history info from Samuel our driver about any of the sites but he did give us practical info on the hikes. Use the WiFi on bus so can review history easily on journey. Samuel did share about Dead Sea sinkholes which was interesting. Efficient use of time with only change wished is more time at Masada if hiking it. NO tram for sunrise trip - be forewarned.

O recommend climbing Masada at sunrise, the views really are spectacular. Especially in the summer since it gets unbearably hot very soon after sunrise. I wish we could have more time especially for ein gedi, bit it was so hot, we couldn't do much hiking in the sun anyway. Don't forget to bring flip flops to the dead sea, the sand is scorching!

Even though this should be a self guided tour our driver gave us lot of useful informations about the place visited. The alba in Masada is unforgettable, we did the snake path with the children and it was ok, not too much hard. Ein gedi had a short time stop to be appreciated more but anyway just a taste of it (we saw the cascade and anthilops)! Great experience floating in the Dead sea and make a pond to smooth the skin. Short time at disposal in every stop but necessary to make a complete 10 hours tour (more would be too long with children!). Highly recommended!

My husband and I had a great time making the trip to Masada and the Dead Sea with Eli! Transportation was comfortable and easy, and we appreciated the fact that Eli stopped a couple of times during the ride to provide some context about the area, photo opportunities, etc., even though it was not a guided tour. We had just enough time at each place: we didn't feel rushed but also didn't have time to get bored or tired waiting for it to be time to leave. We'd definitely recommend!

The trip to Masada, Ein Gedi and the Dead Sea was amazing. The tour guide was knowledgeable and entertaining and the three sites (and sights!) were unbelievable. Masada was all history, Ein Gedi was just beautiful and peaceful, and the Dead Sea was both fun and restorative. The bus we travelled in was comfortable and suitable.

The tour was great, but there wasn't much time at the Ein Gedi reserve which had some nice trails to walk and waterfalls to swim in. The driver was really informative and the tour was kept on schedule. The only thing that wasn't really mentioned is that we would need cash to give to the driver at the start of the trip to pay for entrance to the Ein Gedi and Masada parks in order to walk past the lines of people trying to get in. I was lead to believe that we would pay on our own and I could use my travel debit card. The tour is worth doing especially if you want to climb Masada at sunrise, if you don't mind doing it in day time then you can easily get the cable car to avoid the hike in the heat and save a lot of money by taking the public transport to get around.

It is a bare bones tour where they really just take you where you need to be with minimal commentary or fuss. Having said that, it was efficient and well organised. It is absolutely worth waking early and hiking up Masada for the sunrise. It was an amazing experience - getting a cable car up during the day would be nowhere near as special. Ein Gedi was a bit disappointing, but that is because it is summer and the water levels were particularly low - it would be amazing in spring. Finally, the area of the Dead Sea we were taken too was excellent. It wasn’t overrun, facilities were excellent, and it was easy to access.

I tried to email the TOURIST ISRAEL which i found in the google but they can't reply quickly. Luckily Abraham tours have whatsapp whis is there charm to catch me. Althought they are not that fast reply, its ok because everything goes smooth on the next day. The driver is humor and punctual. Everything goes smooth. The shuttle bus is very clean and fully-airconditioned. no strange smell like others. They emailed us the things we must bring which is very important for the first time travellers. I will definitely recommend them.

Really enjoyed it! Great self guided tour, for every fit person recommanded. Was worth waking up early.

Abraham hostel took a good care of us. I wish there was a actual tour guide not just a helper of a driver. Everything else was great. The driver was friendly and drove the vehicle safely.

We got up at 2 AM, came to pick up location and 3:10 AM it appeared that tour won't happen because bus engine is not starting. Come on guys, you must have a plan B for such cases. We rescheduled the tour but this cancellation ruined our further plans in Israel (not even mentioning two sleepless nights in a row). Sorry, but a perfunctory apologie was not enough to me :)

Breathtakingly beautiful and absolutely worth the climb. Just be warned that even as a fit person who exercises a lot, I found the hike to be quite a challenge due to the heat and the height. A basic level of fitness is required. One of the most amazing views I’ve ever seen!

The tour is well organized and I agree that the experience of being in Masada while the sun rises is worth getting up at 3am. Climbing up there requires a reasonable physical condition. Ein Gedi and the public beach at the dead sea are enjoyable as well, but Masada is the real star of the tour.

Overall, we enjoyed our tour to Masada and the Dead Sea, however, we just found the tour to be very rushed. As we arrived at the top of Masada, we didn’t have very much time to explore the sites before heading back down again. We were 3 minutes past the meeting time when we hiked back down Masada and the bus left without us! We were frantically trying to get hold someone who could help us and running around for about 15 minutes before the bus came back for us. This was really stressful. We feel that it would we better to hike up and be able to then spend a bit more time exploring the site and then take the cable car down instead of hiking down. When we were almost at the bottom the cable cars started to run in any case. This would logistically make so much more sense! The tour to the Dead Sea product factory was not mentioned in the description and was a waste of time in our opinion, that could have been better spent relaxing at the Dead Sea beach. *This is a self guided tour. The site are a 5/5 must see for anyone visiting Israel. The Abraham’s tour is a 3/5.

The tour is perfectly organised and efficient! The bus is very comfortable. I will for sure do it again and for sure do other from the tours available from Abraham.

