Day Trips from JerusalemMasada, Ein Gedi and Dead Sea Tour from Jerusalem
The Masada, Ein Gedi and Dead Sea tour from Jerusalem covers the three headline sights of the Judean Desert in one coached day: the fortress of Masada, the Ein Gedi oasis and a swim at a private Dead Sea beach. The ticket is $99 per person and the day runs about 9 hours, door to door from the David Citadel Hotel. It suits travellers who want a guided, fixed-price ride to all three sites with daily guaranteed departures and no driving of their own. Groups run up to 30 with a live English-speaking guide. One honest edge worth knowing before you book: the listing is the cheapest of the Masada days in this catalog and the only one that walks into Ein Gedi rather than passing it, but four entry fees totalling $53.91 (167 NIS) are paid on the day on top of the ticket. Budget for that before you commit. If you want a wider field before deciding, compare day trips from Jerusalem in the full catalog.
Masada, Ein Gedi & Dead Sea Tour at a Glance
$99 per person
1 day (about 9 hours)
4.4 from 249 reviews
Up to 30 people
David Citadel Hotel, King David St 7, Jerusalem
1.5 hours on Masada, 2 hours at Ein Gedi, 2.5 hours at the Dead Sea
Check Live Dates & Prices
Quick answer Price, fees on the day, stop lengths and the meeting point in short order
The deciding constraint first: the $99 ticket does not include the entrance fees, which total $53.91 (167 NIS) per person and are paid in cash on the day. The day lasts about 9 hours, with 1.5 hours on Masada by cable car, 2 hours at Ein Gedi and 2.5 hours at a private Dead Sea beach. The tour meets at the David Citadel Hotel, King David St 7, Jerusalem, and returns there by coach. A live English guide travels with a group of up to 30. Departures are guaranteed daily and the itinerary can shift with the weather.
Key takeaways
- Want the fees already paid? The Masada and the Dead Sea Day Trip from Jerusalem includes the cable car, Masada entry and the beach in its $111 price.
- Short on time? The Half-Day Bethlehem Guided Tour from Jerusalem packs a guided visit into 4 hours at $75.
- Prefer a longer desert day that adds Jericho and the Jordan River? See the Bethlehem, Jericho and Jordan River Day Tour from Jerusalem.
What the $99 Ticket Covers
The listing prices this day at $99 per person and runs it daily with guaranteed departures. That price buys the coach transport for the whole circuit, a live guide in English and the organisation of all three stops in the right order. Groups are standard, up to 30 people, which keeps the pace workable at the sites.
The tour also runs from Tel Aviv, so the same product serves two cities.
What you pay separately
Four entrance fees are not in the ticket and are collected on the day: Masada National Park at $11.94 (37 NIS), the Masada cable car at $17.43 (54 NIS), the Ein Gedi Reserve at $10.01 (31 NIS) and the private Dead Sea beach at $14.53 (45 NIS). Together that is $53.91 (167 NIS) per person on top of the ticket. Personal travel insurance and tips are also excluded.
Bring cash.
Booking terms
Free cancellation applies up to 24 hours before the start, and the listing offers a reserve now, pay later option. The operator notes the day is likely to sell out, so booking ahead matters more than with quieter products. The start time is shown at checkout.
The lower terrace of the Northern Palace at Masada. Photo: Carole Raddato from FRANKFURT, Germany, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Masada and Herod's Fortress
Masada is a mountain-top fortress in the Judaean Desert above the western shore of the Dead Sea. Its flat top is a natural plateau rising over 400 m (1,300 ft) above the land around it. King Herod the Great built palaces, storerooms, bathhouses and a water system up there, including a palace on three terraces set into the northern cliff.
The visit is guided and lasts 1.5 hours, and you go up by cable car rather than climbing the snake path on foot. From the top you get wide views over the Dead Sea and the desert. Historically the site is best known as the last holdout of Jewish rebels in the First Jewish-Roman War, until Roman forces broke through in 73/74 AD after building a siege ramp.
The guide walks you through the ruins and the story.
Masada is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, see the UNESCO page on Masada.
Two Hours in the Ein Gedi Oasis
Ein Gedi is an oasis nature reserve on the western shore of the Dead Sea, with springs, waterfalls and shade along its walking trails. The listing gives this stop a full 2 hours, the longest planned walk of the day. You follow the reserve paths past running water and desert vegetation, a sharp contrast to the rock you have just come down from at Masada.
