Jordan : Hike the Jordan Trail with Leon McCarron

Who is Leon McCarron?

Leon McCarron is a Northern Irish adventurer, filmmaker, writer and motivational speaker. He is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, an advisor to the Ted Simon Foundation and he specialises in long distance, human-powered expeditions.

In Winter 2011-2012 Leon walked 3000 miles across China, filming for a National Geographic TV show along the way. The journey took him six months; walking a marathon a day for six days a week and carrying a 30kg pack. Two days after returning home, Leon was honoured to carry the Olympic Flame along a section of the Northern Irish coast as part of the London 2012 relay.

Previous to this he rode a bicycle 14,000 miles from New York to Hong Kong, documented in a television show which is currently airing in over 60 countries worldwide. At the end of 2012 he trekked 1000 miles through the Empty Quarter desert in Oman, following in the footsteps of the late British explorer Sir Wilfred Thesiger. A feature length film entitled ‘Into The Empty Quarter’ was premiered at the Royal Geographical Society in London in Autumn 2013. His most recent journeys include following the longest river in Iran from source to sea (documented in ‘Karun’), travelling across Argentina on horseback to investigate the imminent demise of the last free-flowing glacial river in Patagonia, and walking 1000 miles through the heart of the Middle East – www.walkthemasar.com

Leon is a passionate storyteller and a firm believer in the power of an adventurous mindset as a key element of fulfillment and success. He loves this part of the world and knows this route very well indeed.

Where will we be staying?

On this expedition our accommodation will range from hotels, to homestays and shared space in Bedouin settlements.

What size of group will it be?

Our groups are always small and intimate, and this will have a maximum of twelve guests. We like there to be plenty of space around the camp fire each night and for everyone to get to know each other.

What will the weather be like?

October is generally a lovely and warm time of year to travel – around 20-26 degrees during the day. But bear in mind that some sharp showers could be expected, that it will be colder as we gain altitude and that nights could feasibly be between 10 and 12 degrees in some places.

I’m a solo traveller – is this for me?

Yes. More than 85% of our expedition clients travel alone as part of our group.

Do you charge single supplements – I can’t see them in your information?

Normally no. We don’t believe that solo travellers should be penalised with extra charges.  It goes against our ethos. However, we have taken feedback from previous guests on this expedition and made it possible to include single accommodation for a premium of £300 per person. We have tried to incorporate this but feel that it is better to keep the overall cost as low as possible and offer the chance to extend solo sleeping arrangements where possible, at extra cost.  Some nights are spent all together – e.g. Bedouin settlements, so bear this in mind if you are a light sleeper.

What kit do I need to bring?

We will provide you with an information pack after signing up to this trip, and this will detail any particular equipment we think either necessary or useful. For this walking expedition, comfortable clothes, good boots and a day pack are the key ingredients to a happy time!

Is there a back-up vehicle?

Sometimes our expeditions require a back-up vehicle. For our Jordan Trail with Leon McCarron trip, we don’t use a vehicle because daily distances are small, and proximity to medical care is relatively good. We do however employ the services of local drivers to take luggage from our morning departure point to our evening accommodation. This will mean all you need to carry with you in a day pack is your camera, any extra clothes, waterproofs, snacks and water bottle. We also have a back-up donkey and driver on some days where terrain is rough. This is to ensure that

How much are flights?

This is a moving feast! It depends on where you are travelling from and how you want to get there. From London, the cheapest flights to Tel Aviv can be via EasyJet or similar carriers, but as always the lowest price tickets can be pot luck to obtain. Several major carriers fly direct to Tel Aviv from all over the world, or if you are feeling adventurous and have the time, the cheapest flights at the time of writing were via Ukraine on Kayak.com. Expect to pay around £200 from London on average.

What will the food be like?

The food in this part of the world can be spectacularly good – full of flavour, spice, fruit and seasonings. In the main, local people eat a lot of maqluba. This is a dish made of rice, vegetables and often chicken, inverted at the point of serving hence the name, which translates literally as ‘upside-down’. This is often served with yoghurt and salads. Breakfasts are often pitta or other flat breads, served with fruits, cheese and other accompaniments. You’ll eat a lot of tasty hummus, babaganoush and olive oil on this trip.

Will I have to share a room?

Yes, at times. There will be some hotels and guest houses where we will aim to provide separate rooms, but there will also be times where we are staying at homestays or in Bedouin encampments when there is no option but to share rooms. This is all part of the adventure, and a reason we love to travel here. It makes sense for light sleepers to bring earplugs, in case of snorers or the host family waking early. See notes above for info on supplementary single rooming costs where possible.

How fit do I need to be?

You need to be fit enough to be able to walk on rough and hilly terrain for an average of 12/13 miles per day. If you have any doubts or worries over whether you might not be able, perhaps a trial walk somewhere local to you would be a good idea to gauge your fitness levels before signing up? We have kept daily distances relatively low so as to be able to enjoy the scenery and culture and not feel rushed along.

Do you perform proper risk management on your expeditions?

Yes. We are members of TRIP – the Travel Risk and Incident Prevention Group – and perform detailed country risk assessments prior to departure, in line with the ISO 31000 international standard for risk assessment. We also maintain close contact with the relevant Foreign and Commonwealth Office advice for countries we plan to visit, in addition to making use of the Australian Smart Traveller assessment tool, and the US State Department’s OSAC service. Beyond this, we have a full set of risk management and disaster contingency plans for each expedition and are expedition first aid trained by Crux Medical. For final back up we also use the services of Remote Medical Support that allows us to have a UK expedition doctor on the end of a telephone line wherever we may be. And we always carry a satellite phone if there is any danger of being out of signal in the places we travel through. We really don’t mess around when it comes to safety.

I can’t do your dates but love the sound of your expedition – can you be flexible?

Yes. We offer set group dates for our expeditions, but we can organise and deliver bespoke expeditions to groups and individuals to suit your itinerary and budget. More information is available on our tailor made expeditions page.

Is this for me?

Although this is an extremely enlivening way to spend two weeks of your life, it’s also potentially dangerous – walking across rough terrain can be dangerous in your own back yard, so being fit enough to walk an average of twelve miles per day on boulder strewn mountain tracks is a prerequisite of this trip.

This is a beautiful, enchanting and ancient place to travel through but in many of the areas we will pass through, tourism is in its infancy. This of course, is what draws us – and hopefully you – to travel there in this experiential way.

There’ll be very little Wi-Fi or mobile reception for most of the hike. Shared rooms, local hospitality and simple amenities will be the norm, so if your idea of heaven is starting each day with a full English breakfast and having a swimming pool and a private suite, then we’d suggest this isn’t for you!

But if you want a proper, life-enriching experience of the kind that you won’t find elsewhere, then you are in luck.