Definitely worth getting up at 3am, we never did anything similar. Masada is an amazing sight, but actually walking all the way up at sunrise makes you realize that even more. We didn't expect much from Ein Gedi but it was a really pleasant surprise, so don't skip that one. Dead Sea floating is not that spectacular but it's still something you have to do at least once :) The driver was cool, punctual (although he ofc waits for you if you're a bit late), even stopped a few times to let us enjoy the sights and to tell us some interesting stories from his experience. We had more than enough time in Ein Gedi and the Dead Sea, although we could have used a bit more at Masada. There's quite a few things to see once you climb up and you probably want to take a break and maybe have breakfast, and there's just no time for all that. We kind of had to run down to make it.

We had a great trip to Masada and the Dead Sea. Sunset over the desert more then made up for an early start of the day. Our driver, Moshe, was very entertaining, a good story teller who made us laugh a lot and gave fantastic tips to explore Jerusalem. Swimming in the Dead Sea is a must experience as well.

This trip to see the sunrise in Masada, En Gedi and the Dead Sea is a very worthwhile tour and even though it is a non guided tour, Moshe gave us a lot of information full of facts, stories and jokes which were much appreciated and made the tour unforgettable. He was very kind and available, explained a lot about the people and the places, and all with great sense of humour which made it as well interesting for kids. I certainly recommend it to everyone!

This was a worthwhile tour, however, they could skip Ein Gedi as the surrounding area is NOT a natural reserve as nature is collapsing due to excavation of the salts and minerals nearby. The hike up Masada is not for the weak of heart (or legs). It's pretty tough for those not in shape. But once up to the top it has beautiful vistas. But bring water as it's a long hike. And wear hiking or tennis shoes and a flashlight if going in the morning. I think the tour company should skip Ein Gedi and offer massages at the Dead Sea afterwards!!

Perfect trip, well organized and much better than we expected! We booked the tour and got everything we needed in text/paper materials and even in their own Abraham Tours App (you just download the tour you’ve booked and everything’s fine). The pickup point was very clearly described and everything went perfectly well. Early in the morning we left Jerusalem for the Masada, an old fortress on a very steep and high mountain (fitness required, lots of steps and hundrets of meters in height, it’s more a climb than a hike). The overwiev over the dead sea and the mountains was beautiful! Our guide (we didn’t expect to have one because we were told so) was a very nice guy who could tell us lots about everything connected to the history and geography oft he places we visited. He also told us many things about jewish life and traditional living in Israel. After the climb down we went to the Ein Gedi National Park, which is a Wadi/Oasis with a nice waterfall at its end (much less climbing) and lots of cute animals around. You have to pay for Masada and Ein Gedi entrance fees yourself, remind that. After that we went to the Dead Sea beach and had a „float“ (you can’t really swim, that’s clear) on the water. Very nice place, hot showers, changing rooms, facilities and restaurant/shop – it’s all there, like a public swimming pool. This entrance fee was included in the tour. They even brought towels for us! We recommend (as well as Abraham Tours themselves!) to take enough food and water for a long and exhausting day with you, but you can refill your water at every stop (Masada, Ein Gedi and Dead Sea) with cold drinking water for free. The shops along the way have the typical tourist prices but you get everything (only at the Masada there is no shop). To summarize the trip: Perfect! Very good info policy (they even have their own app where you can download all the infos for your booked tour in advance and guide the tour yourself!), reasonable prices and very good organization. They even managed to put us on a transfer trip to Tel Aviv after the tour for a cheap price for sabbath hours! Also the guys in the Abraham Hostels are extremely cool and friendly. They helped us with lots of things, knowing that we were not staying with them! Do it or regret it ;-)

It is an early start to get to Masada before the sun rises. It would have been better if you could get access to Masada a little earlier, our group arrived in good time but there seems to only be 1 person on the entrance charging, but he was in no hurry at all, my group didn't cross into the site until around 5.20, meaning that we really had to rush up the mountain to get there for the sunrise, I was about 3 or 4 minutes from the top when the sun rose. I consider myself to be above average fitness and was ahead of the majority of my group, so this was really disappointing (not in anyway the fault of Abrahams). It is an impressive place (once you can breathe again !!) and got some lovely photos. The nature reserve was a bit random, no real explanation of what it was or what we were supposed to be doing. nice place, though. The Dead Sea place was nice, I don't know what I was expecting, but its a mix of nature (the dead sea) and commercialism (the shops etc), but it works ! So all in all, Abrahams do a good job - on this trip I also found out that they run a shuttle between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv which you can use even if you are not using the hostel.

Would have been 5 star if the beach at the Dead Sea had not been dirty and chaotic. Looked like it had been ploughed and cigarette ends everywhere. However the trip to Masada was just amazing and enough time there to do all you wanted to. Just dodge the large bus tours and it is much better. Ein Gedi was beautiful but just over an hour was a bit short in time and time would have been better spent there than Dead Sea. We had experienced it on the Jordan side and it was so much better. Would have preferred just to go to first 2 stops for longer, but appreciate many people only have that chance to see the dead sea

Despite the fact that it’s a tour without a guide, our driver was a history teacher and knew a lot about the places we visited! The usage of the app is very handy and communication from the tour is clear. Would recommend.