Jordan Bike Trail Adventure
Cycle The Jordan Bike Trail from the Dead Sea to the Red Sea, via Petra and Wadi Rum
Jordan is a true bucket list destination. We’ve teamed up with the designers of the Jordan Bike Trail to offer a specially curated, fully-supported 7 day trip along the best parts of this incredible route.
Beginning in the central highlands, riders head south to cycle 200km towards the southern coast. Along the way, you'll float in the salty waters of the lowest point on earth, visit the UNESCO World Heritage site of Petra, and ride through the majestic Wadi Rum desert. Nights bring starlit camping, warm hospitality from local Bedouin families, and unique cultural exchanges with local women.
This is more than a cycling trip—it's a genuine cultural immersion where what happens off the bikes matters as much as the riding itself. We fell in love with Jordan on our first visit and can't wait to share it with more of our community.
Highlights
✔ Visit Petra, one of the 7 Wonders
✔ Float in the Dead Sea
✔ Sunsets at Wadi Rum
✔ Fully supported, hop in the support truck if you need
✔ Luggage transfer included
✔ Bike hire included - no need to travel with your bike!
View Dates & Book
Questions about the trip or want to be kept in the loop on future dates?
Booking Info
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Click on your preferred trip date to be directed to our secure booking partner WeTravel who will process and manage your booking.
£300 deposit to secure your spot
Full balance due 90 days before the trip
💡 Tip: We recommend paying with bank details to avoid card processing fees.
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Single Supplement (£275)
Airport transfer from Amman to Madaba (£35pp)
All add-ons can be selected at booking or added later.
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⚠️ Important: This trip requires a minimum of 8 participants to run.
Please do not book your travel until we've confirmed the trip is running.
Your deposit is fully refundable until we confirm this number has been met.
You will see a guaranteed badge next to those dates we have already guaranteed to run.
Reviews
Itinerary
Start Point: Madaba Hotel
End Point: Amman Airport/Amman City
Each morning begins with a shared breakfast before packing up and handing luggage over to the support crew. Most days follow point-to-point routes, with a couple of transfers strategically placed to ensure the riding is all-killer, no-filler.
Expect around 4-5 hours of riding each day, with jam-packed schedules filled with off-bike activities. There's also built-in time to relax and savour some of the amazing camp spots along the way. Evenings bring shared dinners together, a look ahead at the next day's plan, then hitting the pillow tired, happy, and ready for another adventure.
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Accommodation: 3* Hotel in Madaba
Meals: N/AArrive to Queen Alia (amman) International Airport, and transfer to the city of Madaba to our hotel for the evening. If your flight arrives in time, we’ll book a table at a local restaurant for dinner together, before getting a good night sleep ready to meet our local guides at the hotel early the next morning. If your flight lands late, no worries, we’ll meet in the morning!
Transfer time from Airport to Madaba: 45min - 1hr depending on traffic.
We can arrange a transfer for you £40 to meet you at the airport, or if you have plans before our trip starts, feel free to make your own way to the hotel.
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Accommodation: Simple Guesthouse in Dana (Dana Tower Hotel)
Meals: B/L/DAfter breakfast at the hotel we’ll start the day by meeting your Sisters in the Wild host, and Experience Jordan team. We’ll talk about the week ahead, say goodbye to our luggage until the evening, then we’re off!
We’ll begin with a short transfer to the village of Fayha to avoid the busy traffic of Madaba, then getting our bikes fitted and ready to roll. The cycling route starts by heading south on quiet roads across the plains of the Madaba plateau, before we start the breathtaking descent to the Dead Sea. Sitting at 430 meters BELOW sea level, this is a downhill that goes on and on, with a mix of tarmac and gravel tracks.
Eventually we’ll be riding towards its salt encrusted coastline, before we head to a Dead Sea Resort with opportunity to float in its saline waters or relax by the pool after lunch.