Wildlife is part of the draw. Ibex move through the reserve and the listing highlights the native animals as a reason to visit. Wear the comfortable shoes the listing asks for, because the trail involves real walking.
Water shoes stay in the bag for now, they come into play at the beach. This stop is what sets the listing apart: the other Masada day sees Ein Gedi from the road, this one goes in.
The Day on Video
Third-party footage, useful for judging the sites and the pace before you book. We did not film it and have no relationship with the creator.
The Day, Stage by Stage
The listing gives stage durations rather than a fixed clock schedule, and the start time is shown at checkout. Here is the shape of the day as the operator describes it, about 9 hours from door to door.
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Pickup
David Citadel Hotel
Meet at the David Citadel Hotel, King David St 7, Jerusalem. The start time is shown at checkout. Board the coach, meet your English-speaking guide and set off with up to 30 fellow travellers.
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On the road
Coach to Masada
105 minutes by coach from Jerusalem, dropping from the hills toward the Dead Sea, the lowest land on Earth. The guide sets up the story of Herod's fortress on the way down.
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At Masada
Guided visit and cable car
Ride the cable car up the plateau for a 1.5-hour guided tour of Herod's palaces, bathhouses and storerooms, with views over the Dead Sea. Masada National Park entry, $11.94 (37 NIS), and the cable car, $17.43 (54 NIS), are paid here on the day.
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At Ein Gedi
Oasis walk
2 hours in the Ein Gedi Reserve, an oasis of springs, waterfalls and ibex on the Dead Sea shore. The reserve entry is $10.01 (31 NIS), paid on the day. Wear comfortable shoes.
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At the Dead Sea
Private beach swim
2.5 hours at a private beach. Float in water about 34% salt, try the mineral mud, rinse and dry off. The beach fee is $14.53 (45 NIS). Swimwear, towel and water shoes earn their place in your bag here.
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Return
Back to Jerusalem
A 1-hour coach ride back to the David Citadel Hotel after about 9 hours in total. The operator notes the itinerary may change with unpredictable weather, so stop order and timing can shift.
The David waterfall in the Ein Gedi reserve. Photo: Radosław Botev, CC BY 3.0 pl, via Wikimedia Commons.
The Dead Sea Beach
The final stop is a private beach on the Dead Sea, the lowest land on Earth. The lake surface sits 439.78 m (1,443 ft) below sea level. The water is about 34% salt, 9.6 times saltier than the ocean, with a density of 1.24 kg per litre.
That is why swimming here means floating. You lean back and the water holds you up, no effort required. Many visitors smear the famous mineral mud on their skin before rinsing off.
The listing allows 2.5 hours here, the longest stop of the day, enough time to float, mud up, rinse and dry off. Bring swimwear, a towel and water shoes, as the listing asks. Watch the clock your guide sets.
What to bring
The listing asks for the following, and cash for the entry fees is the item people forget:
- Comfortable shoes
- Sunglasses
- Sun hat
- Swimwear
- Towel
- Sunscreen
- Water shoes
- Cash for the entry fees
Where the Tour Meets
The tour leaves from and returns to the David Citadel Hotel on King David Street.
Who This Day Fits
This listing fits travellers who want all three Judean Desert headline sights in one guided day without renting a car. The live English guide, the fixed meeting point at the David Citadel Hotel and the daily guaranteed departures make it simple to plan. The 2-hour Ein Gedi walk and the 1.5 hours on Masada involve genuine walking, so a basic level of fitness helps, though nothing here is a climb.
It fits less well if you want everything prepaid, since four fees land on the day in cash, or if you dislike coach groups, since up to 30 people travel together. If you would rather skip the desert entirely for a day, the city-side options in this catalog cover different ground. The Half-Day Bethlehem Guided Tour from Jerusalem gives you a UNESCO-listed church in 4 hours.
The Nazareth and Sea of Galilee Tour from Jerusalem heads north for a long day of Gospel sites. And if the desert is what pulls you but a full day does not, the Judean Desert Jeep Tour from Jerusalem: Mar Saba and the Desert Cliffs does the scenery by 4x4 in half the time, ages 13 and over.
Bus 486 and the driving route are compared in Jerusalem to the Dead Sea.
