Dead Sea Jordan - Our highlights and best travel tips

A Dead Sea in Jordan? Yes, exactly! And this highlight shouldn’t be missing from your list if you’re taking a trip through Jordan. We’ve already been to Israel at and in the Dead Sea and even then, we found this weightless feeling magnificent. From the rock city of Petra, we made our way north of the Dead Sea to our hotel in Sweimeh. You should definitely plan a day (preferably with an overnight stay) for the Dead Sea in Jordan.

You should also know:

You should also know:
General information about the Dead Sea
Swimming in the Dead Sea in Jordan
Arrival & onward journey
Accommodation at the Ramada Resort
Other hotels & resorts
A mud bath for the skin
Our tips for a swim in the Dead Sea
Dead Sea Jordan – packing list
Best time to travel to the Dead Sea
Conclusion about the Dead Sea & Video

General information about the Dead Sea

Why the “Dead Sea”? The name comes from the fact that no life is possible in this salty body of water (although bacteria and algae have been discovered). The Dead Sea has a salt content of 33%, while the Mediterranean Sea has a salt content of just 3.5%. The high density of the water means that you float almost weightlessly on the surface. It almost feels like you’re a buoy that could never sink.

Dead Sea Jordan Sign 398 Meters

Furthermore, the Dead Sea in Jordan (and Israel) is one of the lowest freely accessible places in the world, at more than 400 meters below zero. Actually, the sea isn’t a sea at all, but a terminal lake with no outlet. The incoming water from the Jordan evaporates, leaving only minerals behind, which accounts for the high salt content. The Dead Sea is said to have a positive effect on human skin and can help improve skin problems. One reason why so many people vacation here.

Swimming in the Dead Sea in Jordan

It’s not that easy to swim in the Dead Sea in Jordan. This is because there are no public beaches. The many seaside resorts have their own beach access, which you can of course use as a guest (which is what we did). Alternatively, there are only a few paid swimming spots, such as Amman Beach (20 JD) or O’Beach (25 JD). But be careful: The restrooms are often anything but well-maintained.

As a day guest, you can also go to the Mövenpick Resort and use the facilities and beach there for 40 JD. However, we recommend spending a night in one of the resorts. The beach resorts have really bad reviews on Tripadvisor, so you can invest your money in an overnight stay with wellness facilities and breakfast. The beaches in general aren’t really that great at the Dead Sea. But it’s much more about the bathing itself.

Arrival & Continuing the journey

Car: From Petra, we drove for almost four hours to the hotel in Sweimeh. The journey took us through the beautiful mountain landscape and then straight ahead (Jordan Valley Highway) along the Dead Sea. The drive was visually stunning, but it took a bit longer. Since we had to skip the beautiful Wadi Mujib (it’s closed in January), we had a somewhat longer drive ahead of us. From Amman, it’s only about 60 minutes to the Dead Sea. It’s also worth taking a day trip from the capital. From Madaba, it’s only about 50 minutes by car.

Bus: Buses also run daily from Amman to the Dead Sea. The journey takes about 1 hour and 10 minutes and costs only 12 JD round trip. You can find out more about this here: Jett Buses tourist program. Getting to the Dead Sea from the capital is no problem. Things are different if you’re traveling in other places. In those cases, a rental car or taxi is recommended.

Taxi: Taxi drivers will take you almost anywhere. You should negotiate the price for your trip with them in advance. Some even offer to drive from Amman to the Dead Sea, stay for 3 hours, and then drive back (from 30 JD). They will also drive you to Wadi Rum, Petra, Jerash, or wherever you want to go.

Accommodation at the Ramada Resort

We booked one night at the Ramada Hotel Dead Sea* (80€ per night with breakfast). Some other hotels had even better reviews, but we felt the money was too precious for just one night. In the end, we had a fantastic stay at this resort. The hotel has a beautiful pool with loungers, a pool with a slide for the kids, a lobby, a small shop, a wellness area with a steam bath, Jacuzzi, and a fitness room, as well as a poolside bar overlooking the sea.

