Jordan

Dana to Petra Trek (5-Day Jordan Trail)

8

This 5-day adventure takes you on a spectacular route on part of the Jordan trail to visit the famous ancient city of Petra.

Itinerary

Day 1: Drive to Amman, hike from Dana Village to Mansoura

At 7:00 am right after breakfast, the group will be picked up from the hotel in Amman. The drive to the starting point of the trek takes about 2.5 hours. This is a good time to get to know your fellow hikers (or to take a nap!). Our trekking journey starts through the diverse landscapes of the Dana Biosphere Reserve. The reserve includes four distinct ecozones with an astonishing diversity of plants, birds, and other animals. We’ll follow a trail along the mountains overlooking Dana Valley, and then descend into al Khashasha Valley A wilderness campsite awaits us on the outskirts of the valley. Hiking Distance 15 Km (5-7hrs)

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Day 2: Hike from Mansour to Furon

Well rested, we will leave the campsite in the early morning, and head towards Furon. Today‘s hike is challenging but extremely rewarding. We will start ascending through the mountains for approximately an hour before getting a glimpse of the beautiful Sharah Mountains and the wide Wadi Araba Desert. That outstanding view will accompany you all the way to your campsite in Al Furon. Enjoy a cup of tea and the great view from the campsite while passing the time until your well-earned dinner. Hiking Distance 16 Km (5-7 hrs)

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Day 3: Hike from Furon to Ghbour Whedat

Today’s hike leads past Ras Al-Feid and towards Ghbour Whedat, through some of the country’s wildest corners. Contouring the Sharah Mountains, we follow a trail of inter-connecting Bedouin shepherd paths. The bare peeks of black, rugged mountains overlooking the trail and the precipitous drops of the canyons below make this part of the trek spectacular. Gradually ascending into the hills, you will uncover more stunning views of the desert. Then, as you proceed towards the wilderness campsite, the landscape slowly becomes softer, with mushroom-like rock formations lining the way. Hiking Distance: 17.1Km

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Day 4: Hike from Ghbour Whedat to Little Petra

After yesterday’s very remote hike, today we will see signs of human habitation while approaching Little Petra. Passing Bedouin camps, sheep pens, and small agricultural plots you get a sense of the lifestyle of Jordan's rural population. You will see Nabataean ruins including ancient olive presses and aqueducts. Finally, we will climb up through a canyon with soft sandstone walls, and then down a narrow, steep flight of stairs into Little Petra. The site, also known as Siq al-Barid (Engl. the Cold Canyon), is believed by archaeologists to be a ‘suburb’ of Petra and was probably meant to house traders travelling along the Silk Road. After some time to explore, we’ll head on to our home for the night – hot showers are waiting! Hiking Distance: 14km

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Day 5: Hike from Little Petra to Petra - 14 KM

On our last trekking day, we will enter Petra ‘via the Back Door’, avoiding most other tourists. Amidst high sandstone mountains, a track leads down Wadi Ghurab. The path follows a Nabataean route out of the valley, and skirts around the final mountain on a natural rock terrace which has been ‘improved’ for the safety of walkers. It narrows slightly before reaching a hidden plateau high above the impressive chasm of Wadi Siyyagh. Just beyond, ‘the Monastery’ suddenly comes into view. Here we rest for a bit and take in the view, there is a Bedouin café for refreshments. Then, more Nabataean steps will lead us down to the main site.

We’ll make our way through a colonnaded street, past rock-cut tombs, temples, and a Roman-style theatre. Finally, we arrive at Petra’s most famous building – the Treasury. We’ll leave the site through the 'Siq' (a narrow, high-walled canyon). Hiking Distance: 13.8Km

The trip ends at Petra. You can arrange with us transportation back to Amman or customized extensions.

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What's Included

Included
  • Professional English speaking tour guide.
  • Food: All meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) from days 1-5.
  • Accommodation: 3 nights wilderness camping, 1 night in Bedouin Camp in Little Petra.
  • Transportation as per itinerary.
  • Luggage transfers.
  • Local hiking guide with a donkey for safety measures on days 1-3.
Not Included
  • Jordan Pass: Jordan Wanderer (visa & entrance fees).
  • Airport pick-up and drop-off.
  • Transfer back from Petra to Amman: can be arranged at extra cost.
  • Tips and gratuities.
  • Travel insurance.
  • International and local flights.
Have a question?

If you have any questions about this trip or want to speak with an expert, get in touch.

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Team Images
Team Images
Team Images

Rated 5.0

8 verified reviews

Alan
Alan

(Mar 2024)

Excellent hike. Lama is a great guide. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Jack
Jack

(Jul 2023)

We enjoyed the Dana to Petra trek with Experience Jordan, followed by day trips to Wadi Rum and the Dead Sea. The trek was well paced, the camp sites were fun and the landscape interesting, especially the approach to Petra. Best of all was our guide Mahmoud, who was knowledgeable, entertaining and great company. We highly recommend him and the company.

