Jordan: Petra and Wadi Rum trekking recommendations?

[Tryingtobegreenfingered]

Hi, I’m thinking of doing Jordan Petra/Wadi Rum trek in October this year. Just my husband and I.

Any recommendations of companies or experiences that people recommend? Happy to tough it/walk fair distances.

Thanks!

We had a package from discoverjordan.co.uk , & can thoroughly recommend them.
I believe they also arrange tailor-made tours.

My partner and I want to go to Jordan but right now booking anything isn't an option as today Iran has dropped bombs on Jordan, Kuwait, Bahrain, Oman and UAE. They won't be operating commercial passenger flights to Jordan whilst all this war still.goes on in the middle east.

Thanks! @oncemoreuntothebeachdearfriends Ill look at that website, sounds great.

@FlyingCatGirl bad news about the bombing. I’m going to wait and see before booking. Flights are all still going as normal, I checked. I mean, earlier in the year Dubai flights were still going even when the airport itself was being attacked by drones. So I’m not sure where you got “no commercial flights will be operating” from?

Foreign office advice is the key thing I think and it’s waiting to be updated. Also good travel insurance.

Good luck with getting there at some point.

Thanks! @oncemoreuntothebeachdearfriends Ill look at that website, sounds great.

@FlyingCatGirl bad news about the bombing. I’m going to wait and see before booking. Flights are all still going as normal, I checked. I mean, earlier in the year Dubai flights were still going even when the airport itself was being attacked by drones. So I’m not sure where you got “no commercial flights will be operating” from?

Foreign office advice is the key thing I think and it’s waiting to be updated. Also good travel insurance.

Good luck with getting there at some point.

I wouldn't even consider it at the moment...
But if I was, I'd go with Exodus Travels, I have done several hiking trips with them and can recommend.

There has been no direct flights from the UK since the war broke out in the middle east because certainly no UK based carriers are interested in flying commercial flights to where there's bombs dropping! Yes you could go indirectly as it stands although for how long who knows but it would be a foolish thing to do! The FCO have now updated that all travel to Jordan is now advised against.

The middle east is no no until this war stops, you don't want to be that tourist that persists in trying to go out there and ends up trapped