Dana to Petra Trek + Wadi Rum & the Dead Sea – 9 Days

The best part of this Jordan trip is the way it reaches Petra on foot, not by simply pulling up at the main gate. You cross Dana’s mountains, follow Bedouin shepherd paths, sleep under simple camp conditions, and approach Petra through a quiet Nabataean route that brings the Monastery into view from above. The five-day trek is the heart of the trip.

I like the small group, capped at 14, and the practical support: meals, tented camps, luggage transfers, a local hiking guide, and a donkey for safety during the first three hiking days. I also like the finish, which gives your legs a break with a Wadi Rum jeep trip and time at the Dead Sea. The catch is clear: this is a serious walk, with daily distances of 15 to 17.1 kilometers, steep climbs, rough paths, and no soft hotel bed for four nights.

Key points to know before booking

• Walk into Petra from the back: You avoid much of the standard approach and reach the Monastery by a less-used Nabataean route.
• Expect demanding hiking: The trek includes five walking days, with up to 920 meters of descent and 750 meters of ascent in a single day.
• Sleep in the wilderness: Camps in Mansoura, Furon, and Ghbour Whedat are part of the experience, not just a place to spend the night.
• Travel with a compact group: The maximum group size is 14, with guides and local support on the trail.
• Enjoy a strong change of pace: Wadi Rum brings a 4×4 jeep safari, while the Dead Sea offers floating, mud treatments, pools, and possible spa time.
• Budget for extras: The Jordan Pass, visa and entrance fees, tips, insurance, airfare, airport transfers, and hiking gear are not included.

Why this Dana to Petra route is special

Most Jordan trips treat Dana, Petra, Wadi Rum, and the Dead Sea as separate stops connected by roads. This one ties them together with a long walk through the country’s south. You see the ground change under your boots, from mountain trails and deep valleys to sandstone cliffs and open desert.

The route also gives Petra a proper sense of arrival. Instead of beginning with the busy Siq and Treasury, you approach from the west through Wadi Ghurab. The Monastery appears first, high in the sandstone cliffs, before the trail continues down through Petra. That order makes the site feel less like a single famous monument and more like a whole mountain city.

The scenery is only half the story. You pass Bedouin camps, sheep pens, small fields, old water systems, and ancient presses. Those details help connect the archaeological remains with the people who still use these valleys and mountain routes today.

Day 1 in Amman: Start slowly in Al Balad

The first day is deliberately light. You arrive in Amman, check into your hotel, and have time to settle in before the trek begins. Depending on your flight, you may have a few hours to walk around downtown Amman and try local food.

That breathing room is useful. This is not a tour that sends you straight from the airport into a long sightseeing day. Amman is an old city with modern streets, busy markets, and long-standing customs of hospitality. Use the first evening to rest, drink water, and make sure your hiking gear is ready.

The next morning starts early. Pickup is scheduled around 7:30 a.m., although the listed meeting time is 7:00 a.m., so confirm the exact arrangement before departure. The drive to the trailhead takes about two and a half hours.

Day 2: Dana’s high ridges and Mansoura camp

The first hiking day introduces Dana Nature Reserve, one of the major reasons to choose this trip. Dana contains four ecological zones, so the scenery changes as you walk. The route begins along mountain slopes above Dana Valley, then drops toward Al Khashasha Valley.

The numbers matter here: about 15 kilometers, five to seven hours of walking, 260 meters of ascent, and 690 meters of descent. The descent is the bigger concern. Even if you handle uphill walking well, long downhill sections can tax your knees and toes.

A wilderness camp near Mansoura is your overnight base. The tour includes dinner, breakfast, lunch, tents, and luggage transfers, with bags moved by pickup truck rather than carried during the walk. That is a major advantage on a multi-day route. You still need a daypack with water, sun protection, spare layers, and personal essentials, but your full bag should not be on your back.

A local hiking guide accompanies the group during the first three hiking days, with a donkey available as a safety measure. That does not turn the walk into an easy outing, but it adds useful support in remote country.

Day 3: The climb to Furon

Day three is more uphill. You leave camp early and climb through the mountains for about an hour before the views open toward the Sharah Mountains and the wide Wadi Araba Desert.

The day covers roughly 16 kilometers in five to seven hours. There are about 563 meters of ascent and 170 meters of descent. Compared with day two, it is less downhill but still a full day on uneven ground.

Furon camp is one of those places where the stop itself is part of the reward. You can have tea, look across the desert, and wait for dinner after the day’s effort. The schedule leaves room for that quiet pause, which is important on a trip built around walking. You are not rushing from one photo stop to another.