After lunch and our Dead Sea experience, we’ll transfer up to Dana Nature Reserve to our guesthouse for the night. It’s a 2.5 hour transfer, our longest of the week,
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Accommodation: Wilderness Bedouin Camp
Meals: B/L/DWith a short shuttle to our start at Wadi Dana view point, we’ll pass the 500-year-old village of Dana, travel along the ancient trade route of the King’s Highway, before cutting through the desert and climbing to the Crusader castle in Shobak. We’ll be high in the central highlands, hopping between tarmac and challenging gravel tracks that see snow in the winter time.
After completing our challenging climb just past Shobak Castle, we’ll celebrate our efforts to begin an incredible downhill. We’ll continue on from here to our first wilderness camp, hosted by a local Bedouin family. The family will prepare dinner for us underneath the desert stars, and we’ll get a real insight into Bedouin life.
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Accommodation: Glamping in Little Petra Camp
Meals: B/L/D
Hiking Info: 12Km, +470m, -480mWe’ll have a pre-dawn breakfast, hitting the trail with the sunrise for our ride all the way to the “back door” of Petra, one of the seven wonders of the world.
We’ll continue along dirt tracks, crossing dry streams, and some challenging tracks where you’ll be grateful of your mountain bikes! Our ride will peak at a viewpoint of Petra, finishing with a fun descent to the entrance.
We’ll grab a quick lunch, and say goodbye to the bikes for the afternoon to begin our hike into Petra via ‘The Back Door’ avoiding most of the tourists. Our walk will be around 12km, with a local expert guide taking us around the site. We’ll send most of the afternoon there, before heading to our hotel for the night in Little Petra.
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Accommodation: Wilderness Bedouin Camp
Meals: B/L/DA special start to this morning, as we have the opportunity to share breakfast with local women, who’ll also help us learn how to make the local specialities we’ll eat. Then we’ll dodge the busy traffic of Petra, with a 20 min transfer to a highpoint of the Kings Highway, to a dirt road just out of town. From here, we’ll hop on our bikes and follow little used dirt road tracks through desert hills as we climb above the Kings Highway. We’ll briefly hop onto to the highway before rejoining gravel tracks fo a lovely long descent into the valley below. We’ll soon feel miles away from any civilisation, as we head lower into the desert, eventually feeling the first sandy tracks beneath our wheels.
Stopping for an al fresco lunch on the way, we’ll finish our ride in the wide open desert around Abbasiya, where we’ll spend our second night with another Bedouin family. Sleep under canvas or under the stars,
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Accommodation: Wilderness Bedouin Camp
Meals: B/L/DWith the big climbs behind us, now it’s time for a new challenge - the desert! With the mercury rising and our tracks getting sandier, we’ll ride across open desert terrain with the sandstone buttes of Wadi Rum in the distance.
We’ll feel truly in the wild as we follow faint caravan tracks in the sand across the vast desert landscapes. After som fun and challenging pushing through sand, we’ll be glad to finally rejoin the tarmac for our last stretch to the edge of the iconic Wadi Rum desert.
On reaching Wadi Rum, we’ll hop in a desert Jeep to explore the myriad of desert valleys and butes, hopefully timing our exploration for sunset. There’ll be plenty of time to jump out and hike around for the best views. Our night will be spent glamping in the desert, with cosy camping huts. Be prepared for some of the best stars of your life.
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Accommodation: Hotel in Aqaba (My Luxury Hotel or similar)
Meals: BWe’ll head straight out from camp, onto the sand caravan tracks and mud flats that criss cross the desert. It’s a challenging day,and we’ll be glad of our local guide as we choose the best tracks that weave through the vast desert wilderness.
Meeting the tarmac for our last few miles, we’ll say a fond farewell to the off-road trail, and enjoy some smoother miles towards our final point on the ride. We’ll skip the hazadordous final stretch on the Desert Highway down to Aqaba, jumping on a 1.5 hour bus to the Red Sea where we’ll dip our toes in the clear ocean and celebrate the journey.
We’ll have time to relax in the modern Bernice Beach Club down the coast from traditional middle-eastern town, with access to the pools and beach, and a chance to hire a snorkel and explore the multi-coloured coral reefs. We’ll spend our final night together in Aqaba, with dinner together in the bustling town.
