Eighty percent salt. More than 150 known caves. A mountain that has been rising from the earth for over five million years and has not stopped.
Mount Sodom (Har Sedom) stands along the southwestern shore of the Dead Sea, approximately 8 kilometers long and 5 kilometers wide, composed almost entirely of sodium chloride. Unlike any other geological formation accessible to visitors in Israel, Mount Sodom offers a terrain shaped by dissolution, tectonic pressure, and the rarest of rains, where the landscape literally changes with each winter storm.
Mount Sodom is composed of approximately 80% salt, rises roughly 260 meters above the Dead Sea, and sits at approximately 170 meters below global sea level, making it the only place on Earth where salt can be mined from the surface in open air.
Overview: A Mountain Made of Salt
Mount Sodom formed over millions of years as the Great Rift Valley’s tectonic forces compressed subterranean salt deposits, squeezing them upward through cracks in the overlying rock. Geologists classify it as a salt diapir, a formation where pressurized halite (sodium chloride)
pushes through denser sedimentary layers to emerge at the surface.
The mountain continues to grow. Measurements indicate a rise rate of approximately 3.5 millimeters per year, driven by ongoing tectonic compression. Yet the same rare desert rains that give the mountain its sculpted appearance also dissolve its surfaces, carving vertical shafts, horizontal passages, and the elaborate cave systems that make Mount
Sodom unique among geological sites worldwide.
A thin cap of limestone, clay, and conglomerate covers the salt, protecting it from rapid dissolution. Where this cap has eroded, the exposed salt creates a white, crystalline terrain unlike anything else in the Judean Desert.
Malham Cave: The World’s Longest Salt Cave
Beneath the surface of Mount Sodom lies Malham Cave, confirmed in 2019 as the longest salt cave on Earth at over 10 kilometers. Mapping expeditions led by the Hebrew University Cave Research Center and the
Israel Cave Explorers Club, with support from Bulgaria’s Sofia Caving
Club and cavers from nine countries, surveyed the cave’s roughly 100 chambers and passages over two years.
Malham Cave extends more than 10 kilometers beneath Mount Sodom, holds approximately 100 mapped chambers, and is estimated to be around 7,000 years old based on radiocarbon dating of organic material recovered from its interior.
The cave formed as winter floodwater seeped through cracks in Mount
Sodom’s cap rock, dissolving the salt below and carving an underground river system. When the water drains, the empty passages remain, decorated with salt stalactites, crystallized mineral formations, and massive slabs shaped by millennia of intermittent flooding.
Malham Cave is not open to the general public. Access requires accompanied professional caving expeditions, typically involving rappelling through vertical shafts up to 80 meters deep. Several licensed adventure operators offer guided descents into the cave system’s upper sections for experienced participants.
The Lot’s Wife Pillar At the base of Mount Sodom’s eastern face, a freestanding salt and stone column rises above the roadside along Route 90. Known as Lot’s
Wife (Eshet Lot), this formation takes its name from the Genesis narrative in which Lot’s wife looked back at the cities of Sodom and
Gomorrah and was transformed into a pillar of salt.
Regardless of the biblical association, the pillar’s geological origins reflect the same erosion and dissolution patterns that shape the entire mountain. Salt columns like this one form as surrounding material erodes at different rates, leaving resistant formations standing above the receding surface. The pillar marks the entrance to several cave openings, including the Lot’s Wife Cave.
Hiking Trails on Mount Sodom The Fish Trail (Shvil HaDagim)
The Fish Trail is Mount Sodom’s signature route, named for fossilized fish skeletons found embedded in marl layers along the path. These fossils date to the period of Lake Lisan, a prehistoric freshwater body that occupied the Dead Sea basin roughly 70,000 to 10,000 years ago.
The full circuit covers approximately 10.5 kilometers. Most visitors approach the trail as a descent from the summit plateau, leaving a vehicle at the lower parking area near Lot’s Wife. The trail passes across the mountain’s flat summit ridge before descending through steep, ladder assisted sections (metal rungs embedded in the rock) to the base. Duration for the full descent route is approximately 3 to 4 hours.
