Petra and Wadi Rum by bike, Jordan

Overview

Our only cycling tour of Jordan and a unique chance to explore spectacular desert scenery on two wheels. Visit sandstone cities, float on saline seas and sleep under the stars at a Bedouin camp, supporting nomadic tribe culture. Amman Jerash Madaba Mount Nebo Dead Sea Petra Little Petra Wadi Araba Aqaba Wadi Rum. Jordan cycling holidays combine the enjoyment and energy of getting out and about on two wheels with some of the Middle East's most impressive and important sites of historic and cultural interest. The roads are amazing and go on forever, and if you think that you're going to be cycling on sand then forget it, you can't! As with most quality cycling holidays, Jordan offers an opportunity to experience both the scenery and local lifestyles with roads aligned with olive groves leading to remote hill top communities whilst lengthy descents turn to desert sands dotted with nomadic herders. Of course, no Jordan cycling holiday would be complete without a trip to the fabled sandstone trading post of Petra and the chance to cycle to the lesser-visited little Petra certainly sets this nine day tour apart from the rest of the pack. Nights under the stars in Wadi Rum or chances to snorkel in the Red Sea or float on the saline waters of the Dead Sea; if you're looking for meaningful cycling holidays, Jordan is the real deal. Small group travel is not large group travel scaled down. It is modeled on independent travel - but with the advantage of a group leader to take care of the itinerary, accommodation and tickets, and help with the language. It's easy to tick off the big sights independently - but finding those one-off experiences, local festivals, travelling markets and secret viewpoints is almost impossible for someone without the insider knowledge gained from years in the field. For those with limited time, a small group tour will save valuable time in planning, and on holiday. Synthetic, cotton, or merino wool tops are ideal for cycling in the heat. This trip benefits Bedouin communities through homestays and a night in a Wadi Rum desert camp run by the Bedouin people, who also provide meals such as a traditional ‘zarb.’ Ingredients for meals are sourced from local markets whenever possible. Tourists support the local economy by purchasing handicrafts. As much of the trip is spent cycling, we have less of a negative impact on the environment than tours which only rely on vehicles. Our optional activities at Aqaba also include snorkelling and swimming, which are nature based and carbon free. When we do make excursions with 4x4s into the Wadi Rum, we pay local people for this service. We try to minimise litter as much as possible and are careful to emphasise that clients should not damage or remove pieces from any historical sites we visit. As we hire local guides as well as Bedouin guides, we can ensure that our activity has a positive effect on the economy and that our clients take away some of their passion and knowledge of Jordan. Our guides are trained in responsible travel issues and will be able to convey these in briefings. Water is a really important issue with cycling trips and whilst we must stay hydrated, it is also vital that we have a system for providing clean water without causing lots of waste with plastic bottles. We suggest that instead of repeatedly buying bottled water, guests should re-fill a singular bottle. Our guides can advise where to fill them and where to recycle litter. It all starts at home so we have first worked at reducing our carbon footprint in our UK Offices. Through energy conservation measures and recycling policies, we are proud to be actively reducing the waste produced and our impact on the environment. We support various projects all over the world to try and give something back to the places we visit. You will spend 7 nights in hotels and 1 night at a full-service campsite. We employ local Bedouin people to run the camp, so we know we are directly benefiting local communities with our business. The hotels are also locally staffed as per law in Jordan, so our stay here is also in support of local employment. Where meals are provided, ingredients will be sourced from a local market wherever possible. Clients may eat a ‘zarb’ (where food is slow cooked underground) at the Bedouin camp and there will also be plenty of chance to eat in restaurants selling ‘mezze’ style specialties like kebabs, fresh salads, and bread with hummus. Usually guides take clients to the market on the day going from Petra to Wadi Rum or Aqaba. This is a great cultural experience where clients can buy their own vegetables and fruit and even see how some meals are prepared- like falafel. We also visit the ancient city of Jerash and Madaba, but the cultural highlight of the trip for many is the visit to UNESCO World Heritage city, Petra. There is a full day here to explore the ancient, rose-coloured rock buildings including El Khazneh (the treasury) and El Deir (the Monastery). There are some local handicrafts and souvenirs available here like hand painted ceramics, jewellery and vases filled with coloured sand. Clients can also support the community by purchasing donkey or horse rides from local people. This small group tour has a maximum of 16 participants, meaning that we have a low impact on the environments and communities we visit and are able to ensure that we do not disrupt or lead to the displacement of local people. The small number also allows us to stay in unique, family-run hotels that cannot benefit from coach tours and other mass tourism due to their limited sizes.

Daily Ride Schedule

Accommodation & Services

Accommodation

Hotel

What's Included