This is also where group rhythm becomes important. The tour is limited to 14 people, but that still means different walking speeds and fitness levels. Guides named in past departures include Motaz Jarrar and Motaz Zghoul, both praised for keeping groups together, offering support, and bringing humor to long days. Your guide may be different, so treat those names as examples rather than a guarantee.

Day 4: Rugged peaks, narrow canyons, and Ghbour Whedat

For many hikers, day four is the most dramatic section. The route passes Ras Al-Feid and heads toward Ghbour Whedat, using a chain of smaller Bedouin shepherd paths along the Sharah Mountains.

You will see black, rugged mountain peaks, steep canyon drops, and wide views over the desert. Later, the rock becomes softer and more sculpted, with mushroom-like formations along the route. It is a striking contrast, but the walking is not gentle.

This is the longest and most vertically demanding day by the figures provided: 17.1 kilometers, about 750 meters of ascent, and 920 meters of descent. The large descent total deserves respect. Good boots, trekking poles if you use them, and careful foot placement will matter more than speed.

Ghbour Whedat is another wilderness camp. There is no promise of resort comfort here, and that is the point. You trade convenience for a night in a remote part of Jordan that most standard sightseeing programs never reach.

Day 5: Little Petra and signs of settled life

After the remote mountain sections, day five gradually brings you closer to human habitation. You pass Bedouin camps, sheep pens, small agricultural plots, and ancient Nabataean remains.

Among the ruins are wine and olive presses, aqueducts, and other water systems. These are easy to overlook if you only visit Petra’s headline monuments, but they explain how people farmed, stored water, and supported a city in a dry region.

The route then climbs through a sandstone canyon before descending a narrow, steep staircase into Little Petra, also called Siq al-Barid. Archaeologists believe this site served as a suburb or outer settlement connected to Petra. The canyon is smaller than Petra’s famous Siq, but its confined walls and carved facades make it a worthwhile stop in its own right.

The published information does not give the full distance or elevation figures for this day, so you should not assume it is an easy finish to the mountain section. You are still walking after several long days, and the steep stairs into Little Petra can feel demanding on tired legs.

Day 6: Entering Petra by the Back Door

Day six is the payoff. After breakfast, you set out through Wadi Ghurab, walking between sandstone mountains toward Petra.

The route follows an old Nabataean way out of the valley and skirts a mountain on a natural rock terrace. Parts of the terrace have been improved to make the route safer for walkers, but the trail still narrows in places. You then reach a high plateau above Wadi Siyyagh.

The Monastery comes into view from the cliff face. A Bedouin café near the site offers a place to stop for refreshments if you want one. From there, Nabataean steps lead farther into Petra.

The experience is different from entering through the usual visitor route. You reach the ancient city after days of walking through the country around it, and the first major sight is the Monastery rather than the Treasury. You also avoid much of the crowding associated with Petra’s main entrance, although the tour does not promise complete solitude.

The tour lists this as a 12-hour activity, so be ready for a long day that combines the approach, Petra sightseeing, and transfers or walking within the site. The route is not suitable for someone who wants a short, gentle look at Petra.

Day 7: Wadi Rum by 4×4

After five days on foot, day seven changes the pace. You leave the Petra area and meet Bedouin hosts in Wadi Rum for a 4×4 jeep safari.

The outing includes desert valleys, narrow gorges, ancient rock inscriptions, sand dunes, and rock bridges. You can hike, scramble, and explore at your own pace during stops. The stated activity time is about five hours, followed by sunset, dinner, and a night at a Bedouin camp.

Wadi Rum is a good addition because it gives you a different view of southern Jordan. Dana and the route to Petra are about changing elevations and mountain paths. Wadi Rum is about open space, red sandstone, rock walls, and desert silence.

The camp also provides a social close to the active portion of the trip. Tea, dinner, Bedouin hospitality, and a night beneath the stars replace the more strenuous rhythm of the previous days. Conditions remain simple, so pack with camping in mind rather than expecting a conventional hotel room.

Day 8: Floating at the Dead Sea

The final full day is designed for recovery. You drive to the Dead Sea, the lowest point on Earth, and have time to float in the salty water, apply Dead Sea mud, relax by a pool, or book spa treatments.

This stop is more than a sightseeing add-on. After five days of walking, your body may appreciate a day with no major hike. The Dead Sea gives you a chance to rest before the final drive back to Amman in the late afternoon.

Do not treat the salt water as a swimming session in the usual sense. The advertised appeal is floating, mud, rest, and possible spa time. The package includes access to the Dead Sea stop, but it does not say that spa treatments are included, so expect to pay separately for those.

You return to your Amman hotel that night. That arrangement is helpful if you are flying home on day nine, since you do not need to make a long transfer from the Dead Sea on departure morning.

