Join Traveling Jackie for a bucket lister of her own! Hike the Jordan Trail to Petra and float in the Dead Sea.

9 Days/8 Nights ✧ 10 Travelers ✧ 50 Miles ✧ Trip Photography Included

National Geographic rated the Dana to Petra section of the Jordan Trail one of the best multi-day hikes in the world. This is the exact section that we will be hiking! (About 83km = just over 50 miles total).

You’ve seen Petra before, think Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. We will end our hike in this famous UNESCO World Heritage Site, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. (Leather Indy hat not included).

After our long hike, we’ll go on a jeep safari in Wadi Rum followed by our grand finale at the Dead Sea. We will float, we will rub mud on our faces, we will relax in style after a week of hiking. We’ll have earned it!

You will be met at Queen Alia International Airport and transferred to our hotel in Amman. Depending on time of arrival, additional activities can be offered for the day. No meals included on Day 1, but we will do a meet and greet at Maestro Music Bar & Restaurant at the hotel that evening. Day 2 starts early!

Overnight in Amman at Art Hotel Downtown.
Meals: None

Early morning pick up from Amman (6:30- 7:00) and head south to Dana. Our first day hiking will start from Dana Village (1,200m above sea level), and head west into Dana valley with your trekking guides. The trail drops steeply at first and then levels into a more gradual descent through the Dana Biosphere Reserve towards the ecolodge at Feynan. The reserve, Jordan’s largest, includes four distinct bio- geographical zones, which means that Dana supports an astonishing diversity of birds, plants, and animals. On your way down the valley, you may see Griffin Vultures overhead as well as hyrax and copper-blue lizards on the rocks; if you’re lucky you might even catch a glimpse of an ibex or a desert fox, or see the footprint of a wolf in the dust. Finish the hike at one of the world’s best ecolodges; Feynan Eco-Lodge.

Overnight at Feynan Ecolodge.
Meals: Breakfast, Box Lunch, Dinner
Trekking: Distance 14km (8.7 miles), elevation gain 230m (750ft), loss 1140m (3,740ft).

Today we hike from Wadi Feynan through the historic landscape around Feynan, where copper has been mined for some 3,000 years. Mining reached its peak under the Romans, when thousands of slaves died here working the mines and furnaces, and millions of tons of ore were smelted into a metal that was exported all over the empire. As we walk out of Feynan, we will see the mountains of slag left behind by this ancient industry, as well as ruined buildings from the Nabataean and Roman periods. As we pass the entrance to Wadi Ghweir, we’ll ascend up through the mountains with great views behind. This is a steep and challenging section of the route, but extremely rewarding. In the afternoon we’ll reach the camp set up by the crew at Furon.

Overnight wilderness camping at Furon.
Meals: Breakfast, Box Lunch, Dinner
Trekking: Distance 19km (11.8 miles), elevation gain 1360m (4,461ft), loss 480m (1,574ft).

Today we start hiking from Furon past Ras Al-Feid towards Ghbour Whedat. We will experience some astonishing views into the most remote, wildest corners of Jordan. We’ll skirt the Sharah Mountains by following Bedouin shepherd trails. The most remote sections of the trail are less traveled hunters’ paths. The peaks of black mountains towering over the trail and steep precipitous drops of the canyons below make this day absolutely spectacular. We will gradually climb up the hills, again following Bedouin shepherds paths, to uncover more of the spectacular views of the desert below.

Overnight wilderness camping.
Meals: Breakfast, Box Lunch, Dinner
Trekking: Distance 17.1km (10.6 miles), elevation gain 750m (2,460ft), loss 920m (3,018ft).

Leaving Gbour Whedat behind, we will pass many sites such as Ba’ajah ruins, siq Ba’ajah, the Nabataeans wine and olive presses, water tanks, wells and the Nabataean rock carved façades, and we will end up in Little Petra (a mini version of Petra). We then continue following the timeline markers through history to the remains of a Neolithic village.

Overnight in Little Petra at Seven Wonders Camp.
Meals: Breakfast, Box Lunch, Dinner
Trekking: Distance 14km (8.7 miles), elevation gain 610m (2,000ft), loss 560m (1,837ft).

Today we enter Petra via ‘The Back Door’ avoiding most of the tourists. We’ll follow nice winding paths through Wadi Ghurab amidst sandstone mountains that guard the approaches to Petra. This way follows a Nabataean route out of the valley and skirts around the final mountain on a natural rock terrace which has been “improved” for the safety of walkers. Even so, it still narrows slightly before reaching a hidden plateau high above the impressive chasm of Wadi Siyyagh.
Just beyond, carved into the cliff face, ‘The Monastery’ suddenly comes into view, where there is a Bedouin café for refreshments if you would like. Nabataean steps then lead down into ancient Petra; through which the route goes before exiting past ‘The Treasury’ and though the famous ‘Petra Siq’ to the shops, cafés and hotels of Wadi Musa. There is another route that takes us through Wadi Muthlim (weather permitting) to Wadi Musa and the visitors center. (The Wadi Muthlim route is usually used if you have a second day visit to Petra, weather permitting).
This day the licensed hiking guide will add additional hikes along the way for the best views.

Overnight in Petra at Petra Moon Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, Box Lunch, Dinner
Trekking: Distance 18-20km (11-12 miles).

After breakfast, we head back into the Nabatean Red Rose city of Petra, one of the New Seven World Wonders and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This time we’ll enter the city through 1km-long narrow gorge called the Siq, which is flanked on either side by dazzling, colorful cliffs over 250ft high. The site is massive, and contains hundreds of elaborated rock-cut tombs, a treasury, Roman-style theatres, temples, sacrificial altars and colonnaded streets. We’ll have more time to visit other trails and sites inside Petra, such as the High Place of Sacrifice. After Petra, we’ll drive to Wadi Rum and spend the night under the stars in the peaceful desert, enjoying the hospitality of the Bedouins.

Overnight in Wadi Rum at Sun City Camp.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Enjoy the wilderness adventure of a 4×4 jeep tour of Wadi Rum, following in the footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia, climbing sand dunes and rock bridges. Then drive to the lowest point on earth to float and relax at the Dead Sea. Enjoy the sunshine and view while trying out the invigorating mud bath to cleanse the skin.

Overnight in Dead Sea at Dead Sea Spa Hotel.
Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Enjoy breakfast at our hotel. Time to float in the salty waters of the Dead Sea, relax by the pool, and experience the various treatments in the spa! We’ve earned it.
After this relaxing finish to our tour, we’ll proceed to the Queen Alia International Airport for departures.

Tour ends with airport transfer.
Meals: Breakfast