The Rift Valley Traverse

Day-by-Day Itinerary

1. 01Day

   Amman — Ajloun Forest Reserve

   Morning: Private transfer from Queen Alia International Airport to Ajloun (1 hr). Afternoon guided mountain-bike or hiking circuit through Ajloun Forest Reserve's oak and pistachio woodland with an RSCN ranger.

   Late afternoon: Ajloun Castle (Qal'at ar-Rabad), a 12th-century Ayyubid fortress built to watch the Crusader roads — usually visited only in passing on historical tours, here explored at sunset with almost no other visitors.

   Overnight: Ajloun Forest Reserve eco-cabins (RSCN)

2. 02Day

   Ajloun — As-Salt — Dana Village

   Morning: Short walking tour of As-Salt's Ottoman-era limestone old town (a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2021), largely skipped by tour buses heading straight down the Desert Highway.

   Afternoon: Drive south along the King's Highway to Dana village, perched on the rim of the Dana Biosphere Reserve, Jordan's largest nature reserve.

   Overnight: Dana Guesthouse, cliff-edge rooms overlooking the reserve

3. 03Day

   Wadi Dana Full-Day Trek to Feynan

   Activity: Full-day guided descent (approx. 6 hours, 14 km, moderate–challenging) from Dana village down through changing microclimates — juniper woodland to desert canyon — ending at the Feynan copper-mining landscape, worked since the Bronze Age.

   Logistics: Day pack only; main luggage transferred by vehicle.

   Overnight: Feynan Ecolodge — solar-powered, candle-lit, no road noise or light pollution, run in partnership with local Bedouin communities

4. 04Day

   Feynan — Wadi Ghuweir Canyon — Petra (via Little Petra)

   Morning: Optional sunrise walk to the ancient Feynan mine shafts and Bedouin tea with a local family.

   Transfer: Drive to Beidha, a 9,000-year-old Neolithic village and one of the earliest known farming settlements on Earth, then Little Petra (Siq al-Barid) — a miniature, largely empty preview of Petra's facades.

   Afternoon: Walk the ancient shepherd's route from Little Petra into the main Petra site via the back trails, arriving from the north rather than through the main gate queue.

   Overnight: Boutique hotel, Wadi Musa

5. 05Day

   Petra — The Back Door: Wadi Muthlim & High Place of Sacrifice

   Morning: Enter Petra through Wadi Muthlim, a narrow flood-control tunnel cut by the Nabataeans — a route requiring a licensed guide and used by a small fraction of Petra's visitors — emerging behind the Treasury instead of walking the crowded main Siq.

   Afternoon: Climb to the High Place of Sacrifice and the Wadi Farasa trail past the Roman Soldier's Tomb and Garden Triclinium, then down to the Monastery (Ad-Deir) via 800 rock-cut steps.

   Overnight: Boutique hotel, Wadi Musa

6. 06Day

   Petra — Wadi Rum: Canyoning & Rock Scrambling

   Morning: Transfer to Wadi Rum (1.5 hrs).

   Afternoon: Guided technical scramble through Khazali and Barrah canyons and a rock-bridge ascent (Umm Fruth or Burdah, depending on fitness) with a certified Bedouin climbing guide — beyond the standard jeep-tour stops.

   Evening: Sunset from Um Sabatah, dinner cooked in a traditional zarb (underground oven), stargazing session with a guide who explains Bedouin celestial navigation.

   Overnight: Small Bedouin camp, private tent (not a large tourist camp)

7. 07Day

   Wadi Rum — Aqaba — Departure

   Morning: Short sunrise hike to a canyon viewpoint, breakfast in camp.

   Transfer: Drive to Aqaba (1 hr) or King Hussein International Airport for onward travel; optional half-day Red Sea snorkelling add-on.

Accommodation Summary

Pricing (per person, twin-share, group of 4–8)

What's Included