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Meals: B
Today, you can choose to spend extra time in Aqaba, or transfer back to Queen Alia International (Amman) Airport. Our trip transfer will leave early morning, offering drop off either at AMM airport, or in central Amman.
We’ll aim to leave Aqaba around 8am, to get to the airport by 1pm. It’s around a 4.5 hr journey in clear traffic.
If you prefer to fly directly from Aqaba, transfers can be arranged through the hotel at whatever time suits (not included).
What’s Included?
Included ✓
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We’ve partnered with Experience Jordan who will guide and run this trip, providing a cycling guide and a support jeep and driver who will follow our ride.
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Alongside the local team, there’ll be a host from our SITW crew there to make sure everyone feels welcome and supported and to bring a bit of SITW magic!
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7 nights accommodation:
2 nights 3 or 4* hotel
1 night simple guesthouse
2 nights glamping
2 nights wilderness camping (camping stuff provided)
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Entrance Fees for:
Dead Sea swimming
Petra
Red Sea Beach Club
Wadi Rum
Cooking Class
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We’ll have a tour of Petra and Wadi Rum with a great registered local guide.
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All included meals are listed in the itinerary.
Breakfast=B, Lunch=L, Dinner=D -
The support vehicle will carry extra water and snacks for the day.
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At the end of the trip, we will have a group drop off. Choose from either QAI (Amman) Airport or Amman City Center.
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Rental of a Scott Aspect (or similar) hardtail MTB is included in the trip.
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Luggage will be transferred between our accommodation, and a small daypack can be kept in the support jeep during the day.
Not Included ✗
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Transfer from Amman airport to Madaba is not included, but can be added to your booking as an add-on for a fee.
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Available on arrival at Amman airport. No need to apply in advance for most countries.
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Flights to Jordan are not included. Our trip begins at our Day 1 hotel in Madaba.
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These are not included, but we’ll provide some local recommendations, and our local team can help book group tables for dinner.
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Meals often come with a steady supply of tea and water. Alcohol or additional soft drinks drinks aren’t included, but occasionally available.
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Travel Insurance that allows multi day cycling as an activity, and covers medical emergency, repatriation, cancellation and public liability is mandatory for all SITW trips and is not included.
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Tipping is not mandatory, but is custom for our local guide team and vendors.
We recommend budgeting around $120-$140 per person for the week, and the SITW host can help coordinate tipping each day.
Overview of tip guidelines:
Cycling Guide: $5 - $8 per person per day
Support Guide/Driver: $5 - 6 per person per day
Local Drivers (e.g transfers): $3 - $5 per person per day
Porters, hosts, cooks and : $2 - 3 per person per day
Restaurants: $2 per person per restaurant
Accommodation & Food
Accommodation
Our hotels in Madaba (Day 1) and Aqaba (Day 7) will be comfortable 3* hotels, in good central locations. Exact hotels will be confirmed in your final joining info closer to your departure date. Our second night will be in a simple traditional guesthouse perched high in Dana.
We’ll spend two nights in gorgeous glamping Bedouin camps, in Little Petra (Day 4) and Wadi Rum (Day 6). The location, the sunsets, sunrises and star-gazing are incredible. Each glamping unit is equipped with 2 or 3 beds, plenty of blankets, and there are showers and toilets at both sites.
Two of our nights will be spent in the hospitality of a local Bedouin family. Our support crew will set our tents up for us, with everyone having their own tent for the night if they want. There will be basic camp toilet and access to water for washing, but no plumbed loos or showers.
A limited number of Single Supplements are available for a fee. Please add this as an extra add-on at the time of booking.
Food
Breakfasts in our traditional guesthouses and with our bedouin host will be a traditional Arabic affair, with hummus, fresh bread and fresh fruit or vegetables. In hotels, this will be mixed with the more typical buffet style you may expect in Western hotels.
Lunches will either be buffet style in a local cafe or with a bedouin family, or a packed lunch box for days where we stop mid-ride for a scenic al-fresco lunch spot.
Dinnertime will provide some of our best opportunities to experience traditional Jordanian and Arabic food like mansaf, zarb, and maqlubah. Rice, hummus, eggplant and roasted veggies feature heavily. Don’t miss a chance to grab a falafel wrap from a street vendor!
