Arrive to Queen Alia (amman) International Airport, and transfer to the city of Madaba to our hotel for the evening. If your flight arrives in time, we’ll book a table at a local restaurant for dinner together, before getting a good night sleep ready to meet our local guides at the hotel early the next morning. If your flight lands late, no worries, we’ll meet in the morning!

Transfer time from Airport to Madaba: 45min - 1hr depending on traffic.

We can arrange a transfer for you £40 to meet you at the airport, or if you have plans before our trip starts, feel free to make your own way to the hotel.

Cycling Info: No riding today

Overnight: 3* Hotel in Madaba

Overnight: Simple Guesthouse  in Dana (Dana Tower Hotel)

After breakfast at the hotel we’ll start the day by meeting your Sisters in the Wild host, and Experience Jordan team. We’ll talk about the week ahead, say goodbye to our luggage until the evening, then we’re off!

We’ll begin with a short transfer to the village of Fayha to avoid the busy traffic of Madaba, then getting our bikes fitted and ready to roll. The cycling route starts by heading south on quiet roads across the plains of the Madaba plateau, before we start the breathtaking descent to the Dead Sea.  Sitting at 430 meters BELOW sea level, this is a downhill that goes on and on, with a mix of tarmac and gravel tracks. 

Eventually we’ll be riding towards its salt encrusted coastline, before we head to a Dead Sea Resort with opportunity to float in its saline waters or relax by the pool after lunch.

After lunch and our Dead Sea experience, we’ll transfer up to Dana Nature Reserve to our guesthouse for the night. It’s a 2.5 hour transfer, our longest of the week,

Overnight: Wilderness Bedouin Camp

With a short shuttle to our start at Wadi Dana view point, we’ll pass the 500-year-old village of Dana, travel along the ancient trade route of the King’s Highway, before cutting through the desert and climbing to the Crusader castle in Shobak.  We’ll be high in the central highlands, hopping between tarmac and challenging gravel tracks that see snow in the winter time.

After completing our challenging climb just past Shobak Castle, we’ll celebrate our efforts to begin an incredible downhill.  We’ll continue on from here to our first wilderness camp, hosted by a local Bedouin family.  The family will prepare dinner for us underneath the desert stars, and we’ll get a real insight into Bedouin life.

Overnight: Glamping in Little Petra Camp

Hiking Info: 12Km, +470m, -480m.

We’ll have a pre-dawn breakfast, hitting the trail with the sunrise for our ride all the way to the “back door” of Petra, one of the seven wonders of the world. 

We’ll continue along dirt tracks, crossing dry streams, and some challenging tracks where you’ll be grateful of your mountain bikes! Our ride will peak at a viewpoint of Petra, finishing with a fun descent to the entrance.

We’ll grab a quick lunch, and say goodbye to the bikes for the afternoon to begin our hike into Petra via ‘The Back Door’ avoiding most of the tourists. Our walk will be around 12km, with a local expert guide taking us around the site.  We’ll send most of the afternoon there, before heading to our hotel for the night in Little Petra.

Overnight: Wilderness Bedouin Camp

A special start to this morning, as we have the opportunity to share breakfast with local women, who’ll also help us learn how to make the local specialities we’ll eat. Then we’ll dodge the busy traffic of Petra, with a 20 min transfer to a highpoint of the Kings Highway, to a dirt road just out of town.  From here, we’ll hop on our bikes and follow little used dirt road tracks through desert hills as we climb above the Kings Highway.  We’ll briefly hop onto to the highway before rejoining gravel tracks fo a lovely long descent into the valley below.  We’ll soon feel miles away from any civilisation, as we head lower into the desert, eventually feeling the first sandy tracks beneath our wheels.

Stopping for an al fresco lunch on the way, we’ll finish our ride in the wide open desert around Abbasiya, where we’ll spend our second night with another Bedouin family.  Sleep under canvas or under the stars, 

Overnight: Wilderness Bedouin Camp

With the big climbs behind us, now it’s time for a new challenge -  the desert! With the mercury rising and our tracks getting sandier, we’ll ride across open desert terrain with the sandstone buttes of Wadi Rum in the distance. 

We’ll feel truly in the wild as we follow faint caravan tracks in the sand across the vast desert landscapes.  After som fun and challenging pushing through sand, we’ll  be glad to finally rejoin the tarmac for our last stretch to the edge of the iconic Wadi Rum desert.

On reaching Wadi Rum, we’ll hop in a desert Jeep to explore the myriad of desert valleys and butes, hopefully timing our exploration for sunset. There’ll be plenty of time to jump out and hike around for the best views. Our night will be spent glamping in the desert, with cosy camping huts.  Be prepared for some of the best stars of your life.

Overnight: Hotel in Aqaba (My Luxury Hotel or similar)

We’ll head straight out from camp, onto the sand caravan tracks and mud flats that criss cross the desert.  It’s a challenging day,and we’ll be glad of our local guide as we choose the best tracks that weave through the vast desert wilderness.

Meeting the tarmac for our last few miles, we’ll say a fond farewell to the off-road trail, and enjoy some smoother miles towards our final point on the ride.  We’ll skip the hazadordous final stretch on the Desert Highway down to Aqaba, jumping on a 1.5 hour bus to the Red Sea where we’ll dip our toes in the clear ocean and celebrate the journey.

We’ll have time to relax in the  modern Bernice Beach Club down the coast from traditional middle-eastern town, with access to the pools and beach, and a chance to hire  a snorkel and explore the multi-coloured coral reefs. We’ll spend our final night together in Aqaba, with dinner together in the bustling town.

Today you can choose to stay extra time in Aqaba, or transfer back to Queen Alia International (Amman) Airport.  Our trip transfer will leave late morning, offering drop off either at QAI airport, or in central Amman.

We’ll aim to leave Aqaba around 8am, to get to the airport by 1pm. It’s around a 4.5 hr journey in clear traffic.

If you prefer to fly directly from Aqaba, transfers can be arranged through the hotel at whatever time suits (not included).

Cycling Info: No cycling today

Overnight: Not included. Our trip ends with your drop off.