Masada Sunrise Hike in Israel

A Full Review of Tourist Israel’s “Masada Sunrise, Ein Gedi and the Dead Sea” Tour

While planning my trip in my hostel in Tel Aviv, I kept hearing amazing things about Masada. I decided to ask the guy working at the front desk about taking a bus there—specifically, to see it at sunrise.

“No, there’s no point going there just to see Masada. It’s nothing special.”

I was so disappointed after hearing that, because I had had high expectations for Masada. Thankfully, I didn’t listen to him, and I decided to see Masada anyways.

I started researching how to get there early enough for sunrise, but unfortunately, the earliest buses arrive too late, and I didn’t want to stay overnight

I decided to do another tour with Tourist Israel. The first tour I did was their West Bank tour. This time I booked Masada Sunrise, Ein Gedi and the Dead Sea tour which is a self-guided tour, meaning that a driver will only take you from place to place and there is no guide.

Again, I would recommend you to start your tour in Jerusalem, and not in Tel Aviv, because it’s cheaper and the pick-up time is one hour later.

Early Start & Arrival at Masada

The tour starts very early, with a pickup time at 4:00 a.m. from Jerusalem. We drove straight to Masada and were dropped off just after 5:00 a.m. What our driver failed to mention was that the entrance gate doesn’t open until 5:30 a.m. It was cold, and all of us would have preferred to wait in the warmth of the van.

At 5:30 sharp, the gates opened, and we began our hike up the Snake Path.

Hiking the Snake Path to Sunrise

The path is pretty straightforward, though we had a bit of confusion at the beginning. At a fork, one sign pointed left to “Snake Path & Cable Car,” and the other pointed right to “Snake Path.” Since we weren’t taking the cable car, we turned right—even though the path starts downhill, which seems counterintuitive when you’re climbing a mountain. But don’t get confused—you’re on the right path. The rest is a steady uphill climb.

For me, it took 45 minutes to hike up, but I was stopping all the time to take photos. You could probably do it faster without photo breaks. There are no words to describe how beautiful the sunrise was, so I’ll let the photos speak for themselves.

I recommend you to take packed breakfast/lunch with you because you’ll be starving after the hike! Our driver was waiting for us at 8 a.m., and we then continued to Ein Gedi Nature Reserve.

We had about an hour to explore the area, which was just enough to walk to the waterfall and back. Along the way, I also spotted several cute animals and I learned that they are called hyraxes. I’ve seen these same animals in Africa, but at the time I didn’t know what they were called.

AHAVA Factory Stop

After Ein Gedi, we made a quick lunch/shopping stop at the AHAVA factory, where they sell skincare products made from Dead Sea minerals and mud. It’s mostly a shopping stop, but it’s a good chance to rest, cool down, and pick up a souvenir if you’re into natural beauty products.

Floating in the Dead Sea

Last but not least was the Dead Sea. I had gone swimming there just a day earlier as part of the West Bank tour, so this time I skipped the swim and focused on taking photos instead.

Cost

A price for this tour is $59, excluding Masada (29 NIS) and Ein Gedi (29 NIS) entrance fees. It’s a self-guided tour, so basically you just pay for the transportation. However, I think that it’s worth the price because you get to see Masada at sunrise and you don’t have to pay almost $40 for a bed in a dormitory (yes, that’s the price for the only hostel in Masada). And seeing Masada at sunrise should be on everyone’s bucket list!

---

Masada is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, known not only for its dramatic views but also for its powerful history. Built by King Herod and later the site of a famous siege during the Jewish-Roman War, it’s one of Israel’s most important archaeological and cultural landmarks. You can read more about it and its interesting history here.

---

Pin to Share: