• Overview
  • Trip Outline
  • Trip Includes
  • Trip Excludes
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  • FAQ

The Jordan Bike Trail is a unique opportunity to explore Jordan's nature, culture, and community. The 730km route crosses from Um Qais in the North all the way South to the port of Aqaba, crossing the entire length of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The route is designed to pass by a remarkable set of natural and historical miracles.

The trail is divided into three sections surpassing various climates. The Northern segment rides over the Mediterranean hills filled with olive groves and farms, followed by the spectacular gorges of the Dead Sea in the central area, onto the phenomenal scenes of the South, including Dana, Petra, and Wadi Rum, and finally, the Red Sea.

Traveling the trail with Cycling Jordan ensures you are fully supported. This includes the planning of the accommodation, transportation of all garments, bike reparations, and other support when needed to make your ride as smooth as possible.

Cycling through Jordan's natural environment is a physically demanding quest. The trail includes approximately 20.000m (65616ft)  of climbing over a span of 730km (454 mi). Numerous hills in the North and countless canyons, better known as wadis, cross the nations from East to West. The Jordan Bike Trail covers many of them! Nevertheless, the astonishing views are worth every drop of sweat.

The trail is not technical as around 60% of the route follows paved roads, and the remaining covering off-roads. It might seem like cycling much on asphalt; however, the trail has been designed to make the climbs possible to ride. The occasional technical sections are walkable, meaning the tour is accessible for those who are not an experienced technical mountain biker. The desert landscape around Wadi Rum might require some pushing of the bike due to the sand.

Itineraries

Day 1

Arrival at Queen Alia Airport - Umm Qays overnight

Upon arrival at Queen Alia Airport in Amman, meet our representative, who will assist you through customs and immigration.

Day 2

Um Qais to Kufr Rakeb Stage 1 of 12

Start from the remains of the Decapolis city of Gadara (today, Um Qais) and enjoy a bracing descent toward Al Arab Dam. From there, climb on paved and dirt roads through several smaller villages before another long descent to the Jordan Valley — at -200m, your low point of the trip. Next, ride a few easy kilometers along the King Abdullah Canal before climbing to Pella, where you’ll find the remains of another Decapolis city. From Pella, it’s a long, slow climb to Kufr Rakeb.

PHYSICAL CHALLENGE: 4 out of 5
DISTANCE: 63,2 km
APPROX. RIDING TIME: 5-6 h
Only moving time on your bike. Make sure to plan time for breaks, sightseeing, and other stops!
ELEVATION GAIN: +1749 m
ELEVATION LOSS: -1549 m
PAVED: 50 km (80 %)
UNPAVED: 13 KM (20 %)
MAX. GRADE: 19 %
AVG. GRADE: 1 %

Day 3

Kufr Rakeb to Khirbet as-Souq Stage 2 of 12

Leave Kufr Rakeb, ascending and descending through the famous scrub oak forests of Jordan’s North. Take some time to explore the Ajloun Castle, a 12-century Muslim fortress. From the castle, enjoy a long descent before climbing back to Anjara. After Anjara, leave more populated areas behind and enjoy the rolling, forested terrain on your way to Khirbet as-Souq.

PHYSICAL CHALLENGE: 4 out of 5
DISTANCE: 58.5 km
APPROX. RIDING TIME: 5-6 h
Only moving time on your bike. Make sure to plan time for breaks, sightseeing, and other stops!
ELEVATION GAIN: +1755 m
ELEVATION LOSS: -1558 m
PAVED: 47 km (81 %)
UNPAVED: 13 km (20 %)
MAX. GRADE: 15 %
AVG. GRADE: 1 %

Day 4

Khirbet as-Souq to Fuheis Stage 3 of 12

Climb from Khirbet as-Souq to a ridgeline above Wadi Zarqa. Take in the impressive views before descending to the wadi bottom 1,000m below. Then, begin a long climb out of the canyon — a demanding ordeal on hot days! Once you reach the top of the climb, your day is not done. After riding along the opposite rim of the canyon, descend to another valley and climb to Rumeimeen – the waterfall below the town offers a nice break spot – before continuing up to Fuheis.