The Dead Sea shore, where the water has pulled far back from the cliffs. Photo: Mustang Joe, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
What the Day Costs All In
The $99 ticket is not the price you pay for the day. The table adds the four gate fees from the listing, converted at 3.10 shekels to the dollar, and sets the total against the Masada day that includes them.
| Item | This tour | Masada and the Dead Sea day trip |
|---|---|---|
| Ticket | $99 | $111 |
| Gate fees on the day | $53.91 (167 NIS) | Included |
| Total per person | $152.91 | $111 |
| Time at Ein Gedi | 2 hours on foot | Seen from the road |
| Time at the beach | 2.5 hours | 90 minutes |
| Group size | Up to 30 | Up to 40 |
Who should pay the extra
Walkers who want the David waterfall and the springs of Ein Gedi get a stop no other trip here offers, plus an extra hour in the water. If neither matters, the Masada and the Dead Sea Day Trip from Jerusalem is $41.91 cheaper per person all in and picks you up at your hotel.
How It Compares
The table below puts this listing next to the closest alternatives in the catalog. The main split among the Masada days is simple: this one is cheapest and includes Ein Gedi as a real visit, while the Dead Sea day includes the fees instead. Figures current for Q4 2026.
| Tour | From | Length | Main stops | The difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Masada, Ein Gedi and Dead Sea Tour from Jerusalem | $99 | 1 day (about 9 hours) | Masada, Ein Gedi, the Dead Sea | The only one that walks into Ein Gedi, but $53.91 (167 NIS) of fees paid on the day |
| Masada and the Dead Sea Day Trip from Jerusalem | $111 | 9 hours | Masada, the Dead Sea | $111 with all entry fees and the cable car included, groups up to 40, Ein Gedi seen from the road only |
| Half-Day Bethlehem Guided Tour from Jerusalem | $75 | 4 hours | Bethlehem | $75, the shortest and best rated day here, rated 4.8 from 619 reviews |
| Judean Desert Jeep Tour from Jerusalem: Mar Saba and the Desert Cliffs | $130 | 4 hours | Judean Desert, Mar Saba viewpoint | $130 by 4x4, no entry fees, ages 13 and over, monastery seen from a viewpoint |
| Bethlehem, Jericho and Jordan River Day Tour from Jerusalem | $150 | 10 hours | Bethlehem, Jericho, the Jordan River | $150 across the West Bank, Hisham's Palace and Old Jericho 10 NIS each on the day |
Questions About the Masada, Ein Gedi & Dead Sea Tour
Can you see the Dead Sea from Masada on the Masada, Ein Gedi & Dead Sea Tour?
Yes. Masada is a plateau rising over 400 m (1,300 ft) above the desert beside the western shore of the Dead Sea, and the views from the top take in the water and the surrounding desert. The listing describes sweeping views of the Dead Sea from the fortress during the guided visit.
Are the Masada and Ein Gedi entrance fees included?
No. The $99 ticket excludes all entry fees. Masada National Park is $11.94 (37 NIS), the cable car is $17.43 (54 NIS) and the Ein Gedi Reserve is $10.01 (31 NIS), with the private Dead Sea beach adding $14.53 (45 NIS). You pay all four in cash on the day. If you prefer fees included, the Masada and the Dead Sea Day Trip from Jerusalem bundles them into its $111 price.
How much cash do I need for the entry fees?
Bring $53.91 (167 NIS) per person in cash to cover the four fees: Masada National Park, the cable car, the Ein Gedi Reserve and the private beach. The listing also excludes personal travel insurance and tips, so carry a little extra for those. The listing asks you to bring cash.
How long is the stop at Ein Gedi?
The listing gives 2 hours at Ein Gedi, the second longest stop of the day after the Dead Sea beach. That covers walking the reserve trails among the springs, waterfalls and ibex. It is the main reason this listing stands apart from Masada days that only pass the oasis.
Where does the Masada, Ein Gedi and Dead Sea tour start?
It starts and ends at the David Citadel Hotel, King David St 7, Jerusalem, with the exact start time shown at checkout. The same product also runs from Tel Aviv, so travellers based there can join the identical circuit. Free cancellation applies up to 24 hours before the start.
Recent Traveller Reviews
Max eas a great guide who loves ppl and loves everything about hes " job "
From start to finish, this tour was exceptional. Our guide, Marco Alexander, was hilarious!
It was very nice, everything was well thought out and coordinated
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