Trek to Petra 2024

No previous trekking experience is required, although it’s really important you have a good level of fitness and training is essential to prepare for this trip. There will be tough trails, over rocky, dry and uneven terrain and some days will be particularly challenging as we hike into the mountains - although you will be rewarded with the most spectacular views! The heat is a big challenge on this trek and we can expect day time temperatures reaching up to 30°C in November. 

The registration fee is £350, and then…

Option A: Pledge to raise or donate £2,900

Option B: Pay £1,900 to cover the cost of your trip and then fundraise as much as possible. We would love you to try and raise at least £1000

Option C: Pay £1000 towards your trip costs and fundraise a minimum of £1,900 for Julia's House.

Pay your registration fee in instalments
Pay £100 to secure your place on the trek and then pay the rest of your registration fee in instalments - just speak to us and we can arrange this for you. 

This trek is exclusive to Julia’s House fundraisers and offers a great opportunity to explore Petra, whilst raising much needed funds for our families. If you choose to sign up to this challenge, it’s really important that you are committed to fundraising or would like to provide a personal donation. 

Trip costs are based on a minimum of 14 participants. There may be a final reduction in costs should the final group size be larger. 

• Flights from London (including all current airport taxes & airline fuel surcharges)
• All transfers & transport in Jordan
• Accommodation in 3 star hotels, lodges and tents on trek
• ATOL protection
• All meals & drinking water, including a traditional Jordanian celebratory farewell dinner 
• Local English-speaking guides and full support crew on the trek
• All entrance fees, conservation fees and permits
• Different Travel Tour Manager and a dedicated contact at Julia’s House, who will join you on the trek and give you one-to-one support all the way
• An invitation to the hospice where you can meet fellow trekkers and see how the money you raise will make a difference to our families
• Fundraising support, ideas and tips
• Free training weekends – again, another fantastic way to meet your fellow trekkers!        
• Regular communications to keep you up to date       
• Huge cheers and support throughout the trek!     

• Personal expenses (such as other drinks and souvenirs)
• Any visas (currently 40 Jordanian Dinars) and vaccinations required
• Personal travel insurance
• Optional tips for local guides

Day 1 (Saturday 2 November 2024):

Fly to Jordan
Fly from London to Jordan and transfer to a nearby hotel for an overnight stay. Depending on airline schedules we will either stay in Aqaba or Amman.

Day 2 (Sunday 3 November 2024):

Wadi Feinan – Wadi Barwas
Transfer to Wadi Feinan for our first day’s hike across ‘hamada’ landscape – dry, rock-strewn desert, with little sand. The terrain is fairly flat all day but there are spectacular mountain views and expansive wadis (dry valleys) as well as Byzantine and Nabatean ruins to be seen. Tonight, you will set up camp in Wadi Barwas.

Trekking: Approx. 14km / 6 hours.

Day 3 (Monday 4 November 2024):

Wadi Barwas – Ras el Feid
Leaving the stony hamada desert behind this morning, we hike around the foot of the mountains to reach an ancient Bedouin migration path that ascends steeply across rocks and small boulders, going high into the mountains. This section is very challenging and can be loose underfoot and involve scrabbling rocks taking around 4 hours, but the reward is amazing views over the stunning Wadi Araba desert.
We eventually descend into Wadi el Feid for a well-deserved dip in its cool waters—a perfect place for lunch and a rest. We then hike upstream through dense foliage before reaching a dry river-bed surrounded with colorful sandstone outcrops to reach our camping spot.

Trekking: Approx. 9.5km / 6-7 hours.

Day 4 (Tuesday 5 November 2024):

Ras el Feid – Shkaret Msei’d
This morning we retrace our route along the riverbed and gradually climb up the hills following Bedouin shepherd paths to discover some of the most spectacular scenery in Jordan. This path is particularly challenging, becoming less defined and involving some easy scrambling to pass large boulders and other obstacles. The trail continues along the wadi floor and gently climbs up into the pale coloured sandstone hills with incredible views across the surrounding mountains and canyons until we reach our camp at Shkaret Msei’d.

Trekking: Approx. 16km / 8-9 hours.

Day 5 (Wednesday 6 November 2024):

Shakret Msei’d – Beida – Little Petra
The scenery changes dramatically today from deep wadis to wonderful wide open sandstone hills that feel almost moonlike. The trail passes agricultural fields and some Bedouin encampments before our trail once again becomes indistinct with some more scrambling. We descend into Little Petra to visit this fabulous site for a taster of the main site which we will encounter tomorrow. A short walk then takes us to a permanent campsite, uniquely located in the midst of the sandstone mountains in Beidha.

Trekking: Approx. 14km / 5 to 6 hours.

Day 6 (Thursday 7 November 2024):

Petra
Today our trail takes us across open farmland for the first two hours, and then contours around the mountain ridge to enter Petra itself. The views across to the Araba Desert some 100km away are impressive and after five days of hard trekking, the first glimpse of the top of Petra’s Monastery is jaw-dropping. Our route takes us into the main site and the heart of Petra, exiting via the Dark Siq to enable us to re-enter the site through the Main Siq, and experience the most famous view of Petra – the Treasury. We then proceed with a full sightseeing tour, including the Facades Street, Urn Tomb, the Theatre, Colonnaded Street, Royal Tombs and Qasr al Bint, before leaving the site and heading to our hotel in nearby Wadi Musa for a comfortable night’s sleep in a guesthouse.

Trekking: Approx. 16km / 5 to 6 hours

Day 7 (Friday 8 November 2024):

Sightseeing
Spend the day visiting more highlights of this fascinating country.  You will either visit Wadi Rum on a jeep tour to explore this spectacular desert including Lawrence of Arabia’s Spring and the natural rock bridge of Jebel Um Fruth or head north towards the Dead Sea for an opportunity to have a float in the waters! If time allows, you will also visit Mount Nebo, where Moses is said to have seen the promised land and the ancient town of Madaba. 

Day 8 (Saturday 9 November 2024):

Return to London
Transfer to the airport for your flight back to the UK. Depending on flight schedules we will either depart from Aqaba or Amman.