Ein Bokek

Sandwiched between the turquoise waters of the southern Dead Sea and a dramatic tan bluff, Ein Bokek’s strip of luxury hotels is the region’s main tourist zone. More hotels and a tourism complex are in the works. Ein Bokek (also spelled En Boqeq) has the area's nicest free beaches and is the Dead Sea’s main centre for treating ailments such as psoriasis, arthritis and respiratory conditions with naturally occurring minerals and compounds.

The three most commonly heard languages here are Hebrew, Arabic and Russian – the area is hugely popular not only with locals (Jews, Arabs and Druze) but also with immigrants and tourists from the former Soviet Union.

Unlike the beaches along the lake's northern basin, Ein Bokek fronts evaporation pools (kept full by Dead Sea Works pumps) rather than the open sea. That's why its lakeshore is not receding and sinkholes are not a problem here.