9 Day Hiking Tour:

Dana to Petra

Dana Nature Reserve - Wadi Feinan - Rummana Fountain - Wadi Feinan - Wadi Barwas - Ras el Feid - Shkaret Msei'd – Al Beidha - Siq Al Barid (Little Petra) – Petra - Madaba - Greek Orthodox Church of St. George - Mount Nebo - Dead Sea

This is a classic route through the most rugged countryside in Jordan, starting from Wadi Feinan in the Dana Nature Reserve through deep gorges and high ridges to a viewpoint high above Petra.

As well as exploration of the fantastic rose-red city of Petra, voted one of the New 7 Wonders of the World, our adventurous itinerary also offers the chance to float in the Dead Sea and to get 'up close and personal' in experiencing the splendid variety of Jordanian landscape and culture.

On this trip we will be trekking on a desert route, crossed by the nomadic Bedouin people and their livestock for generations.

This is also the area of the Ancient Edomite Kingdom and there are even Neolithic sites on this off beaten path.

Our hiking conditions will include dry wadis, open sandy desert and rocky desert known as 'hamada'.

There are also sections of narrow trail across rocky terrain including some easy scrambling. We will walk for an average of 5 to 6 hours on each of days 2 to 6, covering up to 15 kilometers each day with a reasonable amount of ascent and descent.

Day 1

Queen Alia International Airport - Madaba

Welcome to Jordan! You will be met at the airport and transferred to your hotel in Madaba.

Day 2

Dana Nature Reserve - Wadi Feinan - Rummana Fountain

We have breakfast and then drive south to the Dana Nature Reserve.

Dana is a system of mountains and Wadis, dry riverbeds that hosts tremendous biological diversity from densely vegetated mountain areas to the Rummana Fountain. 

From white desert sands covered with fanciful acacia trees to small streams flanked by man-size oleander bushes; from sky-high sand dunes to barren basalt or granite rocks.

On arrival, we will set off for our first days walk, this involves an initial 800 meter descent followed by a gentle walk through a flat wide open valley flanked by the Dana mountains.

Upon arriving in Wadi Feinan we will set up our first camp.

Day 3

Wadi Feinan - Wadi Barwas

Today we will walk for 6 hours across 'hamada' landscape: dry, rock-hewn desert, with little sand.

Near Feinan we will see the remains of the ancient capital of the Edomite Kingdom, which in ancient times had some of the largest copper mines in the world.

We will also view the remains of a late Roman citadel, elaborate water systems and settlements with Neolithic houses, in places preserved to two stories.

Our route is quite level and there are spectacular views of the high mountain ranges to the east whilst the expansive Wadi Araba desert stretches out to the west.

Day 4

Wadi Barwas - Ras el Feid

On today's trek we leave the flat stony 'hamada' desert behind and steeply ascend rocks and small boulders to a twisting goat herder's track.

This track leads further up into the mountains through a narrow and dramatic valley which enjoys wonderful views out across the desert.

This is perhaps the most challenging section of our route, but also extremely rewarding in terms of the panoramic vista offered at the top.

Our descent to the river valley beyond is via a well-defined trail from where the views ahead are of tomorrow's route.

On reaching the dry river bed we have a further 1/2 an hour walk to our camp at Ras el Feid.

Day 5

Ras el Feid - Shkaret Msei'd

This morning we walk back along the riverbed before turning off onto the Bedouin trail that traverses a rocky valley side.

We gradually ascend via dry wadis and indistinct cols, where we may require some easy scrambling to overcome the largest obstacles.

Our trail continues along the wadi floor and gently climbs up into the distinctive pale rose-colored sandstone mountains of the Petra regions.

The climb from the valley to the escarpment where Petra is situated is gentle and beautiful. We will camp at Shkaret Msei'd.

Day 6

Shkaret Msei'd – Al Beidha - Siq Al Barid (Little Petra)

Leaving the campsite at Shkaret Msei’d the scenery changes dramatically.

We leave the narrow, confining wadis behind and find ourselves in the slightly surreal environment of wide open sandstone hills sculptured by the wind to resemble a moonscape.

This terrain is easy to negotiate with wide tracks and walkways. The trail passes through Bedouin encampments, before reaching another rocky area requiring easy scrambling.

Upon reaching the plateau, there is a gradual descent into Al Beidha where we will camp for the night

Day 7

Siq Al Barid (Little Petra) – Al Beidha - Petra

Siq Al Barid (Little Petra) is no more than a 5 minute walk away from our Al Beidha campsite.

The splendors of Little Petra provide an insight into what lies ahead: a miniature Siq, approximately 350m long, is crammed with tombs, triclinia, houses, water channels and cisterns. Now deserted, these empty homes and tombs seem to whisper the secrets of forgotten people.

Even in bright sunlight, their rock carved residences and tombs recede into shadows. Living, healthy plants with profuse pink blossoms grow in stark contrast to the dark mountain backdrop: all in all an intriguing place to walk through.

Our walk to Petra will take between 2-3 hours, initially across open farmland then following a well–defined mountain track with fantastic views across to the Araba Desert, some 100 km / 60 miles away.

Petra is a city carved into the rose-red Sharah Mountains by the Nabataeans and lost to Civilization until re-discovered by the Swiss explorer Burkhardt.

Our walk into Petra is magnificent and a worthy culmination to our 5 days of walking. The initial glimpse of the top of the Monastery (Al Deir ) , as it comes into view through the mountains is awe-inspiring.

We will then trek down from the Monastery and exit Petra by a secondary Siq before re-entering the site through the main Siq.

This is a narrow and winding fissure between towering cliffs, to see the most famous view of Petra, The Treasury.

We will also visit the theatre, the royal tombs, façades and the colonnaded street of one of the most impressive sites of ancient history anywhere in the world.

After our sightseeing visit to Petra, we overnight at a hotel in nearby Wadi Musa.

Day 8

Madaba - Greek Orthodox Church of St. George - Mount Nebo - Dead Sea

Today we will drive northwards back towards our accommodation in Madaba.

We will break our journey at the Dead Sea and also at Mount Nebo. The Dead Sea has an extremely high salt concentration of 38%, which is roughly four times saltier than normal sea water.

This means that the human body can’t sink under the water – a proposition that we have ample opportunity to test!

We will enjoy a few hours floating in the sea, sunbathing or undergoing one of the very popular and relaxing sticky black mud treatments which are widely believed to possess curative powers.

At the summit of Mount Nebo we will, like Moses, be able to overlook the Holy Land and the Dead Sea.

The West Bank city of Jericho is usually visible, as is Jerusalem on a very clear day. Mount Nebo is also the alleged burial site of Moses and therefore a major place of religious pilgrimage.

When we arrive in Madaba there will be time for further sightseeing including the Greek Orthodox Church of St. George, home to a famous 6th century mosaic map of the Holy Land.

Set into the floor of the church and comprising two million pieces of colored stone the mosaic depicts hills and valleys, villages and towns and even the central colonnaded street of Jerusalem with a clearly visible Church of the Holy Sepulcher.

We will stay overnight at a hotel in Madaba.

Day 9

Madaba - Queen Alia International Airport

We will drive from Madaba to the airport in plenty of time for check-in for your departure home.