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10th Nov 2024 - 17th Nov 2024
8 days/Jordan /Moderate to Challenging
This stunning and remote trek takes the supporters of St Catherine’s Hospice 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. A good level of fitness is required for all participants.
NB. Bookings on this trip are now subject to availability and may be subject to flight surcharges.
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 and some paths are along mountain edges and narrow ledges with sheer drops.
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 a trek/camping crew/cook, donkey handlers, Jeep driver (transporting luggage) and a Different Travel Company UK tour manager.
The trek is rated 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 and some paths are along mountain edges and narrow ledges with sheer drops. 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 and in some parts may involve scrambling over rocks. 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.
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.
Temperatures in November can usually range from 8°C to 21°C during the day but historically have been as high as 30°C 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 them with you, and dinner will comprise 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 will camp during the trek. You will stay in hotel rooms on a twin or triple-share basis, and there will be two people per tent while camping. Tents and sleeping mats are provided but you must bring a sleeping bag and sleeping bag liner. A dining tent, cutlery and crockery are provided. A single-occupancy hotel room may be possible subject to availability and payment of a single supplement.
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.
The tour manager for this trip is …
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
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.
Overnight: Camping
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Trekking: Approx. 14km / 6 hours.
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.
Overnight: Camping
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Trekking: Approx. 9.5km / 6-7 hours.
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.
Overnight: Camping
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Trekking: Approx. 16km /8-9 hours.
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.
Overnight: Camping
Meals: Breakfast, lunch, dinner
Trekking: Approx. 14km/ 5 to 6 hours.
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)
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
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.
Registration fee: £350
and then…
Sponsorship: £2990
or
Self Fund: £1940 trip costs and fundraise as much as possible for St Catherine’s
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Flexi: £1490 trip costs and £1490 fundraising for St Catherine’s
NB. Bookings on this trip are now subject to availability and may be subject to flight surcharges.
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 St Catherine’s. There is a minimum sponsorship amount for each trip that you are required to raise in order to participate.
This option is for those who choose to pay the trip costs (flights, accommodation, food, guides etc.) themselves.
This option is for those who choose to pay some of the trip costs (flights, accommodation, food, guides etc.) themselves while still raising some funds for the charity.
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