Day 1: ARRIVE IN MADABA
NO MEALS INCLUDED
Rendezvous at the group hotel in Madaba. Two group transfers will be arranged from Amman Airport to the hotel in Madaba. These transfers will meet the arrival of the Royal Jordanian and British Airways flights from the UK and will normally depart from the airport at around 2300 hours on Day 1 of the trip itinerary and 0100 hours of Day 2 of the trip itinerary. Our representative will accompany the group on the 30 minute journey to the hotel.
Day 2: VIA MOUNT NEBO TO MUKAWIR
DISTANCE / DURATION: 68KM (42 MILES) / 6 TO 7 HOURS RIDING INCLUDING STOPS
TOTAL ASCENT 1090M / TOTAL DESCENT 1070M
MEALS INCLUDED: BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER
After breakfast this morning, we have time to assemble our bikes before setting off on the first stage of our unique mountain biking journey. Bike bags and boxes will be left in storage at the hotel for those bringing their own bikes. Riding straight from our hotel, we follow quiet back roads leading westwards to Mount Nebo. Reputedly the place from which Moses viewed the 'promised land', Mount Nebo does offer a fantastic view across the Dead Sea and the Jordan River to the West Bank. On a clear day, it is even possible to see the holy city of Jerusalem, some 45 kilometres away. Heading south from Mount Nebo, we follow a minor road between isolated farms to the village of Main, then join the 'King's Highway' (an ancient route linking Madaba with Petra, which is actually a little-used local road). After just a few kilometres, we drop off onto a dirt track and follow this to Libb, where we meet a narrow and hilly road that takes us back westwards to the ruins of King Herod's palace, where John the Baptist was imprisoned and beheaded. We stop off at this viewpoint and enjoy another striking panorama across the Dead Sea. The day's ride ends at the nearby village of Mukawir, where we stay in simple 'homestay' accommodation run by the village cooperative. Whilst this homestay is basic, the food is great, there are minimal facilities including a hot shower and there are 4 sleeping rooms which will be shared appropriately by the group. There really is no alternative accommodation in this area and being able to take our dinner with a local family does allow us a fascinating glimpse into life in a Jordanian household.
Day 3: THE DEAD SEA AND KARAK CASTLE
DISTANCE / DURATION: 89KM (56 MILES) / 9 HOURS RIDING INCLUDING STOPS
TOTAL ASCENT 1890M / TOTAL DESCENT 1620M
MEALS INCLUDED: BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER
Mukawir is at around 800 metres and the start of today's ride will take us rapidly down to the lowest point on earth, on the banks of the Dead Sea, at an amazing elevation of 400 metres BELOW SEA LEVEL. We will have an early start and make this descent on a minor road with little traffic. Cycling along the shores of the Dead Sea, we arrive at the Mujib Nature Reserve and have the opportunity to take a dip and test theincredible buoyancy of the salty waters (10 times as salty as normal seawater). The Jordan River flows into this vast inland sea, but it has no outlet and this factor, together with a high rate of evaporation, is responsible for the extreme saltiness and lack of animal or plant life. After our swim, we can take a shower, before continuing our ride southwards beside the sea for around 20 kilometres. Reaching a junction, we turn off to begin the challenging 25 kilometre climb back up onto the Eastern Plateau at an altitude of over 900 metres. If you don't want to tackle this amazing 1300 metre ascent, the support vehicle is on hand. Arriving at Karak, we should just have time to visit the magnificent Crusader fortress before checking into our hotel. Situated in a commanding position on the King's Highway, this fort is an excellent example of 12th century Crusader architecture.
Day 4: VIA WADI HASA TO DANA RESERVE
DISTANCE / DURATION: 87KM (55 MILES) / 9 HOURS RIDING INCLUDING STOPS
TOTAL ASCENT 1830M / TOTAL DESCENT 1750M
MEALS INCLUDED: BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER
Today's ride takes us southwards along the Eastern Plateau. After a short transfer away from the traffic of central Karak, we will follow the quiet King's Highway again, passing agricultural fields, ruins and several small villages, until we reach the edge of the Al Hassa Canyon. We will stop to admire the views, before making our descent into this impressive rocky chasm. What goes down, must go up? It's an 800 metre climb back out of the wadi, but we are spurred on by the thought of our picnic lunch and the
chance to rest once the 22 kilometre ascent is over. After lunch, it's back on our bikes for the continuation of our southward ride. We avoid the town of Tafila by contouring around it's east side on minor farm roads and gain height steadily, en route to a high point at around 1600 metres, close to the rocky summit of Jabal Ata'ta. A final descent of 400 metres takes us to the village of Dana (1250m) and our basic but friendly hotel. Here, we are on the edge of the Dana Biosphere Reserve, Jordan's largest
reserve area, comprising hundreds of square kilometers of spectacular mountains and wadis along the face of the Great Rift Valley.
Day 5: OFF ROAD ON THE EASTERN PLATEAU, THEN DOWN TO WADI MUSA
DISTANCE / DURATION: 69KM (43 MILES) / 8 HOURS RIDING INCLUDING STOPS
TOTAL ASCENT 1435M / TOTAL DESCENT 1670M
MEALS INCLUDED: BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER
Dana village has been the home of the Al Ata'ata tribe for 400 years. This morning, we will have the chance to look around this tranquil settlement, before setting off on our bikes towards Shobak Castle. This is another of the great chain of Crusader fortresses, which stretches across Jordan and was built in the year 1115. Beyond the castle, an initial steep climb through small villages leads us to an excellent off-road track that contours around the edge of the Eastern Plateau and provides us with magnificent views down to the desert of Wadi Araba. Regaining the King's Road, we cruise down to Wadi Musa (the ‘Valley of Moses') which is the little town that acts as a gateway to the 'Rose-Red City' of Petra. Here, we check in at a comfortable hotel for 2 nights.
