Glamping in the Lowest Place on Earth

Camping in the Dead Sea is not for the faint of heart, with temperatures reaching 100˚F (37˚C) in just May, it's not an experience I'm interested in signing up for!

But, of course there's also the option of staying at a hotel. However, keep in mind, hotel prices can get pretty expensive very quickly.

This brings us to ~ glamping ~.

I had such an amazing stay here, from the air conditioned tent, to the 10/0 breakfast on the balcony overlooking the Dead Sea, it was a really special and well-thought out experience.

There a ton of reasons why I loved my stay here and totally recommend it for your next trip to the Dead Sea and here's why:

Location

Positive:

Located at Kalia Beach, the most northern beach of the Dead Sea in Israel. Which means this is the first beach accessible when you are coming in from the Mercaz (Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, etc.)! From my house in Tel Aviv, for example, the drive is just about an hour and a half. This is compared to the two hours drive it would take to arrive to the hotels that align the more southern beaches of the Dead Sea! The glamping sits literally on top of the beach, so you don't need any additional transportation, and can easily go back and forth to the beach all day long.

Negative:

You are farther away from Ein Gedi and Masada, which are two popular destinations when visiting the Dead Sea, but you are still accessible by car. If you have the option to do so, I definitely recommend adding both stops.

Amenities

I'll start off by saying the tents are awesome. They are so beautifully designed, clean, and spacious. Each tent has A/C, a mini fridge, a mirror, a kettle and tea, shelves for your stuff and seating! And the bed was super comfortable (I am soooo picky when it comes to mattresses so take my word for this!).

You also have bathrooms and showers (separate to the tent) that are just a few steps away. They are very private, clean and definitely a league above what you would expect from a "campground" bathroom.

There's also a beach bar for Kalia Beach that you can easily access for lunch and early dinner (they close around 6pm, make sure to ask the front desk in case of any changes).

The glamping experience also includes yoga mats you can borrow and a beautiful spot overlooking the Dead Sea to partake in a yoga class. Even if yoga isn't your thing, it's definitely a perfect place to give it a try. The campground is very calm and peaceful, the ultimate place to meditate.

There are also two cold water pools located on the glampground under a shaded area to cool off on a hot day. These were awesome and we took advantage of them while we were there!

Breakfast

Breakfast at Glamping Minus 420 was one of the best I've had from an accommodation. It might be because rather than the normal buffet style breakfast that is used to feed hundreds of people, they bring each individual guest a breakfast spread to enjoy from the balcony overlooking the Dead Sea. The breakfast consisted of a bread basket, eggs made to my preference, different cheeses and spreads, and mini salads as well as an Israeli salad. And, I almost forgot, chilled, fresh squeezed orange juice!!! It's totally okay if your mouth is drooling because mine is just writing this 😂

What to Do

I spent my time split between sitting outside the tent in the sun chairs reading a book, by the pool, floating in the dead sea, having a bite at the beach bar and relaxing in the tent. I didn't find the opportunity to squeeze in yoga, but if I ever go back, I'll definitely make sure to make that happen!

I've also already been to the Masada and Ein Gedi countless times, but if it was my first time in Israel, I would make sure to go spend a day there as well (sunrise at Masada and day at Ein Gedi)! You can also go take pictures or spray graffiti at the Dead Sea Art Gallery Minus 430 which is conveniently located at the entrance of the glampsite.