Two of us want to go to Masada/Dead Sea on a Saturday and do not want to rent a car (lots of reasons that I don't need to get into), The guided tours spend more time at Dead Sea than we want to spend so we're thinking about private taxi. Aside from having no idea what that might cost, I need advice about how easy/hard it would be to "find" a taxi in one of the Dead Sea areas to take us back to Jerusalem, without arranging it in advance. We can take bus from Masada to Dead Sea, but since we don't know exactly what time we'd like to leave the Dead Sea, I can't see arranging in advance for the taxi taking us there to also take us back at a pre-set time later. In other words, are there taxis hanging around the hotels that we could just get on the spot to take us back to Jerusalem? Thanks.

There are NO buses to the Dead Sea on a Saturday.

According to the official MoT price list a taxi on Saturday from Jerusalem to Ein Gedi is 458 NIS and to Ein Bokek 920 NIS. So a return trip to Massada would be about 1500 NIS. But there are no taxis hanging around Massada so you would have to ask the driver to wait. The official waiting price is 94 NIS/hour. If you use the same taxi to visit Massada and go for a dip it will cost you up to 2000 NIS for the trip - about $575.

I don't know why you don't want to rent a car - it's a short and safe trip.

Have you looked at the Abraham Tour trip to the Dead Sea ? They also go to Ein Gedi:
http://abrahamtours.com/theme/israel-tours/

At those prices, stay at a Dead Sea resort. Either that or taxi out, play, clean up, have dinner there then catch the evening 444 on its way from Eilat to Jerusalem(check the schedule, but I would guess it would go by around 7-8pm)

wow. I can't believe that my knowledge of no busses on Sat. did not extend to realizing there would be no bus between the two sites. OK -- I certainly know what I need to now!!! Many thanks.

Though it's been quite a few years since we did this visit, as a prebooked tour (only us - 3/adults, 1/child - and a couple), first stop was Masada with absolutely no rush. Then stop at the Dead Sea which I don't believe was more than 1.5/hrs (if that), then at Jericho for short visit, before return to Jerusalem.

No buses means NO buses. Your only reasonless options are a tour or renting a car.

Remember the Sabbath is sundown to sundown, Egged has a bus that leaves Eilat at 4:30pm on Saturdays thats picks up in various Dead Sea stops(including stops near hotels, Masada and Ein Gedi) in the evening and gets to Jerusalem at 9:15

Here is the site to look up stops and phone to purchase tix

http://mslworld.egged.co.il/eggedtim...ge=en&state=2#

Of course I meant to write "reasonable"