Ma'In Hot Springs

The Ma’In Hot Springs are located in the Madaba region of Jordan and are natural geothermal pools that you can bathe in. They are nested in a beautiful valley in the mountain range that lines the Jordanian shore of the Dead Sea - and yet they are still 264m below sea level!

Which Springs?

There are a number of different ways to experience the Ma’In Hot Springs, covering a very broad spectrum of cost, privacy and cleanliness. If you are staying at the resort, there is a free private pool, as well as a paid one (reserved for spa customers only). Outside of the resort, there is a paid attraction, as well as a free attraction. In total, there are at least 4 different locations all within close proximity of one another. It’s very confusing.

In fact, there are many more springs all around this valley, but these are the ones that you can easily reach.

To add to this confusion, a simple online search will most likely lead you to the generic landmark of Ma’In Hot Springs, which has thousands of reviews and covers all the options at once. This appears to be the paid public attraction, but has over time become a platform for everyone to share their collective Ma’In experience. And so, you will find a collection of photos from all the pools, which of course fails to set the right expectations, and some very polarising reviews - a mix of generally excellent reviews from hotel guests that should be reviewing the hotel instead, and some pretty dreadful reviews from guests of the public pools who were hoping for more.

It’s important to know this distinction, so you can make the right decision before getting there - in my opinion, there is no debate here and there is really only one good option. Ma’In Hot Springs is the perfect place to unwind, and makes for a different relaxation experience to that from the resorts down on the Dead Sea shores. But my advice is either go for the hotel, or just don’t go at all.

In the area:

Getting there

The springs are only a 20-min drive away inland from the Dead Sea Highway, and a 1h drive away from Amman.

This means you can easily reach it on a day-trip from the capital, or if you are based at one of the resorts nearby. But, as I have already pointed out, it is really worth spending the night in the area so you can enjoy the hotel facilities.

The road leading to the resort is steep and windy, but in good condition, with beautiful views of the Dead Sea along the way. When you arrive, the Ma’In Hot Springs resort will reveal itself like an oasis in this desert landscape.

Pool #1 - Resort Spa Pool

Let’s start from best to worst. This is the thermal pool equivalent of business class on a plane.

The Cascade Spa within the Ma’In Hot Springs resort comes with a pool and a natural waterfall flowing into it. It’s beautiful, it’s secluded, but it’s also reserved only for guests of the spa, and treatments are on the expensive side. We stayed at the hotel for a night and personally I did not feel the need to also visit the spa, but this is probably the best you can get if you are willing to pay the price.

Pool #2 - Resort Pool

Think of this as premium economy.

This main pool area within the resort is reserved for guests of the hotel, which means you do have to stay the night. It is a 5* resort, and so this is not a budget option, but it’s really not expensive for what it is. We paid approximately 110 JOD for two people, with breakfast included (in late 2021). This is a similar cost any other luxury resort on the Dead Sea shores.

The main pool is very warm (like taking a hot bath), and stays open late in the evening. It has an artificial waterfall supplying it with water at about 42°C, redirected from the big waterfall in the back. The small pools inside the cave are too hot to bathe in (around 60°C), and are meant more as a sauna experience.

I’m not sure if day passes for the resort are available for outside guests these days.

Pool #3 - Paid Public Pools

This would be economy class - but think Ryanair, not Emirates.

There is a pool area near the resort entrance available for all to use, for a fee. We did not manage to check this out, because they were closed when we visited in late 2021 (possibly due to pandemic). So my thoughts here are based entirely off recent reviews. There seems to be an entrance fee of 15 JOD per person, which is quite steep - to me it sounds like a tourist trap. Even so, it appears that the place is quite worn down, and people have been complaining of crowds, hygiene, and storage facilities, among other things.

I believe that guests of the resort may also use the public pools free of charge (or so we’ve been told at the time). But if you are staying at the hotel, it’s extremely unlikely you would prefer the public pool over the one within the resort.

Pool #4 - Free Public Pools

This is probably the equivalent of the overcrowded shuttle bus that picks you up from the gate - an overstatement still.

The free public pools are located right at the junction (here), where one road leads towards the paid public attraction, and the other leads to the resort. We went here briefly and I could not go further than dipping my foot in the pool just by the waterfall (the water is way too hot). The other pool downstream had too many people in them to even try. Overall, it’s a tiny place off the side of the road, it’s unmaintained and hence bound to be dirty, and it’s packed. This might be better than paying 15 JOD for something that appears to be almost just as bad, but it’s so not worth it still. If you are planning on driving to Ma’In for this, then don’t.

Panorama Dead Sea Complex

If you are driving to Ma’In Hot Springs from the Dead Sea Highway, you will be passing by the Panorama Dead Sea Complex. It’s worth making a quick stop here. There is an entrance fee of 2 JOD to enter the complex. The complex is a viewpoint with a beautiful panorama over the Dead Sea, as well as a restaurant and a museum. The museum is not very impressive, but the view is spectacular.

Have you been to Ma’In Hot Springs? Let me know your thoughts in the comments - your experience could be different than ma’in.

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