Hiking up to Masada is wonderful experience. These ancient ruins stand in Israel, near the Dead Sea. Being at just the right altitude, the view of the sunrise from on top of Masada is worth the one hour hike. Because the cable car service doesn’t start until later on in the day, you have to hike up there yourself in order to see the sunrise.
Here is what you need to know about hiking in Masada to see the sunrise.
The Masada Snake Path
The Masada Snake Path is one of the trails that you can take in order to get to the top of the site. It’s a little more difficult than opting for a cable car or using another trail. It’s an invigorating, one-hour hike that is also quite steep.
The trail, around 300m below sea level, rises as high as 400m above sea level as you start ascending. If you aren’t used to hiking, your time to get to the top of the path could take more than hour as well. Of course, if you’re constantly stopping to catch your breath, your time will vary.
The Roman Ramp
This path is more like a ramp, being manmade and for the specific purpose of getting you to the top of the mountain much quicker. The path starts from halfway up the mountain and provides a convenient walk that takes you straight to the top.
It takes around 25 minutes to use this path, and is usually very dark when you arrive there early in the morning. You will have to arrange for transportation to give you a ride to the campsite located in the park. The drive to the campsite is around one hour, which only adds to the overall time that the hike takes.
The Runner Path
This path is for those hikers that want to be a little more adventurous. It was built in ancient times, by the Romans, so that people could exchange messages through the ‘runners’ that ran to and fro on this path.
It’s steeper and has many more obstacles like rocks that can make the climb harder. However, the view and the experience of hiking on this historical path are worth it. You get to see the northern palace of Masada and enjoy much more solitude than if you were to take the paths that are more popular.
The Elazar Path
This is by far one of the most difficult hikes to have in Masada. The Elazar Mountain has the Masada canyon in between it and the Masada Mountain. It’s at a higher altitude than Masada, which is why it has one of the most beautiful views of the sunrise than anywhere else in Masada.
On your way up this trail, you’ll see ancient Roman ruins and will be told the history of the area as well. There’s no better place to learn about the history of a site than while being a part of it yourself.
Final Words
You not only get information about the history of this 2000 year old site, you also get to witness one of the most beautiful sunrises you’ll ever see. With the Jordanian Moab Mountains and the view of the Dead Sea, you won’t want to miss this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
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