Can you imagine a salt desert that never stops growing? It exists, it is Mount Sodom and it is on the shores of the Dead Sea, in the heart of the Judean Desert. Discovering this place, exploring it, knowing its history and making it an unforgettable adventure is possible if you decide to travel to Israel. Hop in, I’m taking you on a 4×4 tour of Mount Sodom.
Getting to know such a special place like Sodom this way will undoubtedly become one of your most special travel memories . Charge your camera battery to the max and let yourself go to enjoy a fascinating and fun off-road excursion through this attractive corner of the Judean Desert.
Mount Sodom, a unique place in Israel
Yes, the name of this place inevitably brings to mind the famous Sodom and Gomorrah, the cursed cities that, according to the biblical account, were destroyed by a rain of sulfur and fire as God’s punishment for the sins committed by their inhabitants. But biblical legends aside, if there is one thing that makes this desert hill stand out, it is that it is made of salt.
Approximately 80% of Mount Sodom is salt, a gigantic mass of rock salt covered with earth and patiently shaped over time by wind erosion and water action. As a result of nature’s sculptural skills, you will have before your eyes a lunar landscape dotted with curious formations, canyons, ravines or dry valleys, known as wadis, which will make you not want to blink during the entire journey.
Furthermore, the fact that it is made of halite, of rock salt, makes it especially fragile and its morphology can change. Did you know that if Mount Sodom were located in another place with different climatic conditions it would possibly have dissolved? Additionally, its depths house a whole labyrinth of caves, grottoes and passages sometimes connected to the surface by shafts and fissures, so you have to walk with extreme caution.
Another peculiarity of Mount Sodom is that, to this day, it continues to grow in height at the leisurely rate of about 3.5 millimeters per year. However, no matter how much it grows, it is still below sea level, specifically 170 meters below. A figure that, curiously, becomes positive relative to the level of the Dead Sea; in that case, it can be said that Mount Sodom is 260 meters above the level of this sea whose waters practically bathe it.
4×4 route through the Judean Desert
Entering Mount Sodom, in the Judean Desert, on the back of a 4×4 is like getting on a roller coaster of a geological theme park where the adrenaline is provided by the driver. He will go from taking you across a desert plain to entering narrow walls and testing you, and the car’s traction, while descending a dizzying canyon.
The excursion lasts about two hours which will go by very quickly between bouncing around inside the car, taking photos, and learning about this curious desert. Don’t expect dunes; remember that beneath your feet are tons of salt (halite) covered by a layer of limestone and clay, meaning it is a rocky but very fragile desert, full of sinuous nooks, cracks, pinnacles and all kinds of curious geological formations that give it an otherworldly appearance.
The 4×4 will be able to take you through incredible places and will climb you to the highest part of Mount Sodom so you can enjoy the viewpoint at the ‘summit’ for a while. Under your feet you will have the Dead Sea and in the distance you will spot the Moab mountains in Jordan.
- Take a look at the Dead Sea excursion from Israel
The most fun part and the one that releases the most adrenaline will be when you explore some of the wadis, small valleys with ravines through which the dry bed of a river runs. First you will see it from above and then you will descend with the 4×4 to the bottom. Adventure guaranteed!
If you’re lucky, you might even be able to climb onto the roof of the off-road vehicle to get a totally different angle. Of course, it will be in one of the calmer areas so that your physical integrity is not in danger.
Practical information about the 4×4 tour
In my case, the excursion lasted about two hours departing from the Herods Dead Sea hotel where I was staying, on the shores of the Dead Sea, halfway between Ein Bokek and Neve Zohar. Guide and driver Barak Horwitz came to pick me up there and won me over with his skill at the wheel, his kindness and a lot of interesting facts about Mount Sodom.
It can be done at any time of the year, although it would be advisable to avoid the summer months because of the heat. From September to November and from March to June can be very good months to travel to Israel.
I don’t know the exact price of the excursion because I was invited to this activity by Israel Tourism but, if you want, I can give you the guide’s contact info privately. Don’t forget to bring your phone and camera batteries well charged, sunscreen and a hat or cap.
The closest thing I have found is this 4×4 tour through the Judean desert. In this case, it is an even more complete excursion that departs from Jerusalem, where they will pick you up at your hotel, and in addition to the off-road adventure through the desert, you can relax with a swim in the Dead Sea and visit Qumran, where the famous Dead Sea biblical manuscripts were found, some dating back to 250 BC.
