Brimming with archaeological wonders and UNESCO-listed sites such as the Lost City of Petra, Jordan is a captivating Middle Eastern country that never ceases to astound visitors wanting to explore its hidden treasures.
On our walking holidays in Jordan, the magical Wadi Rum offers a unique experience camping beneath the star-studded desert skies. Also known as the Valley of the Moon, the Wadi Rum itself is cut into the sandstone and granite rock of Southern Jordan, creating a striking landscape of twisting rock sculptures surrounded by a sea of sand. It is little wonder why this beautiful location became the setting for huge Hollywood blockbusters such as Lawrence of Arabia and why it’s naturally one of the most dramatic desert trekking locations on the planet.
Jordan walking tours not only introduce you to iconic sites, but they also offer immersive experiences that let you scratch beneath the surface of the places you visit and learn more about the culture and history. Our expert guides take you to lesser-known places and give you fascinating insights about the country that you wouldn’t otherwise discover. You’ll have the opportunity to sleep in an authentic Bedouin camp and learn about the ancient traditions and culture.
If you enjoy outdoor activities that get your heart racing, climb to the summit of the Jebel Burdah rock arch or set off on an exciting 4×4 safari across the desert. And there’s plenty of time to relax too when you spend the night below the desert sky and soak up the ethereal atmosphere.
Join Exodus for a walking holiday in Jordan this year.
The Best Places to Explore on Walking Holidays in Jordan
Petra: Known as the Red Rose City owing to its distinctive yellow and red sandstone rocks, Petra is one of the most magnificent sites in the Middle East and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The history that lies beneath the surface is astounding and dates to even earlier than the 6th-century BCE when it was first discovered by the Nabatean tribes. Explore the ornate sandstone buildings that have been painstakingly carved into the rocks and marvel at the sandstone chasm that looms above the famous Siq walkway. While you’ll be in utter awe of the amphitheatre, houses and tombs that make up the city of Petra, it’s the treasury of El Khazneh and the El Deir Monastery that steal the show.
Wadi Rum: Flaunting its other-worldly landscape, the Wadi Rum desert is unlike many other deserts and is one of the most incredible places to explore on Jordan walking holidays. Its moody demeanour is softened by stunning sunsets and sunrises that intensify the colours of the red and golden sands. Uncover the history behind Wadi Rum at the Visitor Centre and witness the Seven Pillars of Wisdom, which take their name from the famous book by T.E. Lawrence. The main highlight of our trip to Wadi Rum is sleeping overnight in a traditional Bedouin camp where you’ll enjoy an authentic zarb dinner and listen to stories from the local Bedouin people who run the camp. Watching the sun set across the desert and seeing the vast, open skies become filled with shimmering stars is an experience you’ll never forget.
Ammam: Energetic and bustling with art galleries, malls and cafes, Ammam is the capital of Jordan and an unusually modern city. However, you can still see several ancient ruins and if you walk up Jabal al-Qala’a hill, you’ll find an impressive ancient citadel where an 8th-century palace complex and the Roman Temple of Hercules stand. Head downtown to get a first-hand insight into traditional Jordanian life as you wander around the Roman ruins, mosques and souqs. There’s no doubt Ammam is a captivating city of contrasts that effortlessly fuses the old and new.
Jebal Burdah: Standing at almost 300 metres high, Jebal Burdah is the tallest natural rock arch in the Wadi Rum Desert. Offering phenomenal views from its summit, this is a rock arch that begs to be climbed. The trek up Jebel Burdah requires some hands-on scrambling but it’s great fun and the visual rewards at the end make it a worthy climb. While some sections are challenging, looking out over the lunar-like landscape provides all the motivation you need to reach the top.
The Petra and Wadi Rum trek was amazing!! A fantastic insight into Jordan and how the locals live their life and get to see how beautiful the scenery is. The walks were great fun and was nice to be away from busy life and experience a country for what it truly is! A must visit and also felt totally safe while I was there!
We have had a brilliant holiday, Abdullah was great he gave us lots of information and history about wadi rum and Petra. Considering we were wild camping our chef made some great food. Plenty of water and tea, coffee wasn’t so great.
I already submitted a review form and won’t add to the comments made there. But I realsied that I wasn’t prompted to say anything about the two hotels we stayed in (or maybe I missed that). These were: Edom Hotel (Wadi Musa / Petra). This was really excellent. Clean, efficient, well-placed and a pleasure to visit. I have no idea why it is only described as “comfortable” rather than being given a deserved 4* rating. The only minor downisde was no bottled water in rooms. Days Inn Hotel Amman. Well, at least the staff are nice and we got bottled water in the rooms! But in other respects it is poor and certainly not deserving of a 4* rating. Everything is tatty, the corridors and rooms – despite being notionally non-smoking – reek of cigarette smoke (this applied to two visits and two different rooms a week apart) and, on our second visit, the bath had not been cleaned – there was a wet pile of hair in the middle of it. I am sure that Amman can do better than this for the same money.