Jacinda
Jacinda

(Jun 2023)

Jordan is a beautiful country filled with beautiful people. Motaz Zghoul and the support team were fantastic. I appreciate that he was willing to take us on the longer trail through Petra so we could see it from on high, even though it made a longer day for him. If he asks about “taking the long trail”, say “yes!”. I also appreciate that Motaz text me back, after the tour, when I was trying to figure out how to enter a mobile number in a web form to make a dinner reservation. He didn’t have to answer — but he did — demonstrating his excellent customer service. I enjoyed that the treks finished early so we had time to relax, read, self explore each afternoon. Dinner was unusually early each evening (for me). I adapted by making sure I had a snack for when I actually tended to be hungry. There was plenty of food — so it was easy to grab a snack for later. Experience Jordan’s recommendations for dining in Amman were excellent. Sufra was amazing and I’m glad I made that reservation. The views from the other recommended rooftop restaurants were fantastic too! I found tipping on tour a little confusing - and I’m usually pretty good at figuring it out. I’ve never been on a tour before and this one had many support people, I wasn’t quite sure how to navigate it. Shushan was very helpful prior to the trip. She was very communicative and made sure everything was in order for a successful trip.

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MB
MB

(May 2023)

Thanks to our brilliant guide Motaz Zghool who led our team of intrepid hikers through often challenging terrains. He provided support, guidance and care whilst ensuring we had fun . Thanks Motaz I couldn’t have done it without you .

Tara
Tara

(May 2023)

Did the Dana to Petra trek (5 days, 4 nights). Absolutely amazing tour, 12/10 recommend! Very beautiful trek with very comfortable accomodation both camping and the Bedouin tent, and great food each morning and night. I am an experienced hiker so this was a more relaxed pace for me, but still enough exercise that I was tired and hungry each day. Ali was the best guide we'd every had, amazing knowledge and sense of humour. The group as well was great and very friendly, and we had lots of time to get to know each other.

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FAQs

Before you go

This is a 5-day trek with each day covering 14 -17km (8.5-10.5 miles) or more. You need to be reasonably fit and able to hike for five days in a row with 5-7 hours of hiking each day. The better your fitness, the more you will be able to enjoy this hike.

The ideal shoe for this hike is lightweight hiking shoes. If you only have big-clunky hiking boots and running/athletic shoes, you could take both and see what you prefer on the hike.

Most of this hike is on good, firm ground, so hiking sticks are not required. The vast majority of people do not use hiking sticks for this hike. However, if you like hiking with Hiking sticks/poles, or want them just in case, feel free to bring them.

See the section above for trip inclusions and exclusions.

The following meals are included; - Day 1: Lunch, Dinner - Day 2: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner - Day 3: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner - Day 4: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner - Day 5: Breakfast, Lunch Vegetarian and vegan options are available, please let us know in advance by sending us a message on your Skyhook trip dashboard.

On your trip

Starting Location: A hotel in Amman (Exact location to be sent to you upon reservation) Ending Location: Petra Visitor’s Center. The main airport (QAIA - Queen Alia International Airport) is approximately 1-hour outside of Amman. Airport transfers are not included in this trip price. We can arrange a transfer from the airport to Amman (at the start of the trip) for an extra $50 per car per way. The other best way is to take a taxi from the airport. There are a lot of services near the airport that can arrange transfers to the hotel. The prices are approximately the same. IMPORTANT: Transport back to Amman is not included in this trip price, you can message us after booking to arrange this (payment in-country).

Day 1: Time 5-7 hrs Hiking Distance: 15 Km Ascent: 260m Descent: 690 m Day 2: Time 5-7 hrs Hiking Distance 16 Km Ascent: 563 m Descent: 170 m Day 3: Hiking Distance: 17.1Km Ascent: 750m Descent: 920m Day 4: Hiking Distance: 14Km Ascent: 610m Descent: 560m Day 5: Hiking Distance: 13.8Km Ascent: 496m Descent: 519m

Wilderness Camps (Night 1-3): Our amazing local Bedouin support team sets up the campsite during the day, so everything is prepared when you arrive. Upon arrival, enjoy some time to sit down, relax and have some tea. Then when dinner is ready, our Bedouin support team will bring out the locally-made meal. In the tents, we provide foam mattresses, sheets, and blankets. So no sleeping bags are needed unless you want to bring your own. All single travellers will be provided with their own tent for free. A shower tent and a bathroom tent are also provided. Our wilderness camps provide a nice escape from everyday life, great views, good service, and some wonderful dinners. Some people may refer to it as “glamping.” Bedouin Camp (Night 4) These are fixed-site, touristic Bedouin Camps, staffed by locals. Bathrooms are normally off-suite, with women’s and men’s public ablution blocks. The tents do not have A/C or heaters, but the desert normally has cooler temperatures at night. Rooming is on a twin-share basis, travellers booking together will share a room. Solo travellers will be paired with members of the same sex (single supplements are sometimes available at an extra cost).

During Wilderness Camping, there is no access to electricity for charging devices. After leaving Amman on Day 1, your first charging opportunity will be at the Bedouin Camp in Little Petra (night 4). You can charge your devices there until around 10 pm when the camp turns the generator off for the night. We recommend bringing power banks if you want to recharge your phone along the way.

Other FAQs

We purposely run these trips during the best times of year to trek in Jordan. Even though the weather is usually warm, it can get chilly at night throughout the year. You will want to have long pants, and a light jacket or sweatshirt. November, December, and February can be especially cold. If you trek during these months we recommend bringing warmer clothes like a bigger jacket, hats, gloves, and a light rain jacket.

Your head guide is Shushan

All trips on Skyhook are run by small, hand-picked local guiding companies. For this trip your guides run Experience Adventures Ltd, based in Sweifieh.

By booking through Skyhook you'll be joining a small-group trip. This can make it nice and sociable (you'll be added to a group chat after booking), and guarantees great value for money!

Shushan