Desert Safari and Dead Sea Day Trip from Tel Aviv

Ride a 4x4 in the Judean Desert and visit the Dead Sea on this unforgettable full-day trip from Tel Aviv! Traveling in an air-conditioned coach, see the famous cave at Qumran where a shepherd found the celebrated Dead Sea Scrolls. Afterward, view the breathtaking Dragot Cliffs and Murbaat Caves on an exhilarating 4x4 safari through the desert plains and canyons. Lastly, take a breather at the Dead Sea. Float like a cork in the salt-rich waters, relax on the beach and maybe treat your skin to a tingling mud bath.

Leave your central Tel Aviv hotel in an air-conditioned coach and drive toward the Judean Desert. As you go, absorb the views and pass the Inn of the Good Samaritan, where the relics of a monastery mark a site that fits the Bible parable.

Stop at the signpost marking sea level and see the city of Jericho in the distance as you descend to the Dead Sea. At the archaeological site of Qumran, view the exterior of the cave where a goatherd discovered the Dead Sea Scrolls in 1947. Tucked into clay jars, these early texts were relatively undamaged after 2,000 years of desert aridity and included early manuscripts of the First Testament, plus other precious religious writings.

Swap your coach for a 4x4 with an expert driver. Refresh your energies with included tea, coffee and Bedouin snacks and then roam the surrounding desert, climbing steep inclines and crossing empty plains to the cliffs at Dragot. Here, gaze down at the Dragot River bed and see the Murbaat Caves, identifiable from their square entrances, as your guide tells you about the ancient artifacts and early Judean documents found inside them in the 1950s.

After exploring the desert, board your coach and continue to the Dead Sea. On arrival, perhaps enjoy lunch (own expense) at the cafe, before relaxing on the sand or wading into the sparkling waters to experience the unique floating feeling. Then, maybe give yourself a gooey mud bath in the therapeutic black mud.

When the time comes, return to Tel Aviv where your tour finishes with a hotel drop-off.