BEST OFF THE BEATEN TRACK CANYONS IN JORDAN 10 days 9 nights

Day by day Itinerary:

Day 1:- Welcome to Jordan

Upon arrival to Queen Alia International Airport   our group coordinator and Airport Representative will meet and assist the group through all customs and immigration procedures. followed by transfer to Amman, check in and O/N.

Overnight Standard Hotel.

Day 2:  Madaba – Mt. Nebo –Wadi Mujib & the Dead Sea.

This morning after breakfast, we check out of our hotel in Amman for full day excursion, we Explore Madaba, including the map of Madaba Mosaic and Mt Nebo. Mt Nebo overlooks the Dead Sea and the West Bank of the River Jordan. Jericho, Bethlehem, Ramallah and on a good day Jerusalem are all clearly visible. From mount Nebo the route is downhill to the edge of the Dead Sea and the entrance to Wadi Mujib, the lowest nature reserve in the world. This afternoon we trek through the gorge Wadi Mujib  spending the night at our chalet on the shores of the Dead Sea.

Mujib is a wonderful place for nature lovers who are fit and enjoy walking. Facilities are simple and it can get very hot in summer.

You have 4 excursions O/N by the dead Sea  :

*The Ibex Trail: (2-3 hours) begins at the Mujib Bridge Reception by the Mujib Bridge on the Dead Sea highway, from where a guide will escort you south for a short distance along the highway before turning onto a steeply ascending trail into the nature reserve. After the first steep climb it diverges to the south, following a wide track running parallel to the Dead Sea. The Sea provides a startlingly blue backdrop throughout the hike. About one third of the distance along the trail, there is an optional detour up the mountainside to Qasr Riyash, a ruined fortification of uncertain date.

 Returning to main track, the hike continues towards the Raddas Ranger Station, dipping up and down across a number of dry wadis. There are an amazing variety of rock colours and formations along the route and as you near the ranger station, the famous rock “statue” of Lots wife can be seen on the seaward edge of the reserve. It is said that while fleeing the villages of Sodom and Gomorrah, Lot’s wife ignored the warning not to look back and was turned into a pillar of salt. It takes 3 hours to get to the rangers station (4 km) At the station, there is a large fenced enclosure in which you can see a small breeding herd of magnificent Nubian Ibex– a wild ‘mountain goat’ with long, impressively curved horns. This animal was once common in the region but has been decimated by hunting. Mujib is one of the few safe havens for Ibex, in the reserve, there is a captive breeding programme to boost the wild population. In recent years, many Ibex from this enclosure have been released into the reserve to replenish the wild population that was devastated by hunting. 

Malaqi Trail: This is an exciting trail, offering a chance to swim in the cool, clear waters of the Mujib and Hidan rivers. It starts at the reserve reception like the “Ibex Trail” and follows the same route into the nature reserve. This trail leads quickly to a striking area of creamy-white hills made of soft lissan deposits, reminiscent of the American Badlands. After passing through these hills, you begin your descent to the river Mujib, crystal clear, fast flowing and teeming with life. Small fish are plentiful, as well as frogs. Bright kingfishers are often seen speeding along the river channel, as well as circling birds of prey. Dense vegetation lines the rivers sides, making a stark contrast to the arid, naked mountains that surround you. The hike continues upstream along the river edge, to its confluence with the Hidan River. There are deep pools here, ready made for swimming, where you can linger, eat a picnic and just enjoy this wild paradise. Then you can either go back the same way to the reserve’s entrance or you can go through the Mujib gorge to descend a waterfall (20 m) and finish the trail at the Mujib Bridge. The hike takes 9 hours of hiking and swimming.  (Open from the 1st of April until the 31st of October).  Minimum 5 people.

Mujib Canyon Trail (Water Fall) : this trail is like the Malaqi trail, offering the same route which goes all the way to the Hidan river (please see the description above), but this trail only takes 4 hours. (The beginning of the hike is under the sun (1 hour) but it becomes cool when you reach the water). (Open from the 1st of April until the 31st of October)

Mujib Trail: a tough, exciting trail. The experience begins near the village of Fag'a, on the eastern edge of the nature reserve. Fag’aa is reached from the famous King’s Highway that leads out of Amman, through the town of Madaba (famous for its mosaics).

 The trail descends rapidly into the Reserve following a precipitous Wadi with spectacular scenery. The hike follows the Wadi to the Raddas Rangers Station at the Ibex enclosures taking 5-6 hours to complete (15 km). (Open all year through).

Overnight Standard Hotel. FB Included meals: Breakfast , Lunch Dinner.

Day 3: On the steps of Wadi Dana & Wadi Shoubak . O/N camping  

20 Km , 6hrs trekking

After breakfast at hotel , 3-hour transfer to Wadi Shoubak . surrounded by  spectacular blend of mountains and desert landscapes, as well as an extraordinary botanic diversity. Dana nature reserve reserve stretches over 300Sq.km from the edge of Edom plateau down to the Araba valley, its altitudes vary with short distances from 1,650m above sea level to 150m below, creating different climatic conditions and habitats. The reserve is dissected by deep canyons, winding below lofty sandstone massifs with overwhelming views. The white sandstone at the reserve is sculpted into domes and valleys blanketed by vegetation. To date, 700 species of plants have been recorded in the reserve as well as 200 birds and 36 mammals. The big mammals, though  rare, include Nubian ibex (wild mountain goat) wolf, golden jackal, striped hyena and red fox. The botanic diversity of Dana combines Mediterranean , desert ( sahara Arabian ) , steppe ( Irano- Turanian) and subtropical ( sudanian) plants. Trees includes red juniper, Oak, pistachio . Oleander, brooms Acacia , cypress, all from the Mediterranean zone.

