Jordan Trekking Holiday - Wadi Rum and Petra

Day 1: Arrive Madaba

Rendezvous at the group hotel in Madaba. KE Land Only package services begin with a single group transfer from Amman Airport to the group hotel in Madaba. This transfer is normally in the late evening and a representative of our local agent will accompany the group on the 30 minute journey to the hotel. (Meals included : None)

Day 2: To Wadi Rum and first days trek

After breakfast , we set off by minibus for the morning's drive southwards to Wadi Rum. The Desert Highway runs alongside the railway line which was famously blown up by Lawrence of Arabia during the Great War . We will meet our Bedouin hosts at the new Visitor Centre in Wadi Rum and transfer our baggage from the bus to our 4-wheel-drive vehicles, before walking into the village to a house where our lunch has been prepared. Here, we will meet our guide and drivers. Lunch is likely to consist of salad dishes, pasta and tuna, with sweet tea and biscuits. Lunch over , we will walk through the village and make the half-hour hike up to 'Lawrence's Well' in Wadi Shelaala. This is a great place and has the only running water that you are likely to see during your time in Jordan, as well as fig trees, gardens and grinning Bedouin kids and their goats. This is the spring where Lawrence of Arabia bathed when in Wadi Rum (Seven Pillars of Wisdom - page 363). It still corresponds exactly to the description he gave. It is a delightful spot, perhaps 150 metres above the village, with a great view out over the valley. We will spend a little time in this peaceful place, before continuing our walk on a wide and rocky ledge across the face of Jebel Rum. The great expanse of desert on our left side is cal led Ghor al Ajram and was the place where all the tents were set up for Abu Tayi’s 'party' in the film Lawrence of Arabia. As an introduction to Wadi Rum, this short walk cannot be bettered. After 2 hours or so, this route takes us down to the desert sand at Abu Aina. Spring water has been channel led into troughs here and the camels that roam around the desert during the day come to drink here before returning to the village or to the desert for the night. Here, we meet our transport for the half-hour drive to our camping place at the mouth of Wadi Um Ishrin. At the entrance of this valley a large dune has built up and our camp is hidden behind this. Tea and biscuits will be served and there will be chance to do some exploring before dinner. This is also a good opportunity to select the place where you would like to sleep, under the stars or in your tent as you prefer. You can find plenty of private spots if you wish, or you can remain near to the campfire. As it gets dark, around the campfire you will meet the team of helpers, learn their names and exchange banter with them. An important part of this trekking holiday is to get to know something about the extraordinary people who are the Bedouin of Wadi Rum. Supper usually consists of grilled meat and vegetables, perhaps chicken with rice and vegetables cooked in the embers of the fire. The Bedouin prefer to cook on a fire rather than a gas ring. The main dish will be followed by fruit, or possibly by cake. There will be a different evening meal every day and on one occasion there will be a chance to eat as the Bedouin do, using your fingers to eat from a communal tray. In all cases, provision is made for the vegetarians in the party. (B, L, D)

Day 3: Visit the Burdah Bridge

The itinerary that we have set up is easy-paced and there is no need to make too early a start . Breakfast will usually be under way by 7 a.m. and this consists of bread, sometimes heated on the fire, a choice of jams, cheese and halva, as well as eggs, either served as an omelette or hard boiled. Tea is supplied in quantity and Nescafe is also available. Anybody who wishes can pocket a snack for later. Usually fruit is available also for this. In this area, we are likely to see griffon vultures soaring from the high cliffs as the sun rises in the sky and the thermals created by the rock walls become active. After breakfast , we will board our vehicles for the short drive to Jebel Burdah, which leads through Khor Al Ajram, a wide valley with magnificent cliffs and high sand dunes. These cliffs are the site of many world class climbing routes and we may see climbers in action. On the way to Jebel Burdah, we pass a particularly fine and very old rock inscription which shows a camel caravan. This morning's objective is the Burdah Bridge, a well-known landmark which is reached by way of relatively easy scrambling across open rock slabs.

Our guide will show us the best route through a maze of blind alleys and dead ends. There are some steeper sections and you will need to use your hands at times. A jumble of rocks leads to a small plateau, through a valley and then over a steep slab. From here, we turn a corner into a hidden gulley that provides us with a wonderful view of the bridge above. Obligatory photo stop. We then climb a short, steeper wall and here the guide will use a climbing rope to safeguard our passage. Above, we will cross the dramatic Burdah Bridge - another fantastic photo opportunity. There are magnificent views from here, extending over the whole area of Wadi Rum. We have the option of descending by an alternative route, again crossing wonderful open slabs and culminating in a steep groove which is best descended on your backside, with the climbing rope at hand for reassurance. Back on the desert floor after a 3-hour round-trip, we meet our vehicles and have lunch in the shade. Fruit juice and tea/coffee will be waiting for us. Lunch is usually a lighter meal than supper, very often heavier on vegetables than meat. After a siesta, we set out to walk for a couple of hours through desert canyons to our next overnight camp. This takes us past some impressively eroded cliffs and by way of a second rock arch that forms a part of Jebel Um Frith. At camp, jugs of water will be available for those who want to find a quiet corner and wash off the desert dust. (B, L, D)

