Masada & Dead Sea: History, Healing & Unforgettable Views

We did a four-day-private tour. Enrique, the trusted guide, was extremely professional in every single detail—caring, responsible, enthusiastic, and passionate. But most importantly, his knowledge wasn’t limited to his own country; it extended worldwide. The way he explained everything with humor and practicality made our trip incredibly entertaining and exciting. If you’re planning to explore Israel and delve into its religious and historical roots, he is the person you must meet.

Highly recommended - wonderful guide and amazing trip! Hava Dorany was a fantastic guide, knowledgeable, and also was really attentive to everyone in the group, asked questions and answerd, making everyone participate in the experience. The tour was absolutely amazing. Masada's, history and views both were spectacular. We had about an hour and a half at the Dead Sea which was enough time to experience this interesting place. This trip will stay with us for a long time for sure! We are happy that we got this great guide for this wonderful trip! Recommended for everyone!

Hava was amazing. She was the best tour guide in Israel. She was so patient. Her explanations were very detailed, very easy to understand, and really cared about all of us on the tour.

Highly recommended - an outstanding day out! Hava Dorany was a fantastic guide and the tour was amazing. Masada was wonderful, the history and the views both spectacular. We had 1.5 hours at the Dead Sea which was plenty of time to experience it, especially in the heat of July. Pick up and drop off was at central locations around the city, which was much more convenient than other tours. Note the tour is not suitable for people with accessibility issues - lots of walking, hills and uneven surfaces including entry and exit to the Dead Sea.

Meni Tzabari was an OUTSTANDING Guide!!! We had him for 2 full days, Jerusalem & Bethlehem and Masada & Dead Sea. Not only is he extremely knowledgeable, he also was really attentive to everyone within our group’s needs, questions and overall making everyone feel engaged. These were 2 days that will stay with us forever & I’m so happy/grateful we booked with Rent A Guide, plus got Meni!!!!!!!!! Thank you very much~❣️❣️❣️🙏🏼🇮🇱😁

My family and I toured with Meni from Tel Aviv to Galilee to Jerusalem with Meni Tzabari for 10 days and couldn’t have hoped for more out of a tour guide, although he is so much more than just a guide. Meni is incredibly knowledgeable about the history of Israel; no question we had went unanswered. He tells stories in a conversational and interactive way so learning was always an enjoyable experience. In fact, on multiple occasions, individuals would stop their own tours to listen to Meni’s well-thought-out explanations. Even in a crowded place like Masada, Meni had a way of making my family feel like we were the only ones there. Always with a smile on his face, Meni went above and beyond to ensure a seamless experience for us in every way he could. He was respectful of our time but also ensured we gained the most out of each and every experience, tailoring our activities to our interests throughout the trip. He not only thoroughly educated us on planned tourist attractions but also taught us the ways to live like locals. The most kindhearted and generous person, we truly couldn’t ask for more. By the end of the trip, Meni was like a part of our family. We couldn’t imagine a more educational and immersive, yet fun way to visit Israel for the first time. Thank you Meni!!!!

We took the Dead Sea/Masada tour with Hava Dorany. It was my second trip but the first time for my family and they learned so much from Hava! She is a fount of knowledge, energetic, friendly and a great driver to boot! Our tour group was a mix of ages and backgrounds and Hava was patient with everyone. I would definitely tour with Hava again and highly recommend her for anyone traveling to any destination in Israel

