Jordan – Hike to Petra

Hiking on the Jordan trail is ranked to be one of the best hikes in the world by National Geographic. And it most definitely was, despite us doing a 7 day hike in 4 days and in peak summer instead of winter. I had the pleasure of undertaking this adventure last week and found it to be a thoroughly rewarding experience.

If you want to experience Jordan off the beaten path, not interact with any tourists and encounter different biospheres as you hike, then read on about my experience.

Day 1

We descended 2650 feet from Dana Reserve to Wadi Feynan. The initial decent was very steep and slippery at times with sand on the stones. After the decent we followed the valley or as the locals refer to it as the “wadi” (a dry river bed). We past some Bedouin camps on our way. I was fine until around 2 when the sun was getting really hot and my arms felt like they were on fire. Our guide Oda was a sweet old man and we communicated fine even without him being able to speak any English. I felt like I had a heat headache all day and was very pleased to see our camp. The camp was a basic tent and all the facilities were courtesy of mother nature. Our tent was set up by the cook who met us at our destination every night. The dinner of meatballs, yogurt and aubergine cooked by Mohammed was divine.

Surprisingly the temperature did not drop at night but since I was exhausted, I slept like a log dreaming about walking.

Hike Time: We started the walk around 10am and finished at 4:30pm.

Kilometres: 19km

Difficulty Level: Low except for the initial steep decent of 2650 feet

Day 2

In short, this was the most challenging day of the hike. Most people do this leg in 2 days but we were doing it in 1. The mountains felt endless and were super stony. The views from the top were stunning but the scrambling down on big boulders made me forget about them.

Hike Time: We started the walk around 8am and finished at 8pm

Kilometres: 35km but about 300 floors climbed

Difficulty Level: Hard due to the terrain

Day 3

As the walk leads you towards the Petra region, the sandstone rocks start to appear. It is ever so dramatic and vast. The confining wadis are left behind and we walked through some well defined trails. We stopped and have a cup of tea with a Bedouin family who is very welcoming to us. The highlight of this day is Little Petra. A stunning site which appeared to be off the tourist track.

Hike Time: We started the walk around 8am and finished around 3pm

Kilometres: 13km

Difficulty Level: Easy due to the well defined paths and no steep incline.

Day 4

Day four had by far the most stunning scenery of the trek. We left our camp at 5am to walk along the sunrise. The air was fresh and it was already warm. The path was well defined and led us through breathtaking scenery in all directions. At about 8:30 am we reached Petra via the back door of the imposing Monastery and were rewarded by having it all to ourselves. It was a surreal moment and a wonderful culmination to the 4 day hike. It made us appreciate the site in a way that would not have been possible unless we walked to it. It felt well earned.

Hike Time: We started the walk around 5am and finished at 8:30 at the Monastery although we then spend the day walking around Petra.

Kilometres: 11km with a few steep climbs.

Difficulty Level: Easy due to the views but medium due to the climb.