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Jordan: Trek to Petra 2024

23rd Nov 2024 - 30th Nov 2024

23rd Nov 2024 - 30th Nov 2024
25th Nov 2023 - 2nd Dec 2023

8 days/Jordan /Moderate to Challenging

Overview

This stunning and remote trek takes you on an adventure following an ancient Bedouin migration route to Petra, experiencing some of the most spectacular natural scenery in Jordan along your journey. This trek is voted by National Geographic as one of the world’s best hikes and it is growing a reputation as the ‘Inca Trail of the Middle East’.

We will be covering up to 10 miles a day over 5 consecutive days of walking. Besides the stony desert landscape, there are sections of narrow trail across rocky terrain including some easy scrambling.

No previous trekking experience is required although it would be a great advantage, and you must ensure you have done plenty of hill walking training in advance of the trip to prepare yourself for the challenge.

You don’t have to fundraise to join an open challenge but you can support a charity of your choice if you wish. See the costs tab for more details.

More trips

A moderate to challenging trip for someone of a good fitness level. You will be trekking for 5 consecutive days, averaging 6 hours each day. The terrain is largely rocky, dry and uneven.  Although some of the days trekking have a very gentle increase in elevation some days have very challenging sections with steep uphill and downhill gradients.

Temperatures pose a specific challenge with temperatures historically reaching up to 30°C. You must be of a good fitness level before departure, to ensure fast recovery each day.

You will be accompanied by an English-speaking guide and a local trek guide who have an excellent knowledge of the culture and trekking in the region. The guides are first aid trained and will support you throughout your journey. You will also be accompanied by a team of support staff including cook, donkey handlers, Jeep driver (transporting luggage) and a Different Travel Company UK tour manager.

Temperatures in November can range from 22°C to 30°C during the day and drop to around 0°C at night however you must be prepared for variations to this which are out of our control. Loose, lightweight, long clothing is both respectful to the local culture and cooler in the heat than having exposed skin. Weather during the trek will be dry but there may be some strong winds. Rain, although very rare, is not impossible.

Please note: the temperatures and conditions above are historically accurate but climate change can impact the seasons so you may experience uncharacteristic conditions during the trip which are out of our control. The guides will assess the situation and make decisions to ensure the best enjoyment and safety of the group.

Your meals during the trek are cooked by a chef who will prepare simple but nutritious dishes. Typical breakfasts may include cheese, eggs, jam, butter, tomatoes, cucumber, fruit, tea and black coffee.
For lunch each day you will prepare your own sandwiches to carry with you, and dinner will comprise of dishes such as soup, chicken, rice, vegetarian dishes and salad. Plates, mugs, cutlery and other equipment are provided.

While staying in cities, meals will be at the hotel or at local restaurants.

You will stay in a hotel with en-suite facilities while in Amman or Aqaba (location dependent on flight schedules), a guesthouse in Wadi Musa and you will camp in tents during the trek (two to a tent). Foam sleeping mats are provided but you will need to bring a sleeping bag.

Toilet facilities during the trek consist of a small toilet ‘tent’ covering a hole in the ground. There may be very basic shower facilities at camp but this is not guaranteed and water must be used sparingly, so we advise that you don’t rely on this, and bring a pack of baby wipes. A small bowl of water is provided to wash your hands before meals.

The hotels have en-suite facilities with flushing toilets and hot showers. Toilet paper should always be placed in the bin, not flushed. At camp there will be a toilet tent which offers privacy over a pit in the sand. Please put used toilet paper into a sealable nappy bag or sanitary disposal bag and put into the main trek bin bag.

After you have used the toilet, please cover your waste with sand to avoid smells and flies for the next person who visits the toilet tent. You should not rely on shower facilities being available during the trek so please bring a small pack of baby wipes and a bottle of hand sanitizer for personal hygiene.

If you need to use the toilet during the trek day you must find a private area off the trail. You must never leave used toilet paper on the ground; this must be packed up into a nappy bag or sanitary disposal bag, pop it in your daypack and dispose of it properly at camp (please bring your own nappy sacks with you). You should bring one to two rolls of toilet paper for your own use.

You must be 18+ to join this trek. It may be possible for you to participate if you are 16 or 17 years old if accompanied by a parent or guardian. There is no upper age limit.

