Fixed Departure : 5th – 19th October 2019
We welcome you to join us and our guest leader Leon McCarron for two weeks of simply delightful walking along the world-reknowned Jordan Trail. Wonders of the Modern World, ancient historical sites and mind-blowing scenery are scattered like stepping stones along this remarkable trail.
Film-maker, author, lecturer (and tour guide solely for Silk Road Adventures), Leon has written a highly successful book about his 1000-mile walk through Jordan, Palestine and Israel. He has returned here many times since and led a very successful expedition for us on the Masar Ibrahim al Khalil in Palestine in 2017.
The Jordan Trail is now firmly established as one of the very finest long distance trails in the world. It regularly features on “must visit” and “top trips” lists and with good reason. Not only is the scenery diverse in appearance and epic in scale, but the hospitality is second to none. And this isn’t some glib comment in a tour brochure – we really mean it.
There can be few places in the world with such open, warm and spirited human welcomes as you’ll find on a daily basis across Jordan. This is a place where people ask you in for tea, introduce you to their parents and share their food with you before even asking where you are from. You’ll doubtless be deeply affected by this level of connection that is all too rare elsewhere.
Aside from the astounding hospitality, expect rocky mountains, crystal clear waters on the Gulf of Aqaba, desert gorges, dead seas, surprising oases, some of the oldest inhabited cities on earth, vibrant local culture and the deep connection to place and people that comes when you walk through a land on your own two feet.
You won’t find anyone else offering an itinerary quite like this and that’s just the way we like our trips to be. The indefatigable Leon McCarron is a well known writer, film maker and adventurer with some fairly hardcore expedition credentials behind him. We can’t think of a more enthusiastic, knowledgeable and genial host for this trip and we are delighted to be working with Leon once again.
Walk the Jordan Trail with Leon in 2019 and experience this wonderful country on your own terms.
DEPARTURE/RETURN LOCATION |
Arrive at Queen Alia International Airport, Amman, Jordan
Depart from King Hussein International Aiport, Aqaba, Jordan. |
DEPARTURE TIME |
Please ensure you arrive in good time for our scheduled departure from Amman |
INCLUDED |
- Airport transfers in Jordan.
- All food and accommodation.
- Drinking water.
- Luggage transfers each day – leaving you with only a day pack to carry.
- A superb local guide who intimately knows the route and the people who live along it.
- Experience of staying with the Bedouin peoples of southern Jordan
- Boat trip and snorkelling in the Gulf of Aqaba
- Leon McCarron!
- Your Jordan Pass visa and all entrance fees to historical sites, including Petra.
- Fresh filtered water + a Water 2 Go water filtration bottle, in order to reduce plastic waste
- Professional route planning and logistics, backed by risk assessments, emergency procedures, satellite communications (where necessary) and medical support. We don’t take risks lightly and we plan for all eventualities, believing it is better to have prepared and not require a procedure than not to plan at all.
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NOT INCLUDED |
- International Flights to/from Amman
- Extras such as souvenirs and alcohol.
- Your personal travel insurance
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This is a two-week hike from the north to south of the Jordan, including what we believe to be the very best bits of the Jordan Trail with transfers in between.
We start at the far north of the country at hisotrica Umm Qais – one of the famed Decapolis League of Roman cities. The route winds it’s way south through the green hills, orchards and groves to Amman, taking-in Jerash and Aijloun on the way. After a brief stop to float and relax at the other-worldly Dead Sea, the route continues south through the Dana Biosphere Reserve, Wadi Malaga and Little Petra.
We then have time to enjoy Petra – one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World. From there, via Wadi Gseib and Wadi Aheimar we find our way to Wadi Rum. The fantastic scenery here has played host to locations for Star Wars, The Martian and may more films and was the real-life stomping ground of Lawrence of Arabia. The route then takes us to our finish at Aqaba.
Sitting at the head of the gin-clear waters of the Gulf of Aqaba, here you’ll enjoy a boat trip, snorkelling over multi-coloured reefs and a startling array of marine life before your flight home from Aqaba’s King Hussein Airport.
With thanks to Leon for some of his photos from the Jordan Trail.
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.