Assaf Kamar goes to the dead sea's hot springs to feel the heat
With spring in full swing and the ongoing war, the hostages still in Gaza, and despair looming, we decided to seek some peace in the embrace of nature and inner tranquility for a brief moment by embarking on a safe excursion during wartime. The goal: a brief dip in the Dead Sea and immersion in the boiling hot springs of Ein Kedem.
The "Hot River" in the Dead Sea is a rare and extraordinary natural phenomenon consisting of several natural springs of warm water and dazzling white waterfalls, emitting intense waves of extreme heat and bubbling up from the salty depths of the earth. This geological extravaganza explodes within the marvelous landscape of the deep blue sea and dozens of sinkholes of various sizes. In short, it's the ultimate wild spa experience for nature lovers.
The hike to the Hot River in the Dead Sea is risky, as it's an area with many sinkholes, quicksand, and the danger of collapse. The challenging path to the Hot River is unmarked and lacks supervision from authorities, essentially making it a wild, untamed territory. To mitigate excessive risks, we enlisted the expertise of Guy Golan, a veteran tour guide, to lead us.
It's late morning on Route 90, north of Ein Gedi. We park in a small lot near the modest sign for Ein Kedem. The Dead Sea fills us with deep blue hues, and our veteran guide, Guy Golan, points out the recommended hiking path, considered safer than others, leading to the Hot River.
"Walking along any part of the Dead Sea coast is dangerous," Guy explains. "Every day, new sinkholes open up along the shores. This entire area lacks marked trails because it's a dynamic region that's constantly changing. Cars fall into sinkholes, and people too. To safely reach the Hot River, you need to know the way very well, and even when you do, it's always changing."
We're now two kilometers south of Ein Kedem, in an area with hot springs. There are five streams of warm water flowing here year-round. The hottest stream is the northern one, at 47 degrees Celsius – very hot indeed.
We trek south toward the Hot River, and to my delight, the path to the anticipated dip is beautiful, offering a unique view of sinkholes in various colors, dazzling salt formations, and strange shapes in the mud. Shelly Goldschmidt, a veteran springs blogger from the "Don't Come, It'll Be Fun" travel group, is thrilled by the extraordinary sight that suddenly unfolds before our eyes: a deep, winding valley with a white snake of boiling water.
"Finally, we've reached the Hot River, and it's surreal," she laughs. "I'm not sure if I'd call it a river, but there's a beautiful flow of warm water here. Look at the amazing color!"
Guy, our guide, identifies the natural spring from which the hot water emerges, and I carefully follow him, slipping into the white wadi with a sense of ancient magic, surrounded by very warm water and steam carrying a hint of sulfur emanating from the earth, just like in legends.
"We've arrived at one of the most beautiful springs of the stream," Guy explains. "Here, you can see the water flowing from the ground at its highest temperature." Guy takes some hot mud and rubs it on his hands. "Visiting the spring is a great opportunity for self-care, applying some quality mud, and boosting blood circulation in the body."
We make our way back to the surface, and Guy leads us in a slow, confident stride along the steep bank of the Hot River, toward the sea, explaining the water's color: "The combination of gypsum and calcium creates gypsum, the source of the white color. That's one reason they decided not to bring water from the Mediterranean Sea here, because if they mixed the high calcium content of the Dead Sea with the high gypsum content of the Mediterranean water, it would create a lot of gypsum, and the Dead Sea would turn into the Gypsum Sea."
"The water comes from the mountain aquifer and descends to a depth of 1,200 meters. The scorching magma deep underground heats the rocks, raising the water temperature to 42 degrees Celsius, and it naturally rises to the surface before the ground."
Having visited the Hot River before, I was surprised to find that the wadis where the water flows have lengthened and deepened. Guy attributes the rapid change to the drying process of the Dead Sea: "We all affect the Dead Sea.
"It might astonish you, but only a third of the damage to the Dead Sea is caused by industrial factories, and the rest is due to the blocking of water flow from the Jordan River and other streams, like the David Stream and the Arugot Stream, to the Dead Sea. As a result, the sea is drying up, and the Hot River is lengthening."
We walk along the wadis to the point where the Hot River meets the Dead Sea. The goal is to find the perfect convergence point between the warm and cold waters. Carefully, I step into the warm waters flowing from the white wadis, merging into a beautiful blue bay. In less than a minute, the professional springs blogger locates the exact point where the hot waters from the Hot River mix with the cold waters of the Dead Sea, creating the perfect temperature for indulgent soaking in nature's wild spa.
"It's an excellent location – although the water is very shallow and doesn't allow for full-body immersion, the sandy ground is soft and pleasant, and the warmth of the thermo-mineral waters flows delightfully along the body. Add to that the backdrop of a wild and serene beach, and you've got a perfect soak in the lap of nature's spa."
"I rate the soak in the Hot River at Ein Kedem South a perfect ten," she says. "There are no sharp rocks to sit on, the warm sand is very comfortable on the body, and the blue vista of the Dead Sea and all the surrounding mountains is perfect. The walk is a bit challenging, and there's some litter left behind by irresponsible hikers, but we've reached the pinnacle here, the soak is so enjoyable to me that I give it a perfect ten."
After our dip, we drank plenty of water and ate some fruits, and now Guy leads us slowly back to civilization. Near a shallow pool by the shore, which has turned into a large blue pool, he suddenly stops and says, "I know you came to soak in the Hot River and enjoyed it very much, but in my opinion, this is the best hot pool in all of the Dead Sea."
"We thought we found the perfect spot earlier," she says, "but here, the water is slightly less hot and more pleasant to me. It's a deep pool for full-body immersion. Asaf, it's perfect, there's plenty of soft sand here for the feet."
How to get there? Drive along Highway 90 south along the Dead Sea. If you reach Kibbutz Ein Gedi, it's a sign that you missed the small sign "Ein Kedem", so it's recommended to search for "Ein Kedem Hot Springs Nahal Kedem" on your GPS.
Park cautiously in the small parking lot. Near the parking lot, there is a white separation line, and drivers coming from the north are not allowed to turn left into the parking lot. To avoid endangering yourself and other drivers, it's mandatory to perform a U-turn only in the designated area. Guy Golan's recommended walking route to the Hot River is a southern walk on the dirt path parallel to Highway 90. According to Golan, walking along this route is much safer than walking along the rocky shore with the risk of sinkholes.