Fed by crystal-clear springs, this lush oasis stretches for 6.5km along the base of the escarpment that forms the western edge of the Dead Sea valley. Shaded paths take you to several slightly brackish wading pools (open Friday and Saturday late March to November, daily July and August), including the lovely Poplar Pool, surrounded by salt-resistant vegetation, including tamarisks.
There's no access to the rapidly receding Dead Sea shoreline – some 2km from the water’s edge a sign reads ‘The sea was here in 1967’. However, you can see a farm from the Second Temple period where the Essenes of Qumran may have produced date wine and afarsimon oil, and raised sheep and goats.
The vast majority of the reserve – its 'biological core' – is closed to the public for reasons of conservation, but one section of the southern Hidden Reserve can be visited on a one-hour guided tour (in English at 11am and 1pm on Friday and Sunday from mid-September to June).
Ein Feshkha is 3km south of Qumran.