Day 6: PETRA SIGHTSEEING
MEALS INCLUDED: BREAKFAST
You have a full day (off the bikes) to explore ancient Petra, accompanied for the morning (2-3 hours) by an expert English-speaking guide and then free to wander round the ruins on your own. An early start helps you to get ahead of the mass of tourists and walk through the quiet, atmospheric slot canyon or siq that leads down towards the city. After the long twilight of the siq the sunlit façade of the Treasury is a stunning sight, no matter how many times you've seen it reproduced on film. From the postcards, you'd think this was what you'd come to see. But it's just the beginning. Petra is a vast archaeological site, most of it still unexcavated; you could spend days exploring the ruins and still not see it all. It was built by the Nabataeans, an Arab tribe who began as tent-dwelling Bedouin but soon came to dominate the most lucrative trade of the ancient world: incense. They used the money to create this city and to build an empire that extended from the Red Sea to Damascus. They also absorbed architectural ideas from Egypt, from the Babylonians, and from the Greek cities of the Mediterranean, using them to create the hybrid culture that you see in these ruins. The Temple of the Winged Lions, the High Place of Sacrifice, the Roman theatre, the Garden Tomb, the Byzantine church - any one of these monuments would be an archaeological treasure in its own right; in Petra, you can explore them one after another, and find them all set into one of the finest desert landscape in the Middle East.
A packed lunch is provided. We spend a second night at our hotel in Wadi Musa.
Day 7: PETRA TO WADI RUM ACROSS THE DESERT
DISTANCE / DURATION: 91KM (57 MILES) / 9 HOURS RIDING INCLUDING STOPS
TOTAL ASCENT 600M / TOTAL DESCENT 1160M
MEALS INCLUDED: BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER
After breakfast at the hotel, we have a short transfer south on the King's Highway to Rajif (1565m), where we mount up and start the day's ride with a swift descent to the village of Delagha, where we find an off-road track that takes us south-east through an amazing desert landscape (and by way of scattered Bedouin camps) to Al Humaimah. This is an old stopping place on the 'Spice Route', once used by camel caravans. We stop here for lunch and for a rest, then cross the Desert Highway (Jordan's main north-south link) and head out into the desert towards Wadi Rum. On this part of our ride, we will be aware of the changing desert landscape, as the sandstone mountains start to get bigger and even more colourful. We will cross the 5 kilometre-long dry mud flats of Disieh, surrounded by amazing sandstone formations, to finally arrive at Rum Village (950m), between the towering peaks of Jebel Rum and Jebel Um Ishrin. Here, we will meet our Bedouin host and transfer by 4WD into the heart of the Wadi Rum Protected Area. Our overnight accommodation is in a traditional Bedouin camp and we will be able to watch the spectacular desert sunset, before sitting down to enjoy a well-deserved 'zarb', a traditional Bedouin dish of meat and vegetables cooked beneath the embers of the campfire. Wadi Rum has a unique desert landscape, described by T.E. Lawrence as 'vast, echoing and
god-like'. Much of David Lean's movie, Lawrence of Arabia, was filmed in Wadi Rum. Your accommodation is a simple but comfortable Bedouin campsite, with a traditional goat hair tent divided into twin ‘rooms'. There are proper toilets and showers on the site (go easy on the water), as well as shaded seating areas for relaxing and dining.
Day 8: BIKE TO AQABA AND THEN RETURN TRANSFER TO MADABA
DISTANCE / DURATION: 52KM (32 MILES) / 3 TO 4 HOURS RIDING INCLUDING STOPS
TOTAL ASCENT 95M / TOTAL DESCENT 10200M
MEALS INCLUDED: BREAKFAST, LUNCH, DINNER
After breakfast and time to enjoy morning in the desert, we will start our last ride of the trip at the foot of the peak of Al Qattar. Crossing the western edge of the Wadi Rum reserve, we bike on hard desert trails with areas of soft sand, which can be challenging. After a couple of hours we reach a tarmac road that soon takes us to the main road that we follow into Aqaba. We bike right to the edge of the sea to mark the completion of this very special journey. We have a quick lunch at a popular local hangout in the town, then head to Aqaba's South Beach to spend a couple of hours in a beach resort by the Red Sea. Whether you'd like to swim, snorkel or just relax on beach with a cold drink in hand, the choice is yours. After a shower and change, in the late afternoon, we transfer back to the group hotel in Madaba, where we will repack our bikes for the journey home.
Day 9: DEPART FROM AMM AIRPORT
MEALS INCLUDED: BREAKFAST
A transfer will be provided from your hotel to AMM Airport - a 30 minute drive.
If you wish to extend your trip (for example, enjoy an extra day or two in Aqaba) please let us know and we'll be glad to assist.
We wish you a safe homeward journey and hope to see you again in Jordan soon.
What's included
A locally based English speaking bike guide
Timed Amman Airport transfers at the beginning and end of the trip
One or more support vehicles and drivers
A specialist local guide in Petra
Entrance fees to Karak Castle / Petra / Wadi Rum / Aqaba beach
All accommodation as detailed under 'trip details'
All meals
Complimentary water, juice and snacks throughout the rides
What's not included
Flights
Travel insurance
Visas
Tips for the guide and local support crew
Miscellaneous expenses - drinks and souvenirs etc
Bike hire in case you are not bringing your own bike: available upon availability for US$120
Tents single accommodation: not available
Hotels single accommodation: available on request for a supplement of US$245 - includes 6 nights hotel
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