Trek from Dana Natural Reserve to Petra 10 Days, 9 nights

Our representative who’s going to be waiting for you in the Airport will help you with all of the procedures and deliver you to your driver, you will be transferred with your English-speaking driver for 1 hour to Amman (The capital and largest city of Jordan named Rabbath Ammon and served as the capital of the Ammonite Kingdom 13th century BC, To start visiting the old Souq during the night and maybe to taste one of delicious desserts in Jordan named Knafeh in the famous dessert shop Habiba, known by all Jordanians. To stay in Amman for overnight.

After having a good sleep and good breakfast you will start the journey with visiting Madaba nicknamed the City of Mosaics having one of elegant Byzantine mosaic floors discovered in the world, where you can start with visiting St. George Church to view the 6th century mosaic map of Jerusalem with two million pieces colored stones and the oldest map of the holy city. To continue to Mount Nebo the highest point of the series of Moab heights overlooking the Jordan valley, the Dead Sea and the Holy Land, known as the place where the prophet Moses glanced the Holy Land before his death. You put Madaba behind, and continue with your driver to head south along the highest series of mountains in Jordan known as Al Sharah mountains through the Kings highway to Karak Castle; considered one of the three largest castles in the region which provides an impressive insight into the architectural and military skills of the Crusaders and enjoyable panoramic views to the rift valley from its strategic location, to continue driving to Dana natural reserve based in A-Tafilah province; was established in 1989 by Jordan’s Royal Society for The Conservation of Nature, The remit of the RSCN is to protect and manage the natural resources of Jordan, a role it has fulfilled with educational programs, breeding programs for endangered species and the creation of seven protected areas covering over 1,200 square kilometers. to enjoy one of the most dramatic and diverse landscapes, to stay in Dana for overnight.

After breakfast, you say goodbye to the staff at the place you stayed and make the short drive to the trailhead in Dana village. As with the remainder of your trek, you’ll only need to carry your day sack with you today, (your main luggage will be transported to your next overnight stop for you.) Don’t forget your camera! Descending initially on a broad track, your trek follows the bed of Wadi Dana which begins as a narrow canyon with high rock walls. In spring, oleander bushes bring a splash of color to the Wadi and springs at Qussaib and Atta help to support vegetation all year round, including stands of bamboo and autumn crocuses. In the first couple of hours of trekking you may see what will become a common sight whilst in Jordan, a small herd of goats accompanied by their Bedouin herder. However, for the most part you’re likely to have the trail to yourselves. You’ll have a break for lunch in a shady spot along the way, before continuing on to leave Dana to reach the edge of Wadi Araba. Your overnight camp is just a short walk away. There is no ascent on today's trek. Overnight Wadi Feynan Camp.

In spite of its apparently remote setting, the area around the Feynan Lodge has seen much activity through the ages. Archaeologists have discovered evidence of Iron Age settlements and copper mining was once a major industry. Within the first hour of your trek, you’ll see evidence of the mines and the church built by Byzantine pilgrims in commemoration of the many early Christians forced to work in the mines and who ultimately perished there. You’ll trek along the western edge of Wadi Araba today, again following dried up river and stream beds. The terrain is rough and stony, with occasional desert acacia and juniper trees offering shaded rest stops. There are some gentle sections of uphill trekking but for the most part you'll be walking on level ground. Heading south you’re likely to come across further herds of goats and the occasional Bedouin encampment. The majority of Jordanians are thought to be descended from the Bedouin (‘desert dwellers’) but today, only a small number live traditionally as nomads. This involves tending goats, sheep or camels until the available grazing is exhausted – usually a matter of a few months. Although many Jordanian Bedouins will now own a vehicle or other 21st century consumables, their tents are still constructed in traditional style; rectangular, with three fixed walls (open on the fourth side) and woven from black goats’ hair. The Bedouin call their tents Beit al-sha’ar, or ‘house of hair’. Tonight, you’ll camp to on the edge of the deep, Wadi Abu al-Sakakin. Overnight in mobile camp.