PHYSICAL CHALLENGE: 5 out of 5
DISTANCE: 63.4 km
APPROX. RIDING TIME: 5-6 h
Only moving time on your bike. Make sure to plan time for breaks, sightseeing, and other stops!
ELEVATION GAIN: +2076 m
ELEVATION LOSS: -2012 m
PAVED: 36 km (57 %)
UNPAVED: 27 km (43 %)
MAX. GRADE: 20 %
AVG. GRADE: 2 %

Day 5

Fuheis to Madaba Stage 4 of 12

Leave the forests of the North behind, as you head into more arid terrain, riding along the rim of the Jordan Valley. But be warned, even though you’ve left the forests, there’s still plenty of climbing as you cross several wadis that run east-west into the Jordan Valley below. The expansive views are well worth the effort, however!

Day 6

Madaba to Dhiban Stage 5 of 12

Enjoy the challenge of crossing two of Central Jordan’s major wadis: Wadi Zarqa-Ma’in and Wadi Hidan. While the route sounds difficult (and it is!), you’ll encounter less total elevation gain today than any other day up to this point. Start the day descending from Madaba through Wadi Zarqa-Ma’in, before embarking on a steep (but paved) climb to Makawer and Jabal Bani Hamida. From there, you head straight back down into Wadi Hidan — take a moment to stop and enjoy the views on the way down. Shade trees in the wadi bottom offer a nice break (or camp) spot, before the long ascent out of Wadi Hidan to Dhiban.

Day 7

Dhiban to Karak Stage 6 of 12

Prepare yourself for the most challenging day of the entire route! After a wonderful descent to the bottom of Wadi Mujib — often called Jordan’s Grand Canyon —you must climb well over 1000m before reaching the canyon’s opposite rim. Go slow and try to enjoy the views as you plod your way to the top. Once you reach the plateau, enjoy a brief, flat respite as you pass through several small villages. Finally, from Rakin, make a technical descent into the valley below Karak and endure the last (300m) climb into Karak (bonus points if you manage to ride the entire ascent!).

PHYSICAL CHALLENGE: 5+ out of 5
DISTANCE: 68.3 km
APPROX. RIDING TIME: 6.5 – 8 h
Only moving time on your bike. Make sure to plan time for breaks, sightseeing, and other stops!
ELEVATION GAIN: +1941 m
ELEVATION LOSS: -1716 m
PAVED: 34 km (49 %)
UNPAVED: 35 km (51 %)
MAX. GRADE: 27 %
AVG. GRADE: 1 %

Day 8

Karak to Ais Stage 7 of 12

Start from Karak and enjoy the impressive views of the city’s castle on the way out of town. Then, continue along several kilometers of dirt road through small Jordanian villages and shepherds’ tents on your way to Wad Hasa, the last of the significant wadis that you’ll cross on your journey. Finally, have fun on the long descent to the wadi bottom and prepare yourself for a long ascent to the canyon’s far rim—don’t worry, though; it’s not nearly as challenging as some of the other climbs you’ve completed!

PHYSICAL CHALLENGE: 4 out of 5
DISTANCE: 70 km
APPROX. RIDING TIME: 5 – 6.5 h
Only moving time on your bike. Make sure to plan time for breaks, sightseeing, and other stops!
ELEVATION GAIN: +1693 m
ELEVATION LOSS: -1387 m
PAVED: 52 km (74 %)
UNPAVED: 18 km (26 %)
MAX. GRADE: 19 %
AVG. GRADE: 3 %

Day 9

Ais to Shobak Stage 8 of 12

From Ais, continue to Ain al-Baida and descend to the rim of the impressive Wadi Ma’tan. Follow a picturesque dirt road along the rim of the canyon before passing Busayra, climbing to 1500m, and descending along a technical single track to Dana. Take a break in Dana with expansive views of Wadi Feynan before continuing along the rim of another beautiful valley to Shobak and its historic castle.

Day 10

Shobak to Petra Stage 9 of 12

The ride starts with a brief climb from Shobak before winding your way to a dirt road that runs along the upper rim of the Araba Valley with some of the most stunning views of the entire route. Eventually, ascend to the King’s Highway; after one more short climb, reach the highest point of the trail, just under 1700m. From here, it’s mostly downhill to Little Petra and Petra, with wonderful views of the sites as you approach. It’s a short day, so you’ll have some time to explore Petra in the afternoon; best, though, to take an entire day to visit Petra, one of the Seven Wonders of the World.