An ideal candidate for the trek would be someone who enjoys being out of their comfort zone and trying something new. Adventure travel involves an element of the unexpected so do not expect standards to be the same as you are used to at home. Remote areas are sometimes unpredictable (be it because of group pace, weather conditions, local bureaucracy, or other factors) and itineraries may be altered to allow for this. For you to get the most out of your challenge it is important that you are flexible, positive, and eager to take on all the challenges that arise. Suitable fitness preparation before departure forms part of this.

A good level of fitness is required for all participants.

You must engage in training (including plenty of walking up and down hills) before departure to ensure your best chance of enjoyment on the trip. This could include hill walking, running, cycling, gym workouts, boot camps, etc. You can download several free apps to help you train and track your progress, e.g. MapMyWalk, C25K, MyFitnessPal, etc.

Attempting to complete the trek without training will make it more challenging than necessary and will be detrimental to your experience, and the experience of your teammates.

The trek is rated moderate to challenging for someone of a good fitness level. You will be trekking for 5 consecutive days, averaging 6 hours each day. The terrain is largely rocky, dry and uneven.  Although some of the days trekking have a very gentle increase in elevation some days have very challenging sections with steep uphill and downhill gradients.

Temperatures pose a specific challenge with temperatures historically reaching up to 30°C. You must be of a good fitness level before departure, to ensure fast recovery each day.

Itinerary

Day 1 (Saturday 23 November 2024):

Fly to Jordan
Fly from London to Jordan and transfer to a nearby hotel for an overnight stay. Depending on airline schedules we will either stay in Aqaba or Amman.

Overnight: Hotel

Meals: Dinner

 

Day 2 (Sunday 24 November 2024):

Wadi Feinan – Wadi Barwas
Transfer to Wadi Feinan for our first day’s walk across ‘hamada’ landscape – dry, rock-strewn desert, with little sand. The terrain is fairly flat all day but there are spectacular mountain views and expansive wadis (dry valleys) as well as Byzantine and Nabatean ruins to be seen. Tonight, you will set up camp in Wadi Barwas.
Trekking: Approx. 16km / 6 hours./Elevation: 52m gain/Max. altitude 378m.
Overnight: Camping
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 3 (Monday 25 November 2024):

Wadi Barwas – Ras el Feid
Leaving the stony hamada desert behind this morning, we walk around the foot of the mountains to reach an ancient Bedouin migration path that ascends steeply across rocks and small boulders, going high into the mountains. This section is very challenging and can be loose underfoot and involve scrabbling rocks taking around 4 hours, but the reward is amazing views over the stunning Wadi Araba desert.

We eventually descend into Wadi el Feid for a well-deserved dip in its cool waters—a perfect place for lunch and a rest. We then walk upstream through dense foliage before reaching a dry river-bed surrounded with colorful sandstone outcrops to reach our camping spot.
Trekking: Approx. 9.5km / 6-7 hours/Elevation: 597m gain, then 193m loss/Max. altitude 975m.
Overnight: Camping
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 4 (Tuesday 26 November 2024):

Ras el Feid – Shkaret Msei’d
This morning we retrace our route along the riverbed and gradually climb up the hills following Bedouin shepherd paths to discover some of the most spectacular scenery in Jordan. This path is particularly challenging, becoming less defined and involving some easy scrambling to pass large boulders and other obstacles.

The trail continues along the wadi floor and gently climbs up into the pale coloured sandstone hills with incredible views across the surrounding mountains and canyons until we reach our camp at Shkaret Msei’d.
Trekking: Approx. 16km /9-10 hours/Elevation: 207m gain/Max. altitude: 997m.
Overnight: Camping
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 5 (Wednesday 27 November 2024):

Shakret Msei’d – Beida – Little Petra
The scenery changes dramatically today from deep wadis to wonderful wide open sandstone hills that feel almost moonlike. The trail passes agricultural fields and some Bedouin encampments before our trail once again becomes indistinct with some more scrambling. We descend into Little Petra to visit this fabulous site for a taster of the main site which we will encounter tomorrow. A short walk then takes us to a permanent campsite, uniquely located in the midst of the sandstone mountains in Beidha.
Trekking: Approx. 14km/ 5 to 6 hours/Elevation: 203m gain then 143m loss/Max. altitude: 1226m
Overnight: Camping
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 6 (Thursday 28 November 2024):

Petra
Today’s hike brings you into Petra via a spectacular but little-known Bedouin trail through the mountains. You’ll begin with a couple of hours’ walk across open farmland before following the path across wind-eroded sandstone. Huge views begin to open up across the Great Rift Valley to the west. After another hour the trail descends towards Petra and opens onto one of the city’s most impressive sights: the immense rock-cut façade of ad Deir, the Monastery.