Day 4: Climb Jebel Khasch

The day starts with a half-hour transfer southwards to Jebel Khasch. Here, we start out hiking through an interesting rocky valley with some sparse vegetation, before negotiating easy rocky slabs as our route twists and turns to the plateau area beneath the highest rocky piles of this massif . We will choose a prominent summit as our high point (1700m / 5575ft ) and enjoy views which extend on all sides across the desert landscape. Descending towards the west through another rocky valley, we will effectively made a traverse of Jebel Khasch which takes around 4 hours. There are some great rock colours, blues and purples, as we finally reach a sandy wadi and meet up with our vehicles for lunch. After lunch, we descend an impressive wadi, where we may see Sinai or roseate finches (the national bird of Jordan). This walk also takes us through an ancient Bedouin cemetery and into an area of red rocks and red sand. There is a choice of camping places in this area which each afford good sunset views. (B, L, D)

Day 5: Ascend Jebel Um Adaami

There are even better views today, as we set off to tackle Jebel Um Adaami, the highest mountain in Jordan, which lies on the border with Saudi Arabia. This is quite a difficult drive for our 4-wheel-drive transport, but an enjoyable one for the passengers. Especially memorable is the wide and lonely Wadi Saabit, close to the mountain. Notice the deep stream bed in the centre of this valley – it shows just how much water used to fall in the Wadi Rum area. Arriving at the start of the day's walk, we can see a Nabatean dam on the left as we head up into a sandy valley. Still in use by the Bedouin, a long line of stones (now set in cement) directs as much water as possible into the shaded reservoir under the cliff. At the end of the valley we climb up a gulley onto the mountain and this is the only difficulty in the ascent. The rest of the path is a stoney one, leading to the cairn marking the summit. Here, we are right on the border and can see far into the Saudi mountains. Make sure you have plenty of film with you! The Bedouin guide might even brew a cup of herb tea on the summit, using materials gathered on the ascent. After this 3-hour round-trip, we will drive back to our camping place of the previous evening for lunch. The afternoon's programme is a 2- hour walk across the desert, through an area where we are likely to see Bedouin camps and grazing goats and camels. On this evening, we may choose to spend the night in a Bedouin tent, close to Um Sabata. Anybody who wishes can sleep outside on the soft sand, otherwise we spread our mattresses inside the tent which is twenty or thirty metres long. One option tonight is to have a traditional Bedouin dish of chicken or lamb, cooked in an underground oven. These ovens are often improvised in the desert, dug out and lined with a metal drum, before a fire is lit inside and the oven heated for a couple of hours. The meat and vegetables are placed on the embers and sand heaped high over the oven. A couple more hours and the dish is ready. The cooks will start this dish before we arrive, but you can see the finished product being brought out. (B, L, D)

Day 6: Jebel Rum and then drive to Petra

This morning, we drive back northwards into the rarely-visited Wadi Ramman on the western side of the 10 kilometre (6 mile) long massif of Jebel Rum. At the entrance to a large valley we say goodbye to our vehicles and set off on a pleasant 3-hour walk that will take us through Jebel Rum. We start off from the dripping well at Jebel Qattar, which is a central landmark in Wadi Rum and resembles a medieval castle with many towers. Maidenhair ferns grow out of the crevices in the rock beside the spring. To begin with, we are trekking through granite scenery, as this is the rock that forms the plinth on which the sandstone jebels are based. There are different flower species associated with this rock type. Many climbing routes start from this side of Jebel Rum, which otherwise sees very few visitors. If we are lucky we may well see some jerboas here, there is big colony of them nearby. Today's walk takes us through some spectacular rock scenery, as we detour to avoid a newly established 'reserve' area, where Arabian oryx have recently been reintroduced. This takes us through the narrow Rakebat Canyon to Abu Aina, where we finished our hike on the first day. We can continue on foot from here to Rum Village, or be picked up by our support vehicles. Back at the village, we say goodbye to our Bedouin hosts and board our transport for the 2-hour drive to Petra. On arrival in Petra, we check in to the group hotel. (B, L)

Day 7: Petra sightseeing, then drive to Amman

We have arranged for a full sightseeing visit to the ancient city of Petra, accompanied by a knowledgeable English-speaking guide. Making an early start, we will walk to the Visitor Centre, pick up our tickets and set off through the narrow 'Siq' which leads to the heart of this site. The Petra fees, which are included in the trip cost, allow you to ride a horse for the first few hundred metres of the approach to the site - it's up to you whether you want to take advantage of this - the horsemen will expect a tip. Petra was created by the Nabataeans, an industrious people of Arab descent who came to this part of Jordan some 2000 years ago. Ancient Petra was occupied for around 400 years at around the time of Christ. It appears that the city lay entirely deserted and forgotten for a period of approximately 300 years before its more recent rediscovery in 1812. Approaching through the gloomy kilometre-long chasm of the Siq provides a dramatic contrast as we reach arguably the most spectacular of the city's rock-hewn buildings, the magnificent Treasury, with its intricately carved facade. There are over 800 individual monuments at Petra, including temples, tombs, arched gateways and entire streets, carved from the colourful native sandstone. Other highlights are the High Place of Sacrifice, which offers views across the whole area, and the Monastery which is even bigger than the Treasury and is reached by way of 800 steps. In one long and quite tough day at the site (and by careful coordination with our guide) we should be able to see more than 90% of the city. We will return to our bus at the Visitor Centre in the late afternoon and make the three hour drive northwards to Madaba, where we will check in to the group hotel, have dinner and try to get to bed as early as possible. (B)

Day 8: Depart from Amman Airport

KE Land Only package services end with the early morning transfer to Amman Airport for the homeward flight. (B)