Meals often come with a steady supply of tea and water. Alcohol or additional soft drinks drinks aren’t included, but occasionally available.
Vegetarian, vegan and most other dietary requirements can be catered for, but unfortunately we may not be able to cater for severe allergies or restrictions. Feel free to drop us an email if you have any concerns.
About The Riding
Challenge Level
Our rating for this trip is 2 to 3/5.
Though the rides will feel just the right amount wild and challenging, we’ve intentionally chosen a route that is within the reach of most riders with a good level of fitness and some experience of riding off-road. Daily distances are relatively short, with main challenge coming from some rougher off-road descending sections, and the addition of potentially hot and exposed days. The option to jump in the support vehicle to skip the more challenging sections of riding makes this a 2/5. If riding every mile, this would bring the challenge level to 3/5.
Terrain
This is a mixed terrain route, with about 50/50 tarmac and off-road tracks that weave through the hills and desert. There are some challenging bits of off-road riding, with some loose rocks, bits of sand, and steeper gradients, so prior experience in riding off-road is a good idea.
Climbing
This trip has more descending than climbing, hoorah! Average daily elevation gain is around 400m - 500m, usually with one significant climb accounting for most of the climbing in a day, with additional bits of undulating around that. Climbing in the heat can make climbs feel a little more challenging, so our guides will always encourage us to pace ourselves. Descending may be more of a challenge for some, with some steeper stretches on rougher off-road terrain including small rocks and sand that may require walking. Most of the gradients are kind, though there are some steeper sections of both up and downhill that you might prefer to walk.
Daily Distances
Our average daily distances are between 30km and 40km.
Remoteness & Weather
Heat can present a challenge for riders who are not used to riding in exposed sun for long periods. Much of our riding is exposed, with little shade (though our local team are pros at knowing where to find it!). Our days in the highlands should be cooler, but heat will increase as we move to lower elevations in the desert. We’ve got great tips for managing heat, with early departure times on hotter days, and we’ve added loose layers, electrolytes and an umbrella (for mobile shade!) to your packing list.
We’ve timed our trips to align with cooler times of year, and conversely that can mean cooler temp and chance of rain in the highland areas.
Support Style
This is our first fully-supported trip, which means a support vehicle to hop in if you need, mechanical support, and luggage transfer!
Local Support Team (Male Led)
Whilst you’ll have one of our wonderful female SITW hosts on trip, Jordanian regulations mean we must partner with a local company to run the trip. As there are currently no licensed female cycling guides in Jordan, this means our main local guide and support crew will be male. We’re really happy with the local team we’ve partnered with, and have had only great feedback from our first trips. You can read more about our thought process and what we’re doing to help change things on our blog post here
Our local team will consist of a bike guide, plus a support guide/driver who will drive a jeep support vehicle who will generally ride at a distance behind the group, and can offer riders a boost if they want to skip a section. The jeep will also carry our day bags, water, snacks, and mechanical support.
Guiding & Riding Style
Unlike other Sisters in the Wild events, on this trip we’ll be riding as a group, with a guide leading the way and regrouping at key turns. Self-navigation is not needed.
Bike Hire
Bike hire (Scott Aspect Hardtail Mountain Bikes) are included in your trip price. For this trip, we are not able to accommodate bringing your own bike, though you are welcome to bring your own saddles and pedals. Our support crew will provide full mechanical support, so there is no need to pack your own tools (though you are welcome to if you want).
FAQs
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Please do not book your flights until we have confirmed the minimum trip number has been reached.
Start: Madaba on Day 1 of our trip
QAI Airport Amman is the closest airport to our meeting hotel, and our recommended airport. A transfer from Queen Alia International Airport, Amman (45 min drive) can be added at booking. Or it’s an easy hour long bus or taxi from Amman if you want to spend some time there before our trip.
Check in is available from 2pm on Day 1. We’ll formally meet on the morning of Day 2, but your SITW host will be around to say hello and join you for dinner on the night of Day 1.