After breakfast you leave your camp and set off, away from the Wadi floor, up into the mountains. The Bedouin call this route Naqb Shdayed or ‘the hard way’ and after two days of predominantly downhill or level trekking, the reason for this moniker is self-evident. Although well defined, the trail is stony and rough, making a pair of trekking poles a useful item to carry. After an hour and a half of steady ascent you reach a small col, at 630m/2,067ft. After a short descent, you then enter a high mountain gorge on Sakakin mountain and make the straightforward ascent to a pass above at 895m/2,936 ft. Reaching this point, you have excellent views across Wadi Araba to the Negev Desert beyond and also of your next goal, a peaceful and surprisingly verdant valley with its thickets of juniper and wild pistachio trees. The descent from the pass is steep in parts but on a good path, and after a short diversion to see the attractive Feid waterfall, you’ll probably take lunch in the shaded valley floor. After around 30 minutes walking along the sandy bed of the valley you enter a narrow section with steep, yet beautifully sculpted, rock walls. A further 30 minutes of easy walking brings you to your overnight camp, at Ras El Feid. Today’s trek involves a total ascent of around 850m/2,789 ft. After all you will reach the camp set up by our crew at Ras Al- Feid.

Today begins with another steep ascent of around an hour and a half, so you’ll probably make an early start to complete this before the warmest part of the day. First, you’ll cross over the Sakakin valley and begin the zigzag ascent of the valley slopes across from your camp. As you gain height you may be able to make out Dana village on the far horizon behind you. After around 300m/984ft of ascent you reach a broad ridge that provides an excellent viewpoint of the surrounding wadis and mountains. Far below you lie the head of Wadi Abu Al Sakakin; beyond the striking peak of Abu Mahmoud and the Kutleh and Hudus valleys. Following the line of the broad ridge you’ll traverse above the network of steep gullies and deep wadis. After a couple of hours walking, you reach the ruins of an abandoned village sited next to a deep well from which water can still be drawn. You’ll take lunch either here or a short distance further on, beneath one of the juniper trees that dot the landscape. In early afternoon, you’ll begin to descend from the high ground through a landscape of sandstone cliffs and outcrops to reach your overnight campsite at Shkaret Msei’d. Today’s trek has a total ascent of around 420m/1,378ft, overnight in our mobile camp.

After some excellent high mountain and desert trekking, a day of further contrasts lies ahead today. Leaving your camp, you gradually ascend to reach a broad open valley, irrigated by water from a nearby recycling plant. The land here has been divided up by a number of Bedouin families and a wide variety of crops are carefully tended, including feed for livestock, root vegetables, olives, lemons and pomegranates. Following paths and tracks through farmed land you reach a second broad valley, home to a number of Bedouin families and their camels and goats. A gradual ascent along a rough track leads you beyond the settlements to the summit of Jebel Garoun at 1170m/3,839ft. This peak is named after a former treasurer to the Egyptian Pharaohs. Although modest in height the summit here gives a dramatic view of Wadi Araba and all the way northwards to the high pass on Mount Sakakin, crossed earlier in your trek. To the south you can see the summit of Mount Hoor, which stands above Petra beyond. Turning now towards Petra, you continue across the valley floor to reach a large sandstone outcrop. In amongst the cliffs and rocks here lies Siq Al-Bared – more commonly known as Little Petra. Following a sandy trail up and over occasional boulders, you’ll finally reach the foot of a steep narrow gully. A short easy clamber up this gully and then a descent of rock cut steps brings you directly into Little Petra - an enclosed area with a series of rooms, tombs, water channels and cisterns, cut deep into the walls of a canyon. Little Petra is just 350m/1148ft long but it's well worth taking some time to explore. A number of the chambers are readily accessible and inside one you can see the remains of painted frescoes dating to the 1st Century AD. At the height of caravan trade in this region, Siq Al-Bared was a busy caravanserai (overnight halt). Camels could graze outside the Siq, whilst inside the chambers were used for storing the treasured goods and for eating, entertainment and sleeping. You’ve entered the Siq via the ‘backdoor’ but will exit through the narrow main entrance (a cleft in the rocks) to reach your nearby overnight stop at the camp.

