​​​​​​​​​​​​​​Jordan Desert Hikes​

Canyon Tour: 9 Days / 8 Nights

​Day 1: Airport / Madaba

Meeting with your guide or driver at the airport, and assistance for visa formalities. Transfer to your hotel in Madaba. Dinner and overnight in a hotel.

Day 2: Madaba / Kerak / Wadi Ibn Hammad / Dead Sea / Dana
After breakfast, transfer to Kerak (100 km) from Madaba, continue to Batir village north of Kerak to start trek in Wadi Ibn Hammad ; a narrow rocky gorge with a knee-depth stream running down its centre, with plenty of hanging gardens and spectacular stalactite rock formations. From the moment you step into the wadi, your senses are overwhelmed with its beauty, you follow a short trail into the wadi, to observe a marvelous scene : a hot spring flows and drains water into an artificial pool. You can’t resist an experience of enjoying a refreshing shower under streams; this feeling takes you to a legendary world full of hanging gardens sprouting everywhere. As long as you walk, you will find that the walls of the canyon are getting closer and closer. After this you will be transferred to the lowest point on the earth, which is the Dead Sea (409 meters below sea level), it is afternoon time for swimming and relaxing. After this splendid experience, you will be transferred to Dana natural reserve for dinner & overnight in a small traditional hotel in Dana village, overlooking a great natural area, with a marvelous scene of sunset behind canyons.

Day 3: Dana / Wadi Feinan
After breakfast in Dana, we go through a series of several mountains, desert areas and a wide variety of plants; combining Mediterranean, desert, steppe and subtropical plants. Because of this wide variety, Dana natural reserve is a very special place. The reserve stretches over 300 sq. km from the edge of Edom plateau down to Araba valley. There, you can feel  different climate conditions because of the various altitudes. The reserve is surrounded with deep canyons, existing below very high sandstones. This scene will take your mind  because of its beauty. The white sandstone is formed into domes and valleys covered with plants. Till now, it is recorded that there are 700 kinds of plants, 200 kinds of birds and 36 rare mammals including Nubian ibex (wild mountain goat), wolf, golden jackal, striped hyena and red fox. Concerning trees in Dana, there are a lot of trees, including red juniper, oak, pistachio, oleander, broom, acacia and cypress. All these trees originates from the Mediterranean zone.

Then you continue to Wadi Feinan, which is located in Araba valley, and which was one of the most important copper mnes in the past. What is left there today are ruins of Byzantine churches, an aqueduct, a water reservoir and melting furnaces. This site has been used by different ancient civilizations, since Early Bronze Age (middle of the third millennium BC), the Iron Age 9-5th centuries BC), and the Roman Period (2-4th centuries AD). Great amounts of slag are a prove for copper production. Imagine the endless number of animals carrying juniper beams from uplands to stoke furnaces. Copper production in Feinan flourished during the time of the Edomites (the 9-5th centuries BC) when mining and smelting techniques improved and reached a professional level and probably influenced the economic and political power of the Edomites. Dinner and unforgettable O/N camping in Wadi Feinan.

Day 4: Feinan / Wadi Ghweir / Hammam Dethneh / Mansoura
Enjoy the experience of visiting Wadi Ghweir, which extends from Shawbak Plateau through a spectacular red sandstone siq, have a look at its lower parts, which are decorated with hanging gardens; a marvelous scene completed with the water, which flows endlessly. The water flow there changes according to the season. When you reach the outlet of the wadi, you can see Feinan ruins, and an ancient centre of copper mining and smelting. Concerning altitude difference. Distance and walking time, they are respectively about these rates : 500 m descent, 11 km, 8 hours. Although, your shoes are going to be wet, you may try the experience of crossing two small ponds by swimming in rainy years, and this is necessary in rain-rich years. After 1.5 hour we will reach a great oasis with palm trees. This place is called “Hammam Dethneh”, we will swim there, and continue via Wadi Nakheel to Mansoura, there is a garden of old olive trees, where we will camp.

Day 5: Mansoura / Petra

This day, we will walk on the top of Heisha, and Abdalia mountains, to enjoy a great view of all canyons and the natural reserve which we have visited. We will also walk for 8 hours to Little Petra. Our 4WD will transfer us to Wadi Mousa for dinner and overnight in a hotel.

Day 6: Free day in Petra
Full day visit of Petra; in order to enjoy the Nabatean red rose city and one of the world’s seven wonders. Overnight in the same hotel.

Day 7: Petra / Wadi Rum
After breakfast in the red rose city, we will be transferred to Wadi Rum. This will take an hour and a half. On arrival, we will start an adventure of trekking for 12 km, to explore the beauty and highlights of the desert, notably old graffitis and inscriptions carved into winding canyons, and sand dunes. After this adventurous day, we will end at the camp site (Siq Umm Salab) followed by dinner and overnight in Wadi Rum in a good camp.

Day 8: Wadi Rum / Amman
After breakfast at the camp, we will go for camel or jeep tour to explore the vast desert of Wadi Rum and to live in the time of Lawrence of Arabia and walk on his foot steps. After lunch in Wadi Rum, we will be transferred to Amman for a short city tour (ancient Philadelphia). For dinner, you can try a restaurant in the city center. Overnight stay in a hotel in Amman.

​Day 9: Departure

Check out from hotel and transfer to Queen Alia airport for departure.

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