Flights are also available to/from Aqaba airport, where we’ll finish our trip. There is no direct bus between Aqaba and Madaba, you would need to transfer in Amman.
End: Queena Alia International Airport or Amman City Center on Day 8 of our trip.
We aim to drop guests at the Amman airport by 1pm on Day 8, with a drop in Amman city an hour later. Therefore we advise to not book flights from Amman earlier than 4pm
If you prefer to fly home from Aqaba and not transfer back to Amman, taxis to Aqaba Airport can be arranged with our hotel (not included).
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We’ll have a max group size of 20, minimum group size of 8 to run.
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Vegetarian, vegan and most other dietary requirements can be catered for, but unfortunately we may not be able to cater for severe allergies or restrictions. Feel free to drop us an email if you have any concerns before booking.
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In order to make the most of the riding on offer, we’d suggest that you are comfortable riding 20+ miles in a day in reasonably hilly off-road terrain, for a few days on the run.
We also recommend getting some practice at riding some rougher off-road terrain (e.g., rockier gravel paths/roads).
Feel free to drop us an email hello@sistersinthewild.com if you have any questions on this.
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Jordan has a generally hot, dry climate with by long, hot, dry summers and short, cool winters. Snow can hit the higher areas around Amman in mid-winter, though the lower desserts stay warm year around. Temperature varies with elevation, with our days the hills being slightly, and our time by the Dead Sea and in the deserts being hotter.
March to April or September to early December are the best times for cycling in Jordan. Expect temps of 23 to 30 degrees, with cooler night time temps.
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For this trip, luggage will be transferred between our accommodation so no need to carry everything on your bike! We’d still recommend travelling as light as possible.
Cycling Kit
Helmet (Mandatory)
Pedals and saddle if you prefer to bring your own
Water bottle for bike
Sun cap/sunglasses for under helmet
Cycling gloves (optional)
Buff (good for dusty roads!)
Electrolytes
Umbrella for shade!
ClothesCycling clothes:
Padded cycling shorts/other shorts you’re comfortable riding in
Cycling/sports t-shirts. Consider long sleeve if sensitive to sun
Rain jacket
Windproof/warmer cycling layer
Shoes for cycling
Off the bike clothes
Shorts and tee’s
A more modest loose outfit for towns/off the bikes (covering knees and shoulders)
Sandals
Hiking shoes/sandals for Petra and Wadi Rum
Something to sleep in
Trousers/leggings and a warmer jacket for cooler evenings
Underwear/socks
Sun hat/cap
Other Stuff
A sleeping bag liner and pillow case for our nights camping (to use under the blankets provided). You may prefer to also bring your own sleeping bag.
Electrolyte tablets + umbrella for off the bike shade!
Toiletteries
Earplugs
Headtorch
Travel towel
Travel plug adapter
Power bank
Passport
Travel Insurance Docs
Suncream
First Aid Kit
Any personal medication
Hand sanitiser
Back up snacks
Book/headphones/journal etc
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Jordan is a Muslim country and as such has a fairly conservative culture, though not as conservative as most other Middle Eastern countries. Jordan is one of the most progressive countries in the Middle East in relation to LGBTQIA+ rights, and homosexuality has been decriminalised since 1951. However, there is still a social stigma attached, with many choosing to hide their sexuality from their families. We found a good article from Intrepid Travel which goes more into the situation for queer travellers in Jordan, which you can read here.
We absolutely welcome and encourage LQBTQIA+ travellers to join us, and your SITW host for the week may be a member of the community, too. We would advise couples of all types, regardless of sexual orientation and identity, to display discretion in public, as public displays of affection are highly frowned up on. However, we do recognise the extra effort of discretion to adapt to local conservative customs might not be something everybody feels is right for them. Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions–we’re happy to chat. -
Luggage will be transferred with us on our trip, and we’ll ask for it to be kept as light as possible and in a soft sided bag. No hard suitcases please!
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Tips are not included and though optional, are expected for good service in Jordan. We’ll share local tipping guidelines in our pre-trip info, but roughly $120-$140 per person for the trip is a good figure to factor in.
