Petra & Wadi Rum Trek

Welcome to Amman, the capital of Jordan, where our adventure begins. There are free transfers to the hotel from Queen Alia International Airport (AMM) for all customers today. Please note, transfers should be booked with your sales representative at least two weeks before the tour starts. Stay: Larsa Hotel (or similar).

After breakfast, there is an opportunity to exchange money and purchase snacks for the upcoming desert trek. We then transfer by bus to Wadi Rum (four to five hours). We visit the Wadi Rum visitor centre and take in the Seven Pillars of Wisdom, a spectacular rock formation with seven fluted turrets. It is a short transfer to the start of our introductory walk where we walk to Um Al Bdoun, a private campsite run by local Bedouin people.

In the evening, we enjoy a traditional zarb dinner, for which a cooking pot is dug into the sand and left for most of the day to slow cook meats and vegetables. Stay: Permanent Bedouin camp (B/D).

From our campsite, we trek through Siq el Barrah, a magnificent desert canyon with immense rock walls. We continue through open desert and there is a tangible sense of wilderness as we pass sandstone mountains and rocky outcrops. We set up camp beneath the shade of two rocky mountains, Rakaa and Mharrak. Stay: Wild camping (B/L/D).

We begin today by heading to Jebel Burdah. The route has sections of scrambling and some of them involve the use of ropes, especially the optional ascent to the top of Burdah Bridge, a striking rock formation that arches from one rock mass to another. There are panoramic views throughout the trek, which continues in the afternoon. Our next campsite is on top of dunes near Jebel Umm Fruth in the southeast corner of the Wadi Rum desert. Stay: Wild camping (B/L/D).

Today, we head to Umm Fruth Rock Bridge, just a short walk from our campsite. Umm Fruth requires some easy-level scrambling. The ascent is steep and short and the sandstone is firm with good underfoot grip. We continue our trek to the ruins of Lawrence House, where TE Lawrence – also known as Lawrence of Arabia – is said to have slept.

In the afternoon, we traverse across remote red-sand dunes with spectacular views throughout. There is an opportunity to see historic rock inscriptions before we set up camp tonight in the crook of a desert mountain. Stay: Wild camping (B/L/D).

Our last morning in the desert starts with a walk or optional camel trek through Wadi Umm Al Ishrim. We transfer towards Petra around lunchtime.

In the afternoon, we will visit Little Petra, a smaller but still impressive version of the main Petra site. We spend tonight in a fixed camp (with shared showers and toilets) near Little Petra. Stay: Ammarin Bedouin Camp (B/L/D).

This morning, we set off early to explore the ancient city of Petra, a Unesco World Heritage site known for its astonishing scale. We take the lesser-known Back Trail to Petra, cutting through a rocky landscape overlooking Wadi Araba. In contrast to the typical tourist track, we arrive first at the Monastery, giving us the chance to see it at a quieter time. From here, we proceed through the vast site, exiting via the Treasury and the Siq. In the centre of Petra, we pass the houses and tombs of the more affluent citizens and a Roman amphitheatre, preserved in remarkable condition. Beyond the city centre is El Deir, the Monastery. Its superb facade is carved into the rock and topped by a huge urn. We'll spend about six hours in total walking through Petra. After our visit, we transfer back to Amman. Stay: Larsa Hotel (or similar) (B).

Tour ends in Amman after breakfast. Speak to your sales representative if you'd like to stay in Amman a little longer to explore and rest after an extraordinary week in the desert (B).