Dead Sea Jordan Ramada Resort Pool 2

We were there during the off-season (January), so there were very few guests. In the morning, there was a sufficient breakfast buffet (including hot meals). The walk to the beach takes only 5-10 minutes, but there is also a shuttle (every 30 minutes). The beach is not particularly attractive, as it consists only of pebbles and showers. But there is a large mud pit where you can rub yourself from head to toe with mud.

Our room with a balcony was spacious, with a comfortable large bed, storage space, a desk, a chair, and a bathroom with a shower and bathtub. From the balcony, we had a side view of the Dead Sea. The massages are highly recommended. Daily between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., there is a 50% discount on massages (25 JD instead of 50 JD). We treated ourselves to a warm oil massage and a Balinese massage and were thrilled. Truly top-notch!

Other Hotels & Resorts

There are several other hotels and resorts on the Dead Sea in Jordan, most of which can be found in the very north on the coast. We’ve listed the most popular ones for you here. If you have a particular resort to recommend, please write it in the comments and we’ll include it here.

Dead Sea Spa Hotel* (from €80 per night)
Crowne Plaza Dead Sea* (from €100 per night)
Hilton Dead Sea Resort* (from €110 per night)
Mövenpick Resort and Spa* (from €145 per night)

A mud bath for the skin

After a hearty breakfast, we strolled down to the beach. Here we discovered a large mud pit, which we immediately jumped into. It felt really strange to have the wet mud on our skin, but it also dries quickly. The mud is said to be very mineral-rich and therefore good for the skin. In any case, we had an incredible amount of fun smearing ourselves head to toe with the stuff.

Afterwards, we went to the Dead Sea in Jordan. The water was amazingly warm, and overall, we had a great January day with about 22°C, blue skies, and plenty of sunshine. In the water, we immediately felt that weightlessness again and that feeling of being pushed to the surface by the water. You should definitely give it a try; it’s really great fun. Afterwards, you should jump straight into the shower, as a salt crust quickly forms on your skin and gradually starts to itch (at least that’s how it was for us).

Our tips for a swim in the Dead Sea

Because the water is very salty, any open wounds on your body will immediately burn terribly. So avoid jumping into the water with wounds, and it’s best not to shave shortly beforehand. You should also enter the water slowly and keep an eye on the many stones. Swimming shoes are definitely recommended, although we didn’t have any with us. Carefully, we entered the Dead Sea, step by step.

It’s recommended not to stay in the water for longer than 10 minutes, as the salt draws a lot of water from your body. In summer, it also gets really hot at the Dead Sea, so you should drink plenty of fluids before and after, as you’ll already lose a lot of water. As mentioned above, you should shower immediately after your swim. A sign also stated that you shouldn’t dive (of course, understandable!). The best way to protect your eyes and mouth is to simply lie on your back and float.

Dead Sea Jordan – Packing List

Take 2 towels with you (one for drying off after swimming and one for showering)
If it’s very rocky: leave your flip flops or sandals on in the water
Don’t forget sunscreen, it’s often very hot at the Dead Sea
Don’t forget shower gel, your skin will feel very oily after swimming!

Best time to visit the Dead Sea

Some months are better for your trip to the Dead Sea in Jordan, others less so. It’s important to know that temperatures often exceed 45°C in summer. Therefore, you should only travel to Jordan if you can handle such high temperatures. The months from September to May are better. Even in January, we had really great temperatures of around 22°C. It really couldn’t have been better that day. Temperatures generally vary greatly throughout the country.

Conclusion on the Dead Sea & Video

We thought our day at the Dead Sea was really cool! Not only were the swimming in the sea and the mud mask great, but also our stay at the Ramada Resort Dead Sea. Here, we treated ourselves to a wonderful spa day with a soothing massage. The weather was fantastic during our trip in January, so we had the perfect conditions for this short trip to the Dead Sea. If you’d like to experience that strange feeling of weightlessness in the water, you should definitely plan a stop at the Dead Sea in Jordan.

Dead Sea in Jordan – Our highlights and travel tips