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The Dead Sea is a salt lake bordered by Israel and Palestine to the west and Jordan to the east. It has attracted visitors for thousands of years.
At 430.5 meters (1,412 feet) below sea level, the Dead Sea is the lowest point on Earth. It’s 304 meters (997 feet) deep and is 9.6 times saltier than the ocean. It can’t support any plant or animal life, hence its name.
Biankini Village
We stopped by the Dead Sea for a couple hours during our pilgrimage to the Holy Land. After visiting the Jordan River at Qasr al-Yahud, our guide took us to Biankini Village, a Moroccan-themed resort on the northwest corner of the lake in Palestine. I’m not sure what the day pass costs.
We first walked through a gift shop then through the resort, which looked extremely outdated. Near the steps to the beach were locker rooms and a bar.
We changed in the locker rooms and walked down to the Dead Sea, getting nice views of the lake and beach from the top of the steps. We could even see the resorts across the lake on the Jordanian side.
Swimming in the Dead Sea
Once down by the shore, we grabbed a chair to plop down our stuff and headed for the water. The water has an oily texture and really doesn’t feel nice on your skin. The fun part was floating around. The Dead Sea has a density of 1.24 kilograms per liter, so swimming is more like floating.
Because of the high salt content, we had to be careful not to get the water in our eyes. We were also told not to shave for at least 24 hours before getting in the water or else it would burn terribly.
Many people rubbed mud all over their bodies. It’s said the minerals in the mud have healing properties. After letting the mud dry, there’s a shower to wash off.
When we finished at the lake, we walked back up to get changed. We then went to the bar and had some drinks and a very bad overpriced burger. Don’t bother with the food at Biankini Village.
Overall, it was an interesting experience but something we wouldn’t do again. We’re happy to say we swam in the Dead Sea, but once is more than enough.
