En Gedi or Ein Gedi was the place where David hid in the Bible. It’s surprisingly close to the Dead Sea! Over here, you will find a famous Ein Gedi Kubbutz, Ein Gedi Public Beach that has been closed since 2016, and this famous Nature Reserve! This is a perfect place for hiking!
For entry, you can make good use of the Annual Pass of Israel’s National Park. There are some picnic tables at the entrance. You cannot bring food inside!
The Meaning of Ein Gedi
Ein Gedi or En Gedi is two words. The first word “Ein” or “En” in Hebrew עין means source of water. So Ein Gedi basically means the water source of Gedi.
Ein Gedi in the Bible
Ein Gedi was a city assigned to the tribe of Judah in the Bible, along with Secacah, the salt city of Qumran.
After killing Goliath, King Saul got jealous over David.
Now when Saul returned from pursuing the Philistines, they told him saying, “Look, David is in the wilderness of En-gedi.” (1 Sam 24:1)
In his pursuit against David, King Saul found hismelf a cave to relief himself. This was the reason I wanted to visit Ein Gedi… I wanted to see a cave!
Ein Gedi was mentioned in Solomon’s Song of Songs
My love is to me a spray of henna blooms
in the vineyards of En-gedi. (Song of Songs 1:14)
The Map of Ein Gedi
There are 9 trails in this park. Find a level that fits you, just note that Israeli men serve 3 years and girls serve 2 years in IDF. So their standard is a bit different! You can find the original map here.
As a tourist, I think you’d only need to consider these 4 routes. Please ignore the Chinese description.
The Lower Section of David’s Waterfall
This is the entrance! Look at this landscape! There is only one way, so you keep going straight!
It is not a difficult climb. And the view is spectacular!
Turn around and take a look of the Dead Sea!
This is the same area where Qumran is. There is plenty of rocks and caves. It’s very dry, though relatively speaking, it’s greener here.
So, if Saul hid in one of these caves, which one is more suitable for him to go to No.2?
Found a random bird in a bush! (Why?) He looks like a Tristram’s starling.
This is the way for upper waterfall. You can see a temple from Chalcolithic Age as people started to settle here in 3150-4000BC! Treasures made by copper were found in the caves near Nahal Mishmar. So can you see people hiking in the picture?
Here they are! Hi Wally!
The area is dry, but you see water here! Now this hiking experience is more than just good views! It’s fun!
These people found themselves a good spot to chill! What a good place to bond!
Mini cascade!
Clear water. This is ideal!
The hiking trip involves going through a mini cave! How fun!
And then, a waterfall appeared! In Dead Sea Region! This isn’t David Waterfall yet. I don’t think this waterfall has a name. I put my feet inside the icy water. It was soothing! Some people swam here. That’s why it’s a nice idea to come here in your swim suit.
Keep moving up! Turn right to David Waterfall!
Here we go! The real David waterfall! David has intense love to God. He knew who His God is from an early age. And he was determined in loving God, regardless of what others think of him. This is what he wrote when he was in the wilderness of Judah.
O God, You are my God,
earnestly I seek You.
My soul thirsts for You.
My flesh longs for You
in a dry and weary land, where there is no water.
And this one is my pet Shafan. No his name is not Steven. It’s Shafan. I’ll explain!
If you aren’t satisfied, then keep hiking upwards! 
Saw unidentified fruit. Is it Giant Milkweed?
And finally… I have been looking for these little guys! Can you see what I was looking for?
It’s them! Shafan! This animal is hyrax. Or translated as conies or rock badgers. This animal in the Bible actually exists in the land of the Bible!
coneys are creatures with little power,
yet they make their homes in the cliffs; (Proverbs 30:26)
I thought it would be difficult to find these little creatures…
You could see them everywhere!
They were pocket size perfect! Don’t try to smuggle one!