From Ammarine, it’s a short walk to the Neolithic site of Baidha. Alongside Jericho, this is thought to be the oldest inhabited site in the entire Middle East. Originally excavated in 1958, archaeologists now believe the ruins date back 7,000 BC. Your onward route into Petra lies alongside Baidha and you head off, having had a foretaste of the historic treasures to come. The path is good throughout, following a series of rocky ledges through the mountains, you may even see occasional red painted waymarks. As you near the main Petra site, you’ll catch sight of the occasional rock tomb or dwelling, seemingly inaccessible in the high cliffs. Two to three hours after leaving Baidha you’ll breast a small rise and suddenly before you stands al-Deir, the ‘Monastery’. This giant, beautifully carved facade is Petra’s largest monument and is thought to have either been a temple, or a tomb for one of the later Nabatean kings. Inside is one large, plain, undecorated chamber but it is worth clambering over the large step, if only to have your picture taken on the threshold of the most unusual doorways you’re likely to stand in. Across from the Monastery you can rest awhile in the shade of a cave from where Bedouin tea and cold drinks are served. Probably less than half of Petra’s visitors actually see the Monastery and the reason for this becomes apparent, as you watch those toiling up the 900 rock cut steps which lead you down into the main site proper. As you descend the sheer scale of Petra becomes apparent. Away in the distance you’ll see the Royal Tombs, a row of mausolea including: Urn Tomb, fronted by an impressive colonnade; Silk Tomb, so named because of its multicolored sandstone walls; and the large Palace Tomb. At the foot of the steps, it’s a short walk to Qasr Al Bent (a temple to Dushara – a Nabatean deity) and then on to the Colonnaded Street, a paved Roman road. On a slight rise above the street lies a recently excavated Byzantine Church, with a wonderfully well-preserved mosaic floor. Slightly higher again a small mound gives a great panoramic view of the whole site. Having visited the major sites of the western part of Petra, you take a track from the Temple of the Winged Lions, up out of the site. Along the way you’ll pass many rock tombs and dwellings, unseen by most visitors, and finally exit the site near a Crusader Castle. Tonight, you’ll stay in Wadi Moussa (also referred to as Petra town). Overnight in Petra Hotel.

This morning is set aside for you to visit the eastern half of Petra. From your hotel and with your licensed guide you will follow the classic gateway to Petra, a 1¼km twisting, narrow gorge with 200m high walls which leads you gently downhill. The Siq has been paved in parts to enable easier access but sections of Roman paving remain along with sections of the rock-cut channels that brought water into the city in ancient times. Suddenly, up above, you catch your first glimpse of the golden Treasury (al-Khazneh) shining brightly between the walls of the Siq. Standing some 130m/427ft tall, the Treasury is Petra’s largest and most famous monument. Carved out of a sheer rock wall some 2,000 years ago, it is thought to have been the tomb of a Nabatean king. The façade has ornate carvings of Nabatean gods, as well as two representing Pollux and Castor, sons of Zeus. On top of the temple sits a large rock urn, heavily damaged by Bedouin who took occasional pot-shots at it, hoping to break free the gold they believed to be held within: a belief that led to the name - Treasury. Walking on into Petra, you’re immediately struck by the seemingly infinite number of caves, dwellings, temples and tombs, all scattered at varying heights in the cliffs and rock walls. Some have very obvious steps leading up to access them but others appear impossible to reach. On your left you’ll find the carefully restored 7,000 seat Roman Theatre, and a little further along on your right, the Royal Tombs seen at a distance yesterday. After showing you the main sites and explaining a little of their history, your guide will arrange to meet you back at your hotel leaving you to linger or explore more widely as you prefer. Overnight in Petra Hotel

Day 10: Petra – Queen Alia Intl Airport