What other activities can you do?
There is a small network of trails on Mount Sodom that can be used by both hikers and cyclists: Mt Sedom Lookout is a 7-kilometer circular route; Fish Trail (Shvil HaDagim) is named after the fossilized fish you can see along the way; Ma’aleh HaSulamot takes you to the highest part of Mount Sodom, climbing up a steep flight of stairs, from where you will see the Dead Sea and Jordan on the opposite shore.
The three trails start from Route 90, Israel’s longest highway that crosses the country from Lebanon to Egypt. Keep in mind that these trails do not have any shade and that on Mount Sodom you can find cracks and even sinkholes. For that reason, it is better to do any of these excursions, whether on foot or by bicycle, with a guide or, at least, with extreme care. Avoid the middle of the day to protect yourself from the sun and leave enough time to avoid being caught in the middle of the desert at night.
You are in an area full of attractions, so there are many other activities to do in the area. After the 4×4 tour, nothing is better than relaxing floating in the Dead Sea, 400 meters below sea level. The next day, wake up early to see the sunrise at the top of Masada, a plateau with a lot of history and incredible views. Afterwards, complete the day by visiting the Ein Gedi oasis and discovering its small waterfall. And if you still want more desert, I recommend taking the car to go to the Negev Desert and be amazed by the Makhtesh Ramon crater in Mitzpe Ramon.
If you don’t have a car and are staying in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv, you can also visit this area on a Masada excursion, booking a guided tour of the Dead Sea or even visiting the city of Jericho, north of the Dead Sea.
Where is Mount Sodom?
Mount Sodom is located to the west of the southern basin of the Dead Sea, in the heart of the Judean Desert Nature Reserve. It is about twenty minutes from Ein Bokek, a huge tourist complex on the shores of the Dead Sea with several hotels.
From Jerusalem it will take you two hours to get to Mount Sodom and from Tel Aviv, about two hours and twenty minutes. Here is a map of Israel so you can locate it better.
The treasure of Sodom: the longest salt cave in the world
Yes, it is called Malham Cave, it is in the depths of Mount Sodom, in the Judean Desert, on the edge of the Dead Sea, and its 10 kilometers long make it the longest salt cave in the world. Malham far surpasses the second subterranean salt cave located in Iran, on Qeshm Island, whose suggestive name is the Cave of the Three Nudes.
Malham was discovered in the 80s when five kilometers were mapped. But in 2018, an international team of researchers, led by Israeli caver Yoav Negev, entered the depths of Mount Sodom to explore the cave thoroughly. The expertise of the entire team and new laser beam technologies allowed the expedition to discover that the cave extends up to 10 kilometers in length.
Passageways, grottoes, chambers and an impressive collection of salt stalactites turn Malham Cave into an exceptional salty creature in continuous change as it is slowly modeled by scarce rainwater seepage.
Oh, and note that carbon-14 dating dates this cave to about 7,000 years old. Unfortunately, it is not possible to visit the cave as a tourist, although in 2019 a group of journalists was able to enter to photograph it and make it known.
The mystery of Lot’s wife’s statue
According to legend, Lot’s wife, Abraham’s nephew, was fleeing with her family from the burning of Sodom as the angels advised her to do. But she disobeyed a part of that message that urged her not to stop or look back. Lot’s wife turned to watch Sodom burn and, at that very moment, was forever turned into a pillar of salt.
Some locate the statue of Lot’s wife on one of the many salt pinnacles of Mount Sodom (like the one in the image above), while others locate it right opposite, on the other side of the Dead Sea, in Jordan. In both cases, it is a geological formation with a small ridge at the top that is interpreted as the woman’s turban.
Where to stay?
In my case, I stayed at the Herods Dead Sea hotel, a luxury five-star accommodation with a private beach and a very complete spa halfway between Ein Bokek and Mount Sodom. You are on the shores of the Dead Sea, so it is a very touristy area and the hotel offer is large and of a high standard, as are the prices.
Even so, there are many different options to choose from either in Ein Bokek or directly in the Neve Zohar area, the closest to Mount Sodom and where you will also find somewhat more affordable but highly rated options.
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