You can rest and drink tea here, and explore the ruins, before following the stone steps of a Nabataean processional way down into the heart of Petra. Enjoy lunch inside the archaeological site and then spend the afternoon exploring Petra’s tombs, temples, and churches. The route brings you past the Roman theatre and, towards the end of the afternoon, to Petra’s most famous monument, the Treasury. From here you’ll walk out of Petra along the Main Siq.
Overnight: Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Trekking: Approx. 14km / 8 hours (including sightseeing time)

Day 7 (Friday 29 November 2024):

Sightseeing*
Spend the day visiting more highlights of this fascinating country.  You will either visit Wadi Rum* on a jeep tour to explore this spectacular desert including Lawrence of Arabia’s Spring and the natural rock bridge of Jebel Um Fruth or you will head north towards the Dead Sea* for an opportunity to have a float in the waters!

If time allows, you will also visit Mount Nebo, where Moses is said to have seen the promised land and the ancient town of Madaba. *N.B. Sightseeing today will depend on flight schedules and is subject to change.
Overnight: Hotel
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 8 (Saturday 30 November 2024):

Return to London
Transfer to the airport for your flight back to the UK. Depending on flight schedules we will either depart from Aqaba or Amman.
Meals: Breakfast

N.B. This itinerary may change due to flight schedules, weather, the ability of the group and so on. We will do our best to keep to the itinerary but we cannot be held responsible for changes that occur outside of our control. In all circumstances your guide and tour leader will have the final say in the interest of the group’s health and safety.

Watch our pre-recorded Trek to Petra Information session

Costs & How to pay

Registration fee: £345
and then either…

Self-funded: £1850

or

Sponsorship: £3700

or

Flexi: £1850 trip costs and £1850 sponsorship for a charity* of your choice

SELF-FUNDED

This option is for those who choose to pay the trip costs (flights, accommodation, food, guides etc.) themselves. There is no sponsorship required although if you wish to raise sponsorship for a charity you are welcome to do so.

  • A registration fee is payable at the time of booking.
  • Trip cost balance is payable to Different Travel 10 weeks prior to departure.
  • You are welcome to fundraise separately for any charity of your choice but this is not mandatory. Any fundraising undertaken cannot be used for your trip costs.

SPONSORSHIP

This option is for those who wish to raise sponsorship to cover both the costs of the trip (flights, accommodation, food, guides etc.) and a donation to their chosen charity. There is a minimum sponsorship amount for each trip that you are required to raise in order to participate.

  • A registration fee is payable at the time of booking.
  • The minimum sponsorship must be paid to the charity 12 weeks prior to departure.
  • The amount the charity receives is at least 50% of the minimum sponsorship total.

FLEXI

This option is for those who choose to pay the trip costs (flights, accommodation, food, guides etc.) themselves while still raising some funds for the charity.

  • A registration fee is payable at the time of booking.
  • Trip cost balance is payable to Different Travel and your fundraising is payable to the charity 10 weeks prior to departure.
  • Any fundraising undertaken cannot be used for your trip costs.

*If your chosen charity is not on this list, please seek permission to fundraise for them by taking part in this challenge before making your booking.

Watch our pre-recorded Trek to Petra Information session

What's included

  • Return flights from London
  • Airport taxes and charges
  • All transport in Jordan
  • All accommodation (hotel in Aqaba or Amman for two nights, guesthouse in Wadi Musa for one night, camping during trek for four nights)
  • Meals
  • English-speaking guides and support crew
  • Trek permits
  • UK Different Travel Tour Manager

What's not included

  • Jordan visa (current cost 40 JOD)
  • Personal expenses (e.g. drinks, souvenirs, etc.)
  • Vaccinations
  • Travel insurance
  • Tips (approx. £25-£30 per person)
  • Trek kit and equipment

Got a Question?

If you’ve a question about this challenge that you can’t find the answer to within the given information then complete this quick form and we’ll get back to you as soon as possible.