October 5, Day 1: Arrival at Amman Airport.  We include a transfer from the airport to our hotel in the center of the city.  We will meet at 6 pm in the lobby of the hotel for a tour orientation followed by a welcome dinner.  Overnight in Amman.

Day 2:  Amman – Jerash – Warm up ride – Maduba
Ride: 38 kms, 250 meter climb

We will transfer by van from Amman and drive north to Jerash, one of the best preserved Greco- Roman cities in the Middle East. After enjoying the ruins Jerash, we will have a short warm up ride to the local family’s house for a meal and we will be introduced to the culture and daily life of the this community. After lunch, we’ll proceed to the Ajloun Castle, dominating the Ajloun skyline. It was built to ward off the Crusader armies at the key trade and pilgrimage intersection between Jerusalem, Cairo, Damascus and Mecca. We will transfer by van to our hotel in Madaba.

Overnight in Madaba.

Day 3: Madaba- Mount Nebo  – Cycle to Mukawair – Ma’in Hot Springs
Ride: 50 kms, 600 meter climb

After breakfast, we will explore the town of Madaba and discover the amazing Byzantine mosaics excavated from the town. We will see the  “Madaba Map‟, the oldest preserved mosaic map of the Holy Lands. We can visit the Shrine of the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist. You can climb the narrow stairs to the bell tower overlooking the city of Madaba. The bell tower is the highest vantage point in Madaba, where you can experience a wonderful panorama of Madaba and its surroundings. We’ll visit Mount Nebo, where Moses looked across to the Promised Land and later died and was buried. We’ll cycle across the Madaba plains to Mukawair to a local family house for a lunch. After lunch group will cycle an amazing set of switchbacks to Ma’in Hot Springs. This oasis- style resort offers an outdoor pool and a spa situated directly under a hot spring waterfall which is surrounded by mountains.

Overnight in Ma’in Hot Springs Hotel.

Day 4: Ma’in Hot Springs – Cycle to Mujib Chalets – Dead Sea – Dana Nature Reserve
Ride: 35 kms, 400 meter climb

After breakfast we will cycle another set of spectacular switchbacks down to the Dead Sea.  Our ride will take us along the Dead Sea to our lunch spot at the Mujib Chalets.  We’ll walk a short path down to the Dead Sea for a dip.  We’ll be able to shower at the Chalets before our lunch. After lunch we’ll transfer by van to the Dana Nature Reserve, where you will enjoy one of the most dramatic and diverse landscapes in the whole region. We’ll have a late afternoon walking tour around Dana on a trail that winds above Dana Village and through the terraced gardens and local craft workshops. Visitors can meet the local residents, see original Ottoman architecture, and learn more about Dana’s rich history.  Our accommodation is a very special guesthouse with one of the most spectacular views. Overnight in Dana.

Day 5: Dana – Shobak Castle – Little Petra – Petra
Ride: 40 km, 700 meter climb

Today we head south out of Dana to Little Petra. We’ll have a short van transfer to the Shobak Castle, an ancient crusader fort. We’ll begin our cycle on the Kings Highway. Our ride takes us down the famous winding Hisha Road to Little Petra.  We’ll hike around Little Petra which will give us a taste of what is to come the following day in Petra!  The views on our cycle from Petra to little Petra are quite spectacular. 2 nights in hotel in Petra.

Day 6: Petra – Full Day Petra visit – Petra

We’ll have a full day with a local guide to explore Petra, now one of Modern Seven Wonders of the World. Petra is known by many names, a masterpiece half as old as time, the Red Rose city.  Petra, is without a doubt Jordan’s most valuable treasure. It is a vast, unique city, carved into the sheer rock face by the Nabataeans, an industrious Arab people who settled here more than 2000 years ago, turning it into an important junction for the silk, spice and other trade routes that linked China, India and southern Arabia with Egypt, Syria, Greece and Rome.  You will definitely marvel at the beauty of the ‘Lost City’, only recently re-discovered by the outside world.  As you walk through the Siq, you’ll be astounded as you reach the magnificent Treasury, the entrance guarding the ancient Nabatean city.  Then continue into the city, viewing the amphitheater, exploring its many caves and tombs. You’ll have lunch with the site.  After lunch, you can visit the Royal Tombs. If you’re feeling energetic, you can climb to Jebel Khubtha or the High Place of Sacrafice, otherwise there is still plenty to see without hiking up. Overnight in Petra.

Day 7: Petra – Cycle at Wadi Rum – 2 Hour Jeep tour  – Wadi Rum
Ride: 50 km, 700 meter climb

In the morning we depart Petra and drive south out of Petra to start cycling toward Wadi Rum. Upon arrival at Wadi Rum, your guide will take you on a jeep tour that will allow you to travel around Wadi Rum’s valleys, canyons, dunes and deserts, discover rock inscriptions, majestic views of mountains and landscapes and narrow gorges. At each stop you have the opportunity to hike and scramble and explore this amazing region. After a Jeep tour we return to our Bedouin camp where we are spend the night in incredibly luxurious Martian tents, complete with private bathrooms and showers! Overnight in Wadi Rum

Day 8: Wadi Rum – Camel Ride – Cycle out of Wadi Rum – Aqaba
Ride: 25 km, 200 meters climb

After breakfast, you will start your desert adventure with meeting your Bedouin hosts and a camel ride out into the magical mountainous desert. Then, we’ll have a short bike ride out of Wadi Rum back to the main highway, where we’ll finish with a transfer to Aqaba,  We’ll transfer by van to Aqaba and arrive in the early afternoon with time to relax and enjoy the last day of the tour by the Red sea. In the evening we will meet for a farewell dinner overlooking the Red Sea.

Day 9: Transfer to Aqaba Airport for flight departures.

If you want to spend more time at the Red Sea, we can extend your hotel reservations.  Our hotel is in Tala Bay, a place with some excellent snorkeling opportunities.

End of tour logistics: At this time, flights from Aqaba are only to Amman, Jordan.  But there are plans for many different flights from Aqaba in the near future.  If you would like to visit Israel, you can take a taxi to the border (just about 5 minute drive) and walk across the border to Eilat, Israel.  No special Visas are required for entering Israel.  Eilat is also on the Red Sea.  There is an airport in Eilat that services a variety of cities, including Tel Aviv.  There are also buses from Eilat, Israel to Jerusalem.