Ein Gedi is an oasis in Israel, located west of the Dead Sea, near Masada and the Qumran Caves. The park is situated on the eastern border of the Judean Desert on the Dead Sea coast.
Historically, King David hid in the desert of Ein Gedi (1 Samuel 24:1-2), and King Saul sought him "even upon the most craggy rocks, which are accessible only to wild goats."
Now this area is one of the
most important reserves in Israel. On our visit there we hiked to David’s Falls.
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| A waterfall along the way |
The elevation of the land
ranges from the level of the Dead Sea at 1,388 ft below sea level to the
plateau of the Judean Desert. Ein Gedi nature reserve includes two spring-fed
streams with flowing water year-round.
The reserve is a sanctuary
for many types of plant, bird and animal species. The vegetation includes
plants and trees from the tropical, desert, Mediterranean, and steppian
regions. While hiking, we observed many species of resident birds and several mammals.
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| The view looking back |
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| David's Falls |
After our hike at Ein
Gedi, we drove a short distance to the shores of the Dead Sea where we took the
opportunity to wade in the water and take some pictures. Earlier in the trip we had driven along
the coast of the Dead Sea, but this was the first time that we actually got out
of the car and walked to the water’s edge.
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