For those of us navigating the hilly, stone-clad rhythm of Jerusalem, the “East” often feels like a distant and dusty frontier.
We frequently speak about the Dead Sea as a destination strictly for tourists, or perhaps as a long and weary drive to the hotel district of Ein Bokek in its south. Sometimes it is merely a shimmering mirage seen through a window on the way to Eilat. However, as I sat with Eldad Hazan Ganan, the manager of the Einot Tzukim Nature Reserve for the past two decades, he shared a perspective that should fundamentally shift every Jerusalemite’s weekend plans. From the heart of the city to the lowest and most healing place on Earth, it is a mere 35-minute trip.
I recently embarked on a 24-hour “Wild Wellness” expedition to the northern Dead Sea, an area many now call the “Jerusalem Sea.” My companion for this journey was Eitan Baum, a mind-body specialist and master of yoga and Tai Chi. Baum has been my longtime collaborator at the Dead Sea Revival Project, serving as an informal educator who understands the deep spiritual pulse of this landscape. We did not set out for the sterilized or chlorinated spa experience found in the southern hotel districts. Instead, we sought the raw, rugged, and regenerative pulse of the north.
Our guide and host for this journey was Netanel Schlesinger, the undisputed pioneer of this region. My connection with him is deep. Exactly 10 years ago to the date, he took me out on a boat run by Jacky Ben-Zaken from Kibbutz Mitzpe Shalem. That trip exposed me to the haunting beauty of the receding shoreline for the first time and sparked a decade of documentation. Seeing him now, it is clear that no obstacle, not even the complex and painful reality of the current war, can dampen his mission to provide access to this extraordinary landscape.
Entering the ‘Dead Sea Jungle’: Einot Tzukim
For many Jerusalemites, the Dead Sea is relegated to a hazy memory of childhood school trips or a distant backdrop for an occasional spa day. However, sitting with Ganan at Einot Tzukim, also known as Ein Feshkha, reveals a different truth. This sanctuary is managed by the Israel Nature and Parks Authority and is a world away, yet it sits just down the road from neighborhoods like Katamon or Baka. Ganan describes the reserve as a paradox. While most imagine the Dead Sea as a barren wasteland of salt and silence, Einot Tzukim is a lush and vibrant world that has earned its reputation as the “Dead Sea Jungle.”
There is a specific cadence to this oasis. While the park can become quite dense with visitors during holidays or weekends, there is a serene magic to exploring it on weekdays when a profound, meditative calm takes over. Even on its busiest days, the clever layout of the springs and the thick, protective foliage offer a surprising gift. You can almost always find a quiet, shaded corner with running water to call your own.
The reserve today serves as a vital sanctuary for healing amid the reality of war. Though the tourism industry and the reserve’s own staff have felt the weight of the conflict, Ganan views the space as an ideal arena for mental recovery. The “Hidden Reserve,” which is accessible only with a guide with a key, has become a therapeutic space for what he calls “forest bathing.” It hosts resilience workshops for traumatized communities, and processing sessions for returning combat units. Ganan is adamant that while they have developed the park’s facilities, these additions are merely meant to support the real thing. It is nature itself that performs the actual therapeutic work.
The conservation work here is a delicate and ongoing dance with a receding shoreline. In a fascinating display of ecological dynamics, Ganan explains that since 1969, the Dead Sea coastline has retreated by approximately two kilometers. Because there is a hydraulic connection deep beneath the surface between the fresh groundwater and the salty Dead Sea, the receding sea pulls the fresh water down and southward with it. This creates a phenomenon known as “spring migration.” Historical springs in the north of the reserve dry up, while new ones burst forth in the south. Today, management intervenes strategically to preserve the ecosystem, ensuring that the jungle survives this shift.
Beyond its role as a sanctuary, Einot Tzukim is a living laboratory. Researchers from Israel’s top universities regularly arrive to study everything from migratory birds to the Dead Sea toothcarp, which is an endemic fish that survives in hyper-saline pools. Because the sea level drops by more than a meter every year, researchers can observe geological processes in fast-forward. To fully synthesize this experience, the visit concludes at the visitor center, which opened in May 2023. Its high-impact films feature breathtaking footage of a research submarine on the seafloor, revealing that the Dead Sea is actually teeming with microscopic life.
Netanel Schlesinger: The pioneer who built a tourism hub from the salt
If you head down from Jerusalem and stop in the Ovnat area, you will likely encounter a man with a wide smile, even in the blistering 40-degree heat. This is Netanel Schlesinger. His story is living proof that a vision, when accompanied by uncompromising persistence, can sprout life even in the saltiest soil on Earth.
Schlesinger started his journey as a Segway guide in the City of David and as a teacher. After moving his family to Ovnat, he realized the immense potential of the Highway 90 axis. His journey did not begin with massive budgets. It started in the most rugged way imaginable. He gathered secondhand, broken bicycles and assembled them with his own hands to create his first riding fleet. Over the years, he has worked 12-hour days, personally pouring concrete, raising walls, and repairing the pipes that move 100 cubic meters of water a day. This sweat and blood are the foundation of Mapu Tourism and his One for All center, which today coordinates more than 100 suppliers along the Dead Sea.
His vision is now shifting to a future of innovative hospitality. He is working to establish advanced accommodation units adapted to the extreme climatic conditions of the Dead Sea. In these units, he will be able to provide a holistic experience for the Jerusalem public. For him, the Dead Sea should offer more than just salt. It should offer its secrets.
