Jordan Trekking Holiday - Wadi Rum and Petra
- Hiking and exploring amongst the mountains of Jordan`s Wadi Rum
- Camping under the stars with the Bedouin
- In the footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia
- Trek on secret trails into the fabulous `Rose-red City` of Petra
- Jordan`s legendary hospitality and spectacular desert scenery
Jordan's Wadi Rum and its 'rose-red City' of Petra provide a magical setting for a trekking holiday in the Middle East. Rising abruptly from the desert plains, the red-ochre sandstone mesas of Wadi Rum provide one of the world's most dramatic landscapes. It was famously described by T.E. Lawrence as "Rum the magnificent... vast, echoing and God-like." In this traditional hunting ground of the Bedouin, our 5-day trek will take us on ancient trails through hidden canyons and across open rocky slopes to the summits of several of the biggest formations in Jordan, including Jebel Um Adaami (1832m), Jordan's highest peak. Throughout the trekking holiday, some easy scrambling will be required to get to the best viewpoints and the guide will carry a rope to safeguard exposed sections, such as the final part of the approach to the dramatic Burdah Bridge. Four-wheel-drive vehicles will provide back-up and we will camp each night on the sands in the company of our hospitable Bedouin hosts. A final highlight of this outstanding Arabian adventure holiday is our 2-day visit to the awe-inspiring 2300 year old, rock-hewn city of Petra. Here, we will make our initial approach via the back trail from Little Petra and the fantastic rock-hewm `Monastery` and spend a whole day with a guide at the site. On the final morning of the holiday, we can again walk in to Petra via the amazing chasm of the `Siq` and do some independent sightseeing before transferring back to Amman Airport.
Please Note: From JOR.10 (November 2013) the itinerary will be amended to include a camping night above Petra and the day hike to the summit of Petra's holiest peak, Jebel Haroun (1270m).
Is this holiday for you?
This is not a long or sustained trekking holiday. It is a series of day-hikes in an unusual mountain area. We will walk for around 4 to 5 hours on each of the 5 days that we spend at Wadi Rum. This will involve walking on desert trails and soft sand, as well as scrambling on the jebels themselves. When climbing on the jebels we will usually be following routes which have been used for generations by Bedouin hunters and shepherds. The Bedouin guide will carry a climbing rope, which may be used on exposed sections to reassure group members who are not confident scramblers. The altitudes attained during this holiday will not cause problems. At the time of year that we will be visiting Jordan (winter) it will not be extremely hot during the day. However, we will encounter day-time temperatures as high as 30 degrees centigrade and sun protection and adequate hydration are important considerations.
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