Day 11

Petra to Abbasiya Stage 10 of 12

Climb gradually from Wadi Musa, and follow the King’s Highway high above Wadi Araba. Continue on a dirt road into Rajif; and after returning briefly to the King’s Highway, begin a lovely descent along dirt roads to the valley below. A short climb to a low pass then takes you into a wide-open desert area for the last few kilometers to Abbasiya.

PHYSICAL CHALLENGE: 2 out of 5
DISTANCE: 55.1 km
APPROX. RIDING TIME: 4 – 5 h
Only moving time on your bike. Make sure to plan time for breaks, sightseeing, and other stops!
ELEVATION GAIN: +1092 m
ELEVATION LOSS: -1130 m
PAVED: 25 km (46 %)
UNPAVED: 30 km (54 %)
MAX. GRADE: 13 %
AVG. GRADE: 0 %

Day 12

Abbasiya to Wadi Rum Stage 11 of 12

You’ve passed all the big climbs! Now you just have to deal with desert sand. From Abbasiya, ride across open desert terrain with the sandstone buttes of Wadi Rum in the distance. The riding begins to get sandier as you approach Quwayrah and the Desert Highway, but the route is still rideable. Take a break in Quwayrah before continuing toward Wadi Rum. On the outskirts of Quwayrah, the trail becomes sandier, and some sections may require pushing your bike (depending on your tire size/pressure). Shortly before Shaqriya, rejoin a paved road and follow it to Rum Village, where you can arrange for a stay in a Bedouin tent in the area.

PHYSICAL CHALLENGE: 2* out of 5
DISTANCE: 59.8 km
APPROX. RIDING TIME: 4 – 5 h
Only moving time on your bike. Make sure to plan time for breaks, sightseeing, and other stops!
ELEVATION GAIN: +358 m
ELEVATION LOSS: -395 m
PAVED: 30 km (50 %)
UNPAVED: 30 km (50 %)
MAX. GRADE: 7 %
AVG. GRADE: 0 %

*Correction: This route has been updated from category 1 to category 2, due to sections where the route leads through heavy sands. Please note that the guidebooks and maps will still say category 1 until the next printing.

Day 13

Wadi Rum to Aqaba Stage 12 of 12

Leave Rum Village and begin a demanding slog through sandy jeep tracks, or if you’ve stayed in a Bedouin tent outside of Rum Village, have your hosts return you to the track. Approximately ~10km south of the village, the tracks turn west. While the route is still sandy and may require you to push your bike, the surface becomes slightly more challenging. Once you reach Titan — a village that once belonged to Saudi Arabia — you’ve more or less completed your trip. From here, it’s all downhill to Aqaba — you can coast most of the way down to the Red Sea!

PHYSICAL CHALLENGE: 4 out of 5
(2 out of 5 if you skip the first 10km south of Wadi Rum)

DISTANCE: 70.5 km
APPROX. RIDING TIME: 5.5 – 7 h
Only moving time on your bike. Make sure to plan time for breaks, sightseeing, and other stops!
ELEVATION GAIN: +336 m
ELEVATION LOSS: -1284 m
PAVED: 37 km (52 %)
UNPAVED: 34 km (50 %)
MAX. GRADE: 6 %
AVG. GRADE: -1 %