Uncovering the secrets: Raiders and kayaks
Schlesinger’s tours offer a glimpse into the hidden parts of the Dead Sea. This starts with EZRaider electric ATV and bike tours that wind through the desert terrain and the emerald-green palm plantations. These paths lead to the upper shoreline, overlooking the turquoise expanses. It provides access to freshwater sinkholes and pristine beaches, 98% of which along the northern coastline of the lake are otherwise inaccessible to the public.
The highlight of our visit was heading out into the field in double kayaks with local guide Shlomo Bicha. This two-hour wilderness experience is an ideal group activity or a profound journey for couples. It allows for a total disconnection from the daily grind. Rowing on the salty and sometimes slightly wavy waters is a meditative act. It allows one to reach points where nature feels almost alien-like – white salt crystals, magnificent geological formations, fresh black mud, and a silence that can only be found at the lowest point on Earth. It was an opportunity to see the sea not as a dying body of water but as a space of beauty, power, and healing.
Culinary grounding at Asado in the Desert
By late afternoon, the desert hunger sets in. We headed to Asado in the Desert, a high-end culinary venture Schlesinger launched with chef Eliyahu Fishkel. The chef is an Argentinian maestro who understands that meat is a language of comfort. He began this project just three weeks before Oct. 7. Despite the world turning upside down, he has turned this food truck and restaurant into a premier destination.
This kosher culinary complex was established to fill a longstanding void in the region for high-quality and professional dining. Whether sitting outdoors in the “Desert Jungle” among the date palms during winter or retreating inside a transformed former palm-packing house with industrial AC during the summer, the experience is grounding. The meat is sourced from Argentina and smoked to perfection in the desert air. It is served with a rugged passion that is a vital part of the recovery process. For a wellness seeker, this is grounding at its finest. The manager, Alex Triebwasser, greeted us with a palpable warmth of local hospitality and a profound sense of gratitude.
The escape RV and a night under the stars
As the sun dipped behind the jagged silhouette of the Judean Mountains, painting the desert in bruised purples and deep ambers, we retreated to our sanctuary: the Escape Dead Sea RV. Located in a private, fenced date palm grove near Ovnat, this is a “wild overstay” designed for those who seek to disconnect from the urban grind and reconnect with their own internal rhythm.
The concept is rooted in the philosophy of breathing, which means providing a space where there is no digital noise and only a profound connection to the landscape. The property consists of two intimate units for couples. While the sleeping quarters are cozy and air-conditioned, the soul of the stay is outside. Nearly every functional part, including the kitchen, the shower, and even the bathtub, is situated under the vast desert canopy.
We stayed in Escape 1, which features a private wooden deck and a fire pit. The centerpiece is the Star Bath, which is a deep and luxurious bathtub positioned under an ancient umbrella acacia tree. There is something profoundly healing about soaking in steaming water with the desert night as your playlist, watching the stars reveal themselves in a sky free from illumination pollution. The facilities are ecological and include compost-style toilets. This emphasizes a minimalist and authentic encounter with nature. It is a place for those who want to breathe rather than those looking for a lobby and a concierge.
The full circle and sunrise at the salt chimneys
At 5:30 a.m., Baum and I headed to the shoreline for the climax of our 24 hours: the Salt Chimneys Forest. This site is accessible only to Schlesinger’s local guides. Ten years ago, I began documenting these chimneys as they first started to sprout from the receding water. Returning now felt like a spiritual homecoming.
These structures are formed when fresh water rising from underground vents meets the supersaturated salt water of the sea, leaving behind towering mineral pipes. We spent the first hour of light in total silence, watching the sun ignite the Jordanian Moab mountains in pink and gold. We noticed the shrakrak, or bee-eaters, nesting in the cliffs nearby. These are vibrant birds that bring a flash of color to the salt flats. After documenting the growth of the chimneys, we took a mineral dip in the fresh water ponds formed near the sinkholes. Making Turkish-style coffee over a small burner, surrounded by salt formations that look like the surface of the moon, we realized that this is the ultimate, authentic Dead Sea experience. It is a place where the earth literally breathes.
The morning after at the coffee cart
We ended our journey exactly where a Jerusalemite’s day should start. We visited the new coffee cart that Schlesinger’s l has opened. For him, this is a social project. In the past, it was managed by guest coordinator Barak Brener and served as a framework for at-risk youth from the local community.
They are currently mastering the art of the desert breakfast, which includes fresh pita on the tabun and local ingredients. While they look to integrate local labaneh and date syrup (silan), you can currently enjoy freshly squeezed juices on the spot. Schlesinger is obsessive about quality, ensuring that even in the middle of the wild, you have a world-class caffeine hit to prepare you for the drive back up the mountain to Jerusalem or south toward the southern Dead Sea district.
A call to the hills
Jerusalem is a city of high tension and high history. But we often forget that we live on the edge of a geological miracle. Netanel Schlesinger, Shlomo Bicha, Eldad Hazan Ganan, and Eliyahu Fishkel are not just running businesses. They are the custodians of a gateway to sanity.
You do not need a week in Sinai or a flight to Greece to find a “New Earth” experience. You just need 35 minutes in the early morning, a sense of adventure, and the willingness to let the salt and the silence do their work.
The Jerusalem Sea is waiting. Go find your sweet water.
Special thanks to our hosts:
• Netanel Schlesinger of 1Bishvil for his vision and hospitality.
• Eldad Hazan Ganan at Einot Tzukim for ecological wisdom.
• Shlomo Bicha for his guidance and passion on our kayak excursion.
• Chef Eliyahu Fishkel for the desert feast.
• Eitan Baum, for being the best “mind, body, and heart agent” of wellness a journalist could ask for.