Ladders Ascent (Ma’aleh HaSulamot)
For those approaching from below, the Ladders Ascent offers a direct climb via a series of iron ladders bolted into the salt cliff face. The route gains most of its elevation quickly and requires moderate fitness and comfort with exposure. Allow approximately 1.5 hours for the climb.
Safety Considerations
Never enter caves or vertical shafts without a licensed guide. Salt caves are structurally unstable and collapses are documented.
Carry a minimum of 3 liters of water per person. No water sources exist on Mount Sodom.
Wear closed, sturdy footwear with good traction. Salt surfaces can be slippery.
Start early (before 9:00 AM in warm months). The mountain is fully exposed, with no shade on the plateau.
Check flash flood warnings before visiting. Winter rains can send torrents through the canyon systems with little warning.
How to Get to Mount Sodom
Mount Sodom is located along Route 90, approximately 15 kilometers south of the Ein Bokek hotel district. The lower parking area near Lot’s Wife is accessible by car, with no public transit service directly to the trailhead. From Jerusalem, the drive takes approximately 2 hours via
Route 1 and Route 90 south. From Tel Aviv, allow approximately 2.5 hours.
Visitors staying in Ein Bokek can reach the northern access points of
Mount Sodom within 15 to 20 minutes by car. Several adventure operators based in the Dead Sea region offer guided half day and full day excursions that include transportation, hiking, and where available, cave access.
Best Time to Visit Mount Sodom
October through April provides the most comfortable conditions for hiking, with daytime temperatures ranging from 18 to 28 degrees Celsius.
Summer temperatures on the exposed salt plateau regularly exceed 40 degrees Celsius, making midday hiking dangerous.
Winter months (December through February) bring the possibility of rain, which can create brief flash flood conditions in the canyons but also actively reshapes the cave systems. The period immediately after winter rains often reveals new salt formations and shifted cave passages.
Mount Sodom’s landscape changes with each winter storm, as rare desert rains dissolve and re sculpt the salt surfaces, meaning no two visits to the mountain reveal precisely the same terrain.
Nearby Attractions
Ein Bokek beaches: 15 km north. Free public access to the Dead Sea shore with full facilities.
Moshe Novomeysky Visitor Center: Located at the base of Mount Sodom. VR experience of historical potash mining operations.
Nahal Darga Canyon: 30 km north. Advanced canyoneering with 21 waterfalls (expert only, INPA registration required).
Masada National Park: 25 km north. UNESCO World Heritage fortress with sunrise hike and cable car access.
Neot HaKikar: 5 km south. Desert agricultural village with guesthouse accommodation and artisan workshops.
FAQ Section
Can you enter the salt caves inside Mount Sodom?
Most caves inside Mount Sodom are closed to unsupervised access due to structural instability and collapse risk. Guided rappelling tours into select cave sections are available through licensed adventure operators. These typically involve descending vertical salt chimneys of 30 to 80 meters and require basic physical fitness and comfort with rope work.
How long is the Malham Cave inside Mount Sodom?
Malham Cave extends more than 10 kilometers, making it the longest salt cave on Earth as confirmed by Guinness World Records in 2019. The cave contains approximately 100 chambers mapped by international caving teams from nine countries. It is not open to general public access.
Is there an entrance fee for Mount Sodom hiking trails?
Mount Sodom falls within a nature reserve. Visitors should confirm current access requirements and any applicable fees with the Israel
Nature and Parks Authority (INPA) before visiting, as regulations may change seasonally.
How long does it take to hike Mount Sodom?
The full Fish Trail circuit covers approximately 10.5 kilometers and takes 3 to 4 hours. The Ladders Ascent from the base takes approximately
1.5 hours. Most visitors do a partial route or a guided descent, which typically runs 2 to 3 hours depending on the itinerary.
Is Mount Sodom suitable for families with children?
The summit plateau walk is manageable for older children comfortable with sun exposure and moderate terrain. The ladder sections and steep descents require coordination and are more appropriate for teenagers and adults. Children under 10 should be accompanied on the plateau only.
Cave access is restricted to guided adult groups.