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Adam Sela

As 1990 was drawing to an end I was beginning a new direction in life. Tired of working 8 days a week in a very high pressure but lucrative industry I was looking for something different.

One can work hard and play hard but to do that you need to make time and that was something I did not have. With the upcoming birth of our first son just playing hard was not an option either so I decided to try and turn my interests and hobbies into a livelihood and started checking out the options.
Widerness tourism was just beginning and I started at the bottom as a freelance guide in Mitzpe Ramon. Back then there was no “training”, most of us had some kind of military background and we all shared a love for the outdoors. I too had the military background where I learned to love the desert and coming from an outdoor lifestyle in Africa with loads of bush craft experience I quickly found my footing and developed my own style and then struck out on my own founding Challenging Experience.

Now, 30 years later, the industry has changed but I am still here and still loving it. Being able to enjoy one’s “job” makes it so much easier to do it well.
All my staff is handpicked and apart from the experience they bring they also receive extensive ‘in-house’ training. I believe that a huge part of any visit is time spent with the ‘locals’ and while not all out team has been in the area that long they do all share a love for the area and for people. We are often asked if we ever get bored ? The simple answer is an emphatic NO – the reason is that no two tours are ever the same especially as meeting new people is also part of what we enjoy.

I always say that we are neither the best nor the cheapest company out there, but some things make us stand out.
We have a great office staff, 5 days a week, giving our clients good service pre-tour and freeing the guides up (especially me) to be with YOU and not with the next or last client.

Three of our five guides are volunteers in the regional Search and Rescue Team (I am one of it’s founders) and also volunteer as reserve Policemen and United Hatzallah medical first responders.

When you tour with us you help support voluntary non profit organizations in the area. We are involved in almost every single Search and Rescue scenario in the region using our extensive knowledge of the area, our specific skills and our company hardware to help bring people to safety.

All our vehicles are well equipped including high power 2 way VHF radios (linked not only to each other but also to national emergency services), tools, first aid packs and even a gas stove to brew fresh coffee or tea.

Hadara (Dari) Arbel

Native English speaker, born in 1984 in the United States, I have been living in Israel for nearly thirty years. Growing up in Jerusalem, one of the most intriguing and complex cities on earth, I have always been attracted to its history. Living in Tel Aviv and raising three young children, I keep my fingers on the pulse of its present.

Guiding has always been a part of my life: in youth groups, throughout my army service and shortly after as I was among the youngest licensed tour guides upon graduation. I have since gained 15 years of experience but am still as excited as I was on my very first day every time I meet a group, family or individual.

Masada 4X4

Transcend upon the Judean Desert as we explore Masada. Enjoy a light breakfast and learn about the fascinating story of the Kanaim rabbles. We’ll also go offroading on Maale Yair, a trail named after the paratrooper elite commander who discovered the trail, and then take in panoramic views of the Dead Sea and Jordanian mountains, followed by a late and delicious lunch.

Masada, Ein Gedi, and Dead Sea From Tel Aviv or Jerusalem

Leaving Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, we’ll travel south through the beautiful Judean Desert to the foot of the Masada fortress, which stands beside the Dead Sea. You’ll take a cable car to the top of the fortress, enjoy the special views, and explore the archaeological ruins. We will then continue to the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve, an oasis in the desert, for a short hike and the unique opportunity to float in the waters of the Dead Sea and immerse yourself in the famous mud.

Masada is one of Israel’s most important archaeological sites and greatest tales of Jewish heroism. The excavated ruins are fascinating to explore, while the remarkable location high above the surrounding desert and Dead Sea makes this an impressive and unique experience. You’ll ascend to the top of Masada via cable car. After leaving Masada, we’ll travel the short distance to the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve. Surrounded by desert, this beautiful reserve offers a beautiful hike alongside the cool waters which flow from the spring. Stop and cool off beside one of the pools that can be found along the way, before heading to our final stop of the day. The lowest place on Earth, the Dead Sea, is a lake with water so salty one is able to float. Read your newspaper whilst floating in the water and immerse yourself in the therapeutic Dead Sea mud, which is sold around the world as beauty products. Finally, return to Tel Aviv having enjoyed a once-in-a-lifetime experience that you’ll never forget.

Our Masada, Ein Gedi, and Dead Sea tours are unique and designed for independent travelers. No other tour combines these three beautiful sites while allowing one to hike up to the top of the fortress, an important part of any visit!

Along the Dead Sea

We’ll start descending from the Jerusalem Mountains into the Judean Desert full of breathtaking views. Here, over 2000 years ago ancient Jews built two present times World Heritage sites, which we’ll visit today – Masada and Qumran. Our first stop will be a National Park Qumran, a two-thousand-year-old communal village of the Jewish Sect “Yahad”, which is also known as “Essenes”. This is also the place where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in the surrounding caves. Our way will further lead along the shores and breathtaking views of the Dead Sea to Masada Fortress. Masada, a dramatically located site of great natural beauty overlooking the Dead Sea, is a rugged natural fortress on which the Judaean King Herod the Great constructed his complex palace. One of the most exciting and frequently-toured places in Israel, Masada represents a story of perseverance and power, faith and surrender, ambitions, and finally – a tragic end. On our way back you may also enjoy a swim in the Dead Sea, one of the most exciting and unique experiences in one’s life. Price excludes relevant entrance fees.

Masada and Dead Sea

Siege of Masada from first sight. Watch the sunrise from the top of masada, float in the dead sea, and find other unforgettable desert experiences with pickup and drop-off in Jerusalem. Departures are offered everyday.

Tamar Festival

The annual Tamar Festival takes place at Masada and the Dead Sea and features some of Israel’s most prominent musicians and artists. It originated in 2000 to promote Israeli music as well as the beautiful desert landscapes. This multi-day festival includes concerts from sunrise to sunset and tickets are available online months in advance.

Dead Sea

The Dead Sea is a salted lake bordered by Jordan to the east and the West Bank to the west. It lies in the Jordan Rift Valley and its main tributary is the Jordan River. Its surface and shores are 430.5 meters below sea level, Earth’s lowest elevation on land.

Ein Gedi National Park

Ein Gedi, literally meaning “spring of the kid” is an oasis and a nature reserve in Israel, located west of the Dead Sea, near Masada and the Qumran Caves. In 2016, Ein Gedi was listed as one of the most popular nature sites in the country and attracts about one million visitors a year.

Qumran National Park

Qumran is an archaeological site in the West Bank managed by Israel’s Qumran National Park. It is located on a dry marl plateau about 1.5 km from the northwestern shore of the Dead Sea and lies near the Israeli settlement and Kibbutz of Kalya.

The Hellenistic period settlement was constructed during the reign of John Hyrcanus (134–104 BCE) or somewhat later, was occupied most of the time until 68 CE and was destroyed by the Romans possibly as late as 73. It is best known as the settlement nearest to the Qumran Caves where the Dead Sea Scrolls were hidden, caves in the sheer desert cliffs and beneath, in the marl terrace. The principal excavations at Qumran were conducted by Roland de Vaux in the 1950s, though several later unearthings at the site have since been carried out.

Israel’s Nature and Parks Authority took over the site following the end of the 1967 war, when Israel occupied the West Bank and seized Qumran. Israel has since invested heavily in the area to establish the Qumran caves as a site of “uniquely Israeli Jewish heritage”.

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