One of the best places to go hiking in Israel is on the Masada.
Hiking the Masada from the Dead sea
gives you one of the most breathtaking sights you could experience.
Although you have the option of taking your car
or public transport up a different path,
or a cable car that takes you to the Masada faster,
hiking the Masada is more rewarding as an adventure.
The Masada:
The Masada is known for the fortress that King Herod the Great fortified,
built before his time around the last century B.C.
It sits on a mountain plateau 4,000 meters from the lowest point, the Dead Sea.
This made the fortress a very inaccessible stronghold.
A century later, a sect among the Jews called the Zealots,
fleeing from the Romans, took refuge at the fortress and hid in Masada.
But later when the Romans came they built ramps
to scale the sides of the mountain until they reached the top.
They were about to capture the Zealots,
but instead of surrendering, the Zealots (more than 900 men)
sealed their fate and took their own lives.
Until this day this heroic act is being talked about.
Masada National Park:
There is a Visitor Center at the base of the Masada where visitors pay for tickets.
From there climbing Masada takes from an hour to an hour
and a half depending on ones physical fitness and prevailing weather conditions.
This takes you to the Masada Snake Path
which got its name from the winding nature of its trail.
Once they reach the top, tourists and visitors are allowed to enter the fortress.
If they come before the park opens, they can buy their tickets at the fortress.
Going down the mountain, you may hike down the same path
or you may opt to take the cable car.
Hiking the Masada Snake Path will take you through gravel paths and stone steps.
However, it is a constant climb until to the top.
During summer, temperatures can reach up to 90 degrees
Fahrenheit (33 degrees Celsius) making the hike more challenging.
Hiking the Masada Snake Path before sunrise is one of the best times to go.
There are guided tours that follow this routine.
Once on top, visitors are afforded a sight of the
beautiful red sunrise peering through the mountains of Moab in Jordan on the east.
As the sun peeks more fully through the mountains,
you will be given a glimpse of the vast desert
landscape struck by the rays of the sun.
And on the western borders, a spectacular view of the bright clear waters of the Dead Sea.