What is Wadi Feinan ?

 

Feinan was one of the largest copper works in the ancient near East. The site is located in the Araba valley at the end point of the treks of Wadi Dana .what remain today are runs of Byzantine churches, an aqueduct and a water reservoir and smelting furnaces. The site has been exploited since the Early Bronze Age ( middle of the third millennium BCE), the Iron Age 9-5th centuries BCE) , and the Roman Period 2-4th centuries CE0.

 

Giant mounds of more than 200,000 tons of slag attest to copper productions on an industrial scale .one can imagine endless caravans of pack animals carrying juniper beams from the uplands to stoke the furnaces.

 

Copper production in Feinan reached its peak under the Edomites (during the 9th.-5th. centuries BCE) when mining and smelting techniques attained high professional level and probably influenced the economic and political power of the Edomites.

 

Arrival to Wadi Feinan, followed by freshen –up, welcome tea & dinner and O/N camping Private Bedouin Camp  including all camping facilities.

Overnight Camping. FB Included meals: Breakfast , Lunch Dinner.

 

Day 4 : Ras El Fied  camping

After breakfast we have 2 hrs jeep transfer  and head into the mountains followed by 5 hrs trek . The path is a little indistinct in places but our expert Bedouin guides know the route and after crossing some fairly rough terrain we reach a more prominent trail.  We follow this, crossing a small pass and then trek through a beautiful valley filled with juniper bushes. We cross a second pass from where we can look out over a spectacular panorama of mountains and valleys and see our trail for the following day as it makes itsway over the mountains in the distance. The valley beneath us is green and

fertile and unusually for Jordan we are able  to camp for the evening beside

the clear waters of a river, at Ras El Fied. ( 5 hours / 12 km)

Overnight  Camping  FB Included meals: Breakfast , Lunch Dinner.

 

Day 5 : Ishkart Msaid  Camping

We begin the day by heading back up into the mountains, past the ruins of an ancient village and with far reaching views back across Wadi Araba. The trail undulates, going through small Wadis and across little passes. The ground is rough and in places the path indistinct - we are now really in the wilds in a part of the country few other westerners will ever venture. Wildlife abound and if we are lucky we will see Ibex and Oryx, for whom this rocky terrain is their natural habitat. Our camp for the evening is at

Ishkart Msaid near the beautiful mountain spring at Hudus.  (9 hours / 15km)

Overnight Basic Camping. Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

 

Day 6 :   Ishkart Msaid - Baida Camping 

Our route today passes through an incredible landscape of sandstone sculptures which over the centuries have been eroded by the wind into many unusual shapes. These are interspersed with cultivated fields of wheat and barley which local Bedouin sow in the Autumn and harvest in Spring. On reaching the rim of the final canyon we are rewarded with a superb panorama over the mountains of Petra. The last section of today's trek follows small paths and dirt tracks which lead us to Baida , we trek across a wild and windswept plateau to the ruins at Little Petra which gives us a taste for what is to come. The ruins are approached from one end by the narrow canyon known as Siq Barid - the Cold Canyon - which probably derives from the cold wind which always seems to blow through here. Inside the Little Petra valley the walls are lined with tombs, and the remains of caves previously inhabited by the Nabateans. There are many fascinating tiny staircases mounting the cliffs towards what, at the time, would have been houses, end up at the Bedouin desert camp at Baida! ( 20Km 9 hrs )

Overnight Basic Camping. Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

 

Day 7:  Baida - Petra O/N Hotel.

From our camp ,we follow a trail which goes along some spectacular ledges until we finally arrive at the cliffs at the top of the main Petra complex where we enter via the 'Monastery'. This is the part of Petra which is visited the least.   We then trek down from the Monastery and visit the church, the main tombs and the Nabatean temple. We then leave this part of the complex by another narrow gorge before finally arriving at the massive facade of the  Treasury - the iconic image of Petra. The remainder of the

day is free to explore the site at leisure. In the late afternoon we rendezvous and transfer to our hotel in the nearby town of Wadi Mousa. In the evening we will enjoy our final celebration meal at a traditional local restaurant in Wadi Mousa.

(9 hours / 22km km)

 

Overnight Standard Hotel. Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Day 8: Petra  -  Wadi Rum    

After breakfast at Hotel. Direct transfer from Petra to Wdai Rum 2 hours drive to Wadi Umm Ishreen  we will start the hike from this site of Wad Rum toward Southern part of the Wadi . Where the Nabatean Arabs use to live  . and  spent considerable time in wadi rum during the 2ed century BC  . Its also has some of the most spectacular desert scenery to be found any where. Along and incredible day's trekking. We camp virtually in the middle of wadi rum surrounded only by hills of granite and desert sand at Wad Alqoudear .  ( 15Km 5 hrs )

Overnight Basic Camping. Included meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

 

Day 9:  Wadi Rum - Aqaba 

After breakfast , we start 2 hrs Jeep safri  to Explore and visit the  most spectacular sights of Wadi Rum.  view sand dunes, graffiti, visit Bedouins tents, inscriptions and canyons as well as having races through the dry oasis. Afternoon transfer to Aqaba , check-in at hotel for O/N

Overnight Standard Hotel . Included meals: Breakfast

Day 10: Departure.

Breakfast at hotel followed by transfer to Queen Alia international airport for departure.

Included meals: Breakfast

Departure Dates

Departure every Saturday from September to December 2020 Plus one Departure on 20 Feb 2021 & every Saturday from March to May 2021

  
Maximum 10  per tour

Minimum number  per date for guaranteed tour 2 person

Prices in 3&4* Star hotels:  

$1950..000, per person  in TWIN or DBL Room .

Single supplement $220