The world’s lowest point at 422 metres below sea level, the Dead Sea is also nine times saltier than the ocean.

Long lauded for the healing powers of its mineral rich waters – floating in them and slathering on some famous Dead Sea mud is said to exfoliate, heal and de-stress - it is also a spectacular sight, its cobalt blue waters shimmering against the tan rocks of the Judean Desert.

The Dead Sea has attracted travellers for thousands of years, even used as a health resort by Herod the Great, King of Judea. With a salt content of over 30% - ten times that of ordinary sea water – the sea cannot sustain animal life, but its salt and mud are considered to have restorative or beautifying properties. Once used in the embalming of Egyptian mummies, the local salt is now exported across the world. The Dead Sea is so buoyant that it is almost impossible to swim here, but an afternoon spent simply floating on the blue waters is an unforgettable experience.

Whilst its shores are lined with spas, the area surrounding the Dead Sea is also rich with history – it was here, in an area that was Jordan but is now in Israel, that the Dead Sea Scrolls were found, one of the world’s greatest archaeological finds.