I would have rated this higher if not for the unforeseen issues that we encountered. On TripAdvisor, this tour is shown as Dead Sea first then Masada; our tour was the opposite which worked out better. Apologies in advance for the lengthy review, but there was a lot to share about this one. PROS: 1) Our tour guide Leah was very knowledgeable and explained important points of each site as we progressed through the tour. 2) Hotel pick up and drop off...DEFINITE + being included in the tour. We stayed at a Tel Aviv hotel on the beach. Not all hotels are listed, so you will need to check. 3) Due to our bus mishap, we were worried we would not make it to the Dead Sea. I think they negotiated for extended time for us at the Dead Sea which worked to our advantage as the "beach" wasn't overly crowded when we arrived. 4) The Dead Sea experience was amazing and it is true, you can't do anything else in the water but float! CONS: 1) We were on a tour for English and Spanish tourists; the group was mostly Spanish speaking so sometimes we had to wait for our English explanations. 2)They do not plan toilet stops so take care of business whenever you can. 3) Large group (about 40 people) which makes it difficult for the guide to make sure that everyone adheres to the schedule. Unfortunately, there is always someone that doesn't come back on time, holding up the entire tour. 4) A very HOT 105 degrees F in Masada on tour day but the heat wasn't the challenge...it was trying not to get bitten by the nasty little flies that were swarming all over the mountain! No one's fault, even the tour guide couldn't explain it, but something to be aware of that made things quite uncomfortable! 5) As we were leaving Masada on the way to the Dead Sea, the bus broke down. THANKFULLY we only got as far as the exit of Masada. We ended up losing about 2 hours of the tour (lunch and travel time to Dead Sea) waiting for a new bus...an unfortunate tour company operating hazard. Lunch was on our own at the Masada Restaurant while we waited. 6) The Masada facility closed at 4pm and we were still waiting for our replacement bus. We were instructed to exit the building and then watched as they locked up the facility and all the employees got on their shuttle bus and left us waiting outside. TOTALLY NOT COOL (pun intended)! Although we were in a shaded area it was still quite hot and they didn't provide us with any additional water before closing nor did they offer an opportunity for us to buy extra water before telling us to leave. EXTRA WATER SHOULD HAVE BEEN PROVIDED BY THE TOUR COMPANY before we were told we needed to spend the rest of the waiting time outside in the heat. 7) Tours starting from Tel Aviv are required to stop in Jerusalem to pick up more tourists. This is worked into the tour time which means the Tel Aviv tourists have to start their day much earlier to accommodate this as hotel pick up is 07:20 - 07:50. I realize this is likely for resource efficiency (fuel, number of buses running, tour guide availability), but it does add more time to the beginning and end of the day. Although the tour guide provided commentary along the way to Jerusalem, the actual tour doesn't start until they collect all of the guests which was somewhere between 09-10:00 depending on traffic from Tel Aviv. Tips and additional things to consider for this tour: - STAY HYDRATED! It is very hot (visit was in Mid May) and you may not realize that you are dehydrated until it is too late...and have snacks available to keep your electrolytes and sugar levels even because lunch is generally later than noon. - take every opportunity to use the toilet facilities at every stop. It is quite a drive out to Jerusalem, then to the desert for Masada and returning at the end of the day from the Dead Sea. - get a wide brim hat to prevent sun exposure and provide a bit of shade to your head and face all the time. - make sure you have SUN SCREEN and bug spray handy! - bring a small umbrella as many areas have limited areas with shade and much of the tour had direct sun exposure. - consider hiking/walking sticks and comfortable shoes with good traction if you have stability issues... there are lots of ground level changes on all of the tours such as dirt, cobblestones, steps, rocks, uphill, downhill, etc. Personally, I wouldn't recommend this tour for anyone with significant physical limitations. - Bring some type of foot covering for the Dead Sea experience. The crystalized salt is in the sand and is very harsh on the soles of the feet. My husband and I did not bring any water shoes or flip flops on this trip so we used the white bedroom slippers from the hotel. Yes, it looked funny but it worked great and while we were floating, we took them off and used them to paddle ourselves around then tossed them when we were done...no sore feet. Also note that there are "shelves" of rocks under the water that you cannot see (only feel with your feet), so be very careful when you enter the water. - we booked this tour through our hotel concierge, so the 3 different price level options are not listed here on TripAdvisor.

Our travel company arranged this amazing day tour. This was our first time to Israel and our guide Hava was the best. She explained everything with great detail, was very friendly and best of all did not rush us. If you have the opportunity to tour with Hava you will have a great time.

Experiencing Masada was mind blowing! Excellent tour. The only problem was changing vans to get back to Tel Aviv.