Write up by Tim W
In October we set off for a long delayed (remember Covid?) cycling holiday to Jordan with travel company Exodus which specialise in hiking, cycling and other activity based tours; they provide both support and luggage transfer. We've done a few other cycling holidays with them in the past in Europe and Vietnam, both organised and self-guided, and have always been very pleased with their organisation.
We were part of a 18 person strong group with a tour guide (and a police escort!) - the group was slightly larger than we've had in the past, they're normally limited to 16. It was mostly Brits, although we had a couple from Iceland, two Canadians and two Irish. With ages ranging probably from mid forties up to early seventies.
Our trip was more of a sightseeing tour than a ‘pack in the miles’ tour. In fact, looking at my Strava feeds you'd think that Jordan was predominantly downhill. Actually there were several steep windy climbs, but hidden by scale of the descents. Also some fairly strong headwinds especially around the Dead Sea. It was also the only trip we'd done with a police escort. Required by Jordanian law, supposedly for our protection on the roads, but possibly a way to extract a little bit more tourist income for the country. They were useful though on the few occasions where we had to cross busy roads, when they would hold up the traffic and wave us through. Perhaps we could arrange something similar with the local constabulary for our Fleet Cycling rides?
Day 1 - Amman
We flew out a day early to give us time to have a look around Amman. It was a night flight so we got to bed around 2am and were then awoken around 6am by the call to prayer from the local mosque. It's a fairly modern city but with some large Roman temple ruins and a Roman amphitheatre. Also some fairly hairy main roads to negotiate on foot.
Day 2 - Jeresh and descent to Jordan Valley 38 km
We met our local guide, Meklet and were then bused north to Jeresh where there are very extensive and well preserved Roman ruins. After lunch we were united with our bikes and the bike support team. The bikes were mountain bike style hybrids with disc brakes and all looked fairly new and well maintained. Appearances can be deceptive though as within 50m of the start the gear hanger on Julie's bike sheared. But within 5 mins everything had been transferred to a spare frame and we were off again. A long descent down into the Jordan Valley through some very impressive scenery.
Day 3 - Madaba to Mount Nebo to the Dead Sea 36 km
After a look around Madaba it was a short and very easy climb to Mount Nebo followed by another long descent, but with a few sharp climbs thrown in, down to the Dead Sea. You realised how dry the air was as soon as you hit one of the climbs and your mouth dried up completely. Still the support team were always on hand with lots of water and soft drinks along with dates, nuts and other assorted goodies to keep the blood sugar level up. A disappointing lack of chocolate cake though I'm afraid Lisa!
After a few hours bobbing around in the Dead Sea (and attached hotel pool) it was a long bus transfer down to Petra.
Day 4 - Petra 19.5 km
This was a non cycling day although we did walk over 19km and climb 700m exploring the site. It starts with a kilometre walk down a narrow winding canyon between high sandstone cliffs opening out to the amazing sight of the Treasury. Anyone who's seen Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade will recognise the location! The civilization that first colonised the site (the Nabatean Kingdom) didn't bother building anything from the ground up, they just carved it out of sandstone. The Treasury is just the start though, its a huge site and an amazing place to explore.
Day 5 - Cycle to Little Petra 18 km
Just a short ride over to Little Petra. Petra's much smaller cousin where a lot of the commerce used to take place apparently. Then back to the hotel to chill out for the afternoon. Literally chill out! The pool was freezing so I was told, I wasn't stupid enough to try it after hearing the reaction of those who had.
Day 6 - Across the desert to Aqaba 49 km
After breakfast it was out across the desert heading towards Aqaba on the Red Sea. Just a few camels, goats and nomad camps to keep us company - and the Jordanian army who were out on manoeuvres.
Day 7 - Aqaba to Wadi Rum 20 km
A morning snorkeling in the Red Sea. Lots of coral and multicoloured fish just a few metres off the beach. Then it was the final afternoon of cycling out to Wadi Rum. I discovered the real worth of the cycle support team when I dropped my credit card wallet along the road as I pulled out a camera whole cycling along. Luckily for me they spotted it!
After dropping off the bikes we were trucked out into the desert where we spent the night camping at the base of some impressive cliffs. The rock formations and colours were amazing. Reds and yellows and carved into all sorts of shapes by the wind. Think Starwars and The Martian, they both had scenes shot in the area.
Day 8 - Camel rides & bus back up to Amman
After a night under, not canvas, but traditional woven goat hair, we had a few hours exploring the desert by truck and then it was the obligatory camel ride out as we all pretended to be Lawrence of Arabia.
A long coach ride back up to Amman and it was all over. So, definitely not a holiday if your main aim is lots of cycling. But if you want to explore Jordan in a slightly different way then well worth considering.
