Petra and Wadi Rum from Aqaba (Cultural & Themes tours)

Jordan's Wadi Rum and its 'rose-red City' of Petra provide a magical setting for a winter walking holiday. Rising abruptly from the desert plains, the red-ochre sandstone mesas of Wadi Rum provide one of the world's most dramatic landscapes. It was famously described by T.E. Lawrence as "Rum the magnificent... vast, echoing and God-like." In this traditional land of the Bedouin, our 5-day trek will take us on ancient trails through hidden canyons and across open rocky slopes to the summits of several of the biggest formations in Jordan, including Jebel Um Adaami (1832m), Jordan's highest peak. Throughout the holiday, some easy scrambling will be required to get to the best viewpoints including the dramatic Burdah Bridge. Four-wheel-drive vehicles will provide back-up and we will camp each night on the sands in the company of our hospitable hosts. A final highlight of this outstanding Arabian adventure holiday is our 2-day visit to the awe-inspiring 2300 year old, rock-hewn city of Petra. Here, we will make our initial approach through the dramatic winding Siq and spend the whole day exploring the site, following in the footsteps of the ancient and the intrepid.