What the $1,595 price covers

At $1,595 per person, this is not a budget bus tour, but the price includes a lot of moving parts. You receive eight nights of accommodation, transportation listed in the schedule, an English-speaking licensed guide on days two through eight, meals, luggage transfers, and local trail support.

Included meals are eight breakfasts, six dinners, and seven lunches. That covers most of the days when finding food independently would be difficult. It also removes the need to carry several days of supplies.

The value is strongest if you want one organized booking for a demanding route. You are paying for route planning, camps, vehicles, support staff, logistics between regions, and access to a trail that would be harder to arrange alone. The price is less attractive if you want independent hiking, hotel comfort every night, or freedom to change the route.

You still need to add the Jordan Pass, listed as the Jordan Wanderer option, along with visa and entrance fees. Airport transfers, airfare, tips, travel insurance, personal expenses, and hiking gear are also extra. Add those costs before comparing this trip with a self-guided plan.

Who should book this trek

I would choose this trip if you want Jordan’s major southern sights but prefer to earn Petra through walking. It suits people who enjoy full hiking days, simple camps, shared group travel, and scenery that changes slowly underfoot.

It can also work well for solo people who want company without joining a huge coach group. The maximum of 14 is small enough for a social atmosphere, and past guide teams have been praised for care, humor, and attention to different needs.

I would not choose it if you have limited mobility, dislike steep or uneven trails, or want a relaxed sightseeing holiday. The requirement for strong physical fitness is serious. Daily walks of five to seven hours, a 17.1-kilometer day, and major elevation changes are not minor details.

Solo women may appreciate the organized setting and local support, but the tour still requires confidence with camping and long-distance walking. You should also be comfortable sharing the pace and routines of a group.

Practical preparation that will help

Use broken-in hiking boots. The route includes mountain paths, sandstone, stairs, narrow sections, and steep descents. Bring layers because desert temperatures can change sharply between walking hours and nighttime camps.

Keep water, snacks, sunscreen, a hat, a headlamp, toiletries, and a warm layer in your daypack. Your main luggage is transferred by pickup truck, but you need to carry what you require during each day.

Ask the operator for the exact accommodation details before departure. The schedule identifies hotels in Amman, wilderness camps, a Bedouin camp, and other tented accommodation, but it does not specify every room or tent arrangement.

Also confirm your guide, pickup time, and Jordan Pass requirements before you arrive. The booking confirmation may take up to 48 hours and depends on availability. The cancellation terms are strict close to departure: full refunds require at least six full days’ notice, with a 50 percent refund available two to six days before the start time. Poor weather or failure to reach the minimum group size can lead to a different date or a full refund.

Should you book it?

Book this Dana to Petra trek if your ideal Jordan trip includes mountain walking, quiet routes, simple camps, local support, and a dramatic approach to Petra. The combination of Dana, Little Petra, Petra’s back route, Wadi Rum, and the Dead Sea gives you a strong nine-day arc without requiring you to plan each transfer yourself.

Think twice if your priority is comfort or easy access. This is a physically demanding trip with long days and basic wilderness nights. For the right hiker, though, the route offers something a standard Jordan highlights tour cannot: a gradual, memorable passage from high mountain trails to Petra’s stone city, followed by desert and saltwater recovery.

FAQ

How long is the tour?

The tour lasts approximately nine days, beginning and ending in Amman.

Where does the tour start and finish?

It starts in Amman, Jordan, and ends back at the Amman meeting point.

What time does the tour start?

The listed start time is 7:00 a.m. Pickup on day two is described as taking place at 7:30 a.m. after breakfast, so confirm the precise pickup time before departure.

How many people can join the group?

The maximum group size is 14 trekkers.

How fit do I need to be?

You should have a strong physical fitness level. The route includes five hiking days, daily distances of about 15 to 17.1 kilometers, steep climbs, significant descents, narrow trails, and stairs.

Is accommodation included?

Yes. Eight nights of accommodation are included, with hotel stays in Amman, wilderness camping during the trek, and a Bedouin camp in Wadi Rum.

Are meals included?

Yes. The package includes eight breakfasts, six dinners, and seven lunches.

Is luggage transport provided?

Yes. Luggage transfers are included, with bags moved by pickup truck.

Are entrance fees and the Jordan Pass included?

No. The Jordan Pass, visa and entrance fees are not included.

Are airport transfers included?

No. Airport pickup and drop-off are not included.

What happens if bad weather cancels the tour?

If poor weather causes cancellation, you will be offered a different date or a full refund. A different date, alternative experience, or full refund may also be offered if the minimum number of participants is not reached.