D Cohen

Review of Egged

AMAZING, FUN and BREATHTAKing.... best thing we di...

AMAZING, FUN and BREATHTAKing.... best thing we did in Israel! We booked the Masada and Red Sea tour in October 2017 for our family (2 adults and 7&9 y.o). It was nothing short of spectacular ! At first I was very nervous as I read bad reviews about this company but we had a very different experience. Yes, the tour is operated by BeinHarim (not egged) but they were wonderful. The tour/pick up spot (our hotel) was confirmed by email within 24 hours of booking (check the junk mail), we were told to be at the pick up at 7.15am, we barely waited 10 minutes and we were picked up. They take you to a central spot ( a huge park) where everyone gets split into the various tour buses. We had a very nice air conditioned bus (60 people), other smaller tours had the 20 people air conditioned vans. We then left for Jerusalem. They picked up a few more people but you barely noticed it as they were all in the one car park spot at Mt Scopus. We stopped briefly at an Elvis cafe for a very short toilet break ( it was unnecessary). Bring a drink and a sandwich and use it as your breakfast/toilet stop as it's expensive. The excellent explanations by the guide from Tel Aviv up to Jerusalem made the trip seem short and I learnt things about Israel that I never knew despite reading up on the place. We then descended through the Judaea dessert. We saw Bedouin camps, stopped at the lowest point on earth to take photos. You could also ride a camel for 20nis (the kids highlight), see the famous caves where the Dead Sea scrolls were found (from a distance), sea oasis, local fauna (onix), date plantations and local moshavs (farms). I took some amazing photos. We made a short (30minute) stop at Hahava to see the Dead Sea cosmetic manufacturing plant and shop. Again it did not bother us as we used it for a toilet stop and stretch our legs, we saw the amazing apple of Sodom trees/fruit, the cosmetic manufacturing area (through glass), nice salt pillars (at shop entrance) and to take photos of the Dead Sea. There was absolutely no pressure to buy anything but those who did supported the local community living in the dessert so it's ok. Then we continued to Masada again through breathtaking views of the dessert and Dead Sea (30 minute drive) . We ascended via a cable car to the top and spent 1.5 hours there being guided through the various fort rooms. There was ample time to take photos and self explore. The Guide's (Liat) explianations were fantastic. We then had a short 40 minute drive to the Dead Sea. There you had 2.5 hours to do as you please. We chose to have lunch for half an hour. A huge plate of meat, rice and salads were 46nis and a huge/heaped plate of salad was 26nis, which was not expensive as it was super tasty. We spent 2 hours covering ourselves with mud/floating in the Dead Sea. It was enough time for us. It's a bit tiring to float too long as the water is a bit wavey and if you put your head right down you can get water in your eyes which is excruciating. There are plenty of outdoor showers like the ones you find at Tel Aviv beach to rinse off. The only down point was the formal shower area at the enterance which was totally overcrowded and gross (not clean) because of the shear number of people using it. We boarded the bus at 4.40pm for Jerusalem (40 minute trip back) where I had time to take photos from the other side of the road (I sat on the right hand side there/back). Most people were exhausted and napped. The coach had personal iPhone chargers so your device never went flat and also internet (a bit patchy at times) but I was too engrossed in capturing the amazing views outside the bus it didn't bother me. We drooped people off in Jerusalem by 5.30pm and got to Tel Aviv by 630pm. Drop offs took a while but they were super organised. The trip was broken up into short drives through the day so it's didn't feel like you were sitting too long on the bus. The bus driver (Itsik) was also great and he and the guide complemented each other. I was really pleased to support an Israeli tour company and would book again with them.