Day 14

Aqaba hotel - Dead Sea - Dead Sea overnight

Depart from the hotel

Without a doubt the world's most amazing place, the Jordan Rift Valley is a dramatic, beautiful landscape, which at the Dead Sea is over 400m (1,312 ft.) below sea level. The lowest point on the face of the Earth, this vast stretch of water receives several incoming rivers, including the River Jordan. Once the waters reach the Dead Sea, they are landlocked and have nowhere to go. Hence they evaporate, leaving behind a dense, rich cocktail of salts and minerals that supply industry, agriculture, and medicine with some of its finest products.
One of the world's most spectacular natural and spiritual landscapes, the Jordanian east coast of the Dead Sea has evolved into a major hub of both religious and health & wellness tourism in the region.
The leading attraction at the Dead Sea is the warm, soothing, super salty water, some ten times saltier than seawater and rich in chloride salts of magnesium, sodium, potassium, bromine, and several others. The unusually warm, incredibly buoyant, and mineral-rich waters have attracted visitors since ancient times, including King Herod the Great and the beautiful Egyptian Queen Cleopatra. All of whom have luxuriated in the Dead Sea's rich, black, stimulating mud and floated effortlessly on their backs while soaking up the water's healthy minerals along with the gently diffused rays of the Jordanian sun.

Overnight at the lowest point on Earth.

  • Meet and assist upon arrival and departure
  • Free Jordan entry visa, full passport details required in advance
  • Transfers and excursions in modern deluxe A/C tourist vehicles as per itinerary
  • Professional cycling English-speaking guide
  • Support vehicle during the tour
  • High-quality safety helmets (if needed)
  • VAT tax and service charges in the hotels
  • Accommodation in the below-mentioned hotels or the same category, including breakfast daily
  • Historical licensed escorting guide (obligatory for groups of 5 Pax and more for supplement USD  per group)
  • Extra meals and beverages
  • Any personal expenses
  • Bicycles Brand Scott Sub Cross 30 (supplement USD) 
  • Spare Parts
  • Tips and portages of all kinds
  • Hotels Single Suplement USD
  1. Helene van Harten:

    We were eager to cycle the Jordan Bike Trail at the end of 2022 and were asking Cycling Jordan if we could rent good mountainbikes for tall persons. We asked advice for organising luggage transfers and support during our trip. We were offered scott mountainbikes and a support truck with care for the bikes during the trip. It was wonderful support by Sari. On our way up to Um Qais we were able to visit Jerash. And then cycling Jordan Bike Trail started. The climbing is tough, but the views are so beautiful. It is wel worth it. You experience the changing landscape from north to south and you meet the friendly people. Sometimes we were invited for tea and our guide Sari translated so that we could talk with our hosts. The roads are sometimes muddy and so were our bikes. But the next day they were cleaned and shining. When we had a flat tyre the support truck was there in no time and the wheel was exchanged for a new one. Every now and then we were cycling without finding a shop or a restaurant and Sari went off to bring us a nice lunch. Often Sari offered some nice snacks to us when he met us during the day. Our guide Sari knows everything of the Jordan Bike Trail and clearly loves his bikes and cycling. When the clouds were very low and we had no views at all, he offered to bring us a bit lower and knew a nice alternative route in the sunshine. Every now and then he adviced us to some good spots for lunch. He was always willing to bring us to our accomodation and return us the next day to the spot where we quitted. We added 2 days to the 14 day program offered here ta have a rest day in Madaba and a rest day in Petra to see the cultural sights there. Our guide Sari felt as family to us during our trip and he made our Jordan Bike Trail experience to a great succes. We recommend every one to discuss your cycling plans for Jordan with Cycling Jordan.

    • Sari husseini:

      Dear Helene,

      Thank you so much for your kind words and the wonderful review of your Jordan Bike Trail experience with Cycling Jordan. I’m thrilled to know that you had a fantastic time and enjoyed the support and services provided during your trip.

      I’m glad you found the Scott mountain bikes suitable for tall persons and that the support truck and bike care were helpful throughout the journey. It sounds like you had a memorable experience, exploring the changing landscape, meeting friendly people, and enjoying the beautiful views along the trail.

      I’m delighted to hear that I could assist you during the trip, whether it was providing translation help, arranging lunches, or suggesting good spots for breaks. It was a pleasure to be your guide, and your feedback means a lot to me.

      I’m glad you had the opportunity to extend your trip with rest days in Madaba and Petra to explore the cultural sights. Jordan has so much to offer, and it’s wonderful to hear that you made the most of your time there.

      Thank you for recommending Cycling Jordan to others. It was a pleasure to have you as guests, and I hope to welcome you back for more cycling adventures in the future. If you ever plan another trip, don’t hesitate to reach out.

      Best wishes to you and Nico, and happy cycling!
      Sari

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