Masada is a MUST when visiting Israel. It’s one of the first questions people ask when you tell them you’re coming here. Oh, are you going to Masada?
Well, if you are, then you’ll need to get both up and down from the mountain, and there are multiple options. Let’s see what they are.
Getting Up the Mountain
There are 3 ways to get up and down from Masada.
The Cable Car
This is the easiest way up and down. It’s also the most expensive.
In order to use the cable car in both directions you end up paying about 75 NIS per person. But it’s definitely the most convenient.
It’s about a 3 minute ride up to the top, there’s a great view, and you get to wave at all the people beneath you hiking up.
The only issue is that the cable cars maximum capacity is 80 people. You’re packed in there like sardines when it’s at capacity. At least, that’s how things were pre-COVID-19. Now you need to order your cable car time slot in advance, and so they know exactly how many people are supposed to be using it as the same time.
The Snake Path
When people talk about hiking up Masada, this is usually what they’re referring to.
The most popular time of day to hike up Masada is for the sunrise.
The snake path as of right now opens at 5am, and it takes about 45 minutes to hike up, so you might not make it up for the sunrise. But even if you don’t, you’ll still have a fantastic view of the sunrise no matter where you are along the path. The entire path overlooks the Dead Sea and the mountains in Jordan, so you’ll have a magnificent sunrise, weather permitting.
If you’re doing the sunrise hike, make sure you check the weather forecast the evening before to make sure you’ll actually get to SEE the sunrise. It’s very anticlimactic climbing all the way up, and then there being light outside, without a sunrise to watch.
One of the advantages of climbing up the snake path is that you can take the cable car back down. Just make sure you book your cable car in advance in addition to your snake path up.
The Roman Ramp
Of the two hiking paths, this one is the easy one. It’s open all day long, and takes about 20 minutes to hike up.
But you don’t get the views as you hike, and you HAVE TO hike back down the same direction, unless you’ve got someone picking you up from the other side and taking you back to your car.
The two sides of Masada are NOT connected, and it’s about 1.5 hours or so by car from one side to the other.
If you want to hike up the Roman Ramp, your best bet for the night before is to find a hotel in Arad, which is the closest city to Masada. Getting to the Roman Ramp is much faster from Arad than it is from Jerusalem.
Also, if you were counting on eating at the cafeteria of the visitors center after your Masada visit, too bad. The visitors center is on the other side of Masada. Bring sandwiches! Or eat in Arad after you’ve left Masada.
Getting Back Down
If you’ve hiked up the Roman Ramp, you need to either have someone waiting for you at the base of Masada if you want to head down with the Cable Car or with the Snake Path. Otherwise you’ll need to hike down the same way you came.
If you’ve come up the Snake Path or via Cable Car, then you can head back down the Snake Path, assuming it’s open. If not, then the Cable Car is a fantastic way off the mountain. But if you want to head down the Roman Ramp, you’ll need to have someone there waiting for you, as the two sides of Masada aren’t connected, and you won’t be able to reach your car without either hitchhiking or hiking around the mountain to get back to your car. Both are possible, but very time consuming.
Have YOU been to Masada? How did you get up and down the mountain?