Geographical area: ​

"Sdom" mountain in the south tip of the Dead Sea

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Background:

Mount Sodom enjoys pride of place on the list of unique sites in the Dead Sea region, and is considered one of the world’s rarest nature sites.

 

Although the Dead Sea and Mount Sodom are considered arid regions, when rain falls at more than four millimeters per minute, the accumulation of water causes flooding through the region, a phenomenon that occurs once a year on average. During flooding, the water penetrates the water-sensitive salt-stone that forms Mount Sodom, causing cracks to expand and pierce deep crevices into the mountain. Over thousands of years, the rainwater and floods have rapidly dissolved the salt and many of these cracks have become caves.

 

The Colonel Salt Cave was named after Major Tulloch who in 1930, together with Moses Novomeysky, was awarded a license to extract and manufacture salt from the Dead Sea.

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Type of trip:

Walking trail; moderate difficulty level; rappelling required.

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Duration:

4-5 hours including entrance through the shaft above the cave, rappelling into the cave itself and a trail that includes walking and crawling through the cave.

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Trail Outline:

Rendezvous: At "Zohar"  intersection gas station. We’ll drive together to Mount Sodom (a few minutes’ drive away).

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We’ll park at beginning of the trail, hand out rappelling equipment, make sure that everyone has working flashlights and off we’ll go.

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We’ll start by ascending the Mount Sodom ladder trail (black trail markings). After an ascent of about 25 minutes we’ll reach the opening that leads to the bowels of the Earth and the Colonel Salt Cave, and we’ll rappel down a breathtaking 75-meter salt shaft to the cave floor. Then we’ll explore the rare salt cave including salt stalactites and unique geological formations.

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Personal Equipment: 

1. The opening that leads to the Colonel Salt Cave is completely shaded from sun, which results in complete darkness in the cave interior.

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2. The trail involves crawling on all fours and on the stomach.

3. The exit from the cave is through a narrow opening.

of the trail, hand out rappelling equipment, make sure that everyone has working flashlights and off we’ll go.

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Please Note:

3 liters of water per person (preferably in insulated Jerri cans), medium backpack (30 liter capacity for personal items and rappelling equipment), hat, walking shoes (closed shoes only), light clothing suitable for cave crawling including long hiking pants (will get dirty) and long-sleeve shirt (for cool temperatures in cave), mandatory flashlight (preferably head-mounted), extra batteries, thin gloves (can be purchased at local hardware store),  food for the whole day and snacks, mosquito repellent, sunscreen, rubber band for long hair, change of clothes (will be left  in the car for after the trail)

Recommended: Camera, light snacks such as sour/sweet candy, dates, raisins, almonds

bed'>We’ll start by ascending the Mount Sodom ladder trail (black trail markings). After an ascent of about 25 minutes we’ll reach the opening that leads to the bowels of the Earth and the Colonel Salt Cave, and we’ll rappel down a breathtaking 75-meter salt shaft to the cave floor. Then we’ll explore the rare salt cave including salt stalactites and unique geological formations.

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We provide:

Qualified rappelling instructors, all necessary rappelling equipment, first aid kit, coffee & tea kit. The trip includes insurance, as required by law.

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Cost per Participant:

Determined by size of group