Experience Adventure: Dana to Petra Hike

One of the world’s best hikes according to National Geographic. Dana to Petra is a journey located in the southern part of Jordan, taking you across spectacular scenery through four biosphere climates, immersing you in local culture and hospitality along the way, with a grand finale in entering Petra via the back route’s Monastery.

This hike is a profound part of the Jordan Trail (a long-distance hiking trail in Jordan connecting the length of Jordan from the Roman ruins of Um Qais in the north to the Red Sea city of Aqaba in the south. Offering around 40 days of hiking over more than 675 kilometers of trail, and traveling through 75 villages and towns). On this trip, hikers will be able to experience the life of a walking traveler along with the hospitality of the local Bedouins (Arab nomads), guides, resting and dining together; a duo of travel and kindness, living up to the legacy of renowned generosity by those before us.

At Experience Jordan Adventures, we usually do wilderness camping, where we provide you with a tent and means to bond with nature even more, savoring the taste of local cooked cuisine, or incorporate an overnight stay at the acclaimed Feynan Ecolodge, which facilitates fantastic stargazing opportunities; the roof is laden with mattresses and a powerful telescope for guests to use (strong enough to offer sights of Jupiter’s moons among other things).

Both options are hassle-free as we arrange all logistics, including luggage transfer on every day of the trek, you’ll only be carrying your daypack. Moreover, we mitigate the need to trek a particular part with extremely high elevation gain after the descent.

Dana’s four biospheres manifest as a home to an incredible variety of wildlife, from copper-blue lizards to desert foxes, among other fauna, as well as a stunning array of flora.

As the trek continues towards Ghbour Whedat you pass under the shadows of sheer black mountains and past steep drops off the canyon’s edge, following in the trails of Bedouin shepherds.

Drawing ever closer to Petra, Jordan’s rich history begins to unravel itself: remnants of the past, olive and grape presses, carved facades and water wells, all line the way until you reach Little Petra, an outpost of the ancient city, which is an extraordinary sight on its own.

Another day hike takes you through the lesser traveled route that leads past the Monastery – Ad Deir, the largest monument of the archaeological treasure that is Petra; rose-red, standing in glory, a testament to the sheer will and creativity of a civilization long gone.

Devoting at least a full day to Petra: the minimum time to explore the highlights of this wonder, which was built over 2,000 years ago. There are tombs and caves to explore, then through the canyon lies the astounding Treasury (the most iconic facade in Petra) and an amphitheater unlike any other, carved into the rock as opposed to being built from stacked rocks brought in.

This hike is totally unique with the range of landscapes, the splendor of both natural and manmade sights are causes for inspiration, a tremendous hospitable culture that hikers experience through accommodation along the way, includes both wild camping and lodges, meaning all those who partake are bound to have a well-rounded experience of an authentic Jordan.

This trip is impossible to forget, indeed, for all the right reasons!