Natural
springs on the beach of the Dead Sea, about half the way between Ein
Feshcha and Ein-Gedi.
The Beduins called these springs Ein Treibe and Ein Uweir. On the
maps you can find them by the
names Einot Samar and Einot Kane. Since
the easy access to the beach is from the Metzuke Dragot road junction,
this beach is known now as Metzukey Dragot beach.
How
to get there
For
those who visit this places for the first time it is recommended to
park the car at the junction,
by the bus stop,
and to look for the steep dirt road going down to the beach.
Those who travel by bus from Jerusalem to Ein Gedi will get offat that bus stop.
The walk down to the beach is about 5 minutes, so carrying your stuff
is not too difficult,
though the way back will be climbing up...
What
to expect...
The
beach is full with springs of semi - sweet water, not so tasty for
drinking, but good enough to
wash your body after the swim or the float in the Dead Sea waters.
Remember to bring with
you drinking water! The springs feed the beautiful vegetation on the
beach:
Tamarisk trees and lots of reeds. There's shade enough for many people,
and you can find yourself a quiet and private corner to rest. Some
of the springs fill small pools,
surrounded by trees and bushes, where you can sit and refresh you
body and have lots of fun.
There's a lot of black mud in the shallow waters of this beach.
The quality is super - soft and clean, so you can treat your body
with a mud bath, then wash it
in the Dead Sea waters, and finally cool off in the sweet water pools.
Late afternoon hours are especially pleasant even in the very hot
summer.
The
people that visit this beach are mainly young Israelies (not many
tourists, not many Arabs),
looking for a special experience combining peace and quiet atmosphere
withNature's beauty.
There were times when small groups of strange people gathered on this
beach, stayed overnights
(which is not allowed by the army), made campfires, and turned the
place quite dirty.
Most of the times the people in this place are friendly, and practice
"Live and let live" philosophy.
It
is a free beach. No one puts work into keeping this place, so on one
hand you have all the
freedom you can ask for, but on the other hand, it's up to you to
keep the place clean,
and to help protecting the beauty of it.
Bathing in nude
Is
quite common here. Since this beach doesn't belong to anyone, no one
will tell you what to do,
so this is one of the rare beaches in all Israel where nude bathers
mix with the regular "textiles".
The mixing goes well usually - people smile to each other, do not
get offended and do not intrude.
The
future of this beach
Is
not clear. Since this place hasn't been declared as a nature reserve,
there's no official control,
and the freedom people have here results sometimes in damage to Nature
by campfires,
garbage or vehicles driving all the way to the water. The ideal fantasy
for this place is gentle developing:
A few large garbage containers, simple toilettes hidden in the bushes,
some garbage collection,
a small visiting fee, a small parking lot up on the road and some
signs telling you how to behave.
If more will be invested here, aiming at making some profits - this
small paradise will be gone!
Help keeping this place in it's natural beauty. Bring your
garbage (+ some extra) up to the garbage
container by the bus-stop. Do not drive your 4 by 4 all the way to
the water (other people want to enjoy the view too).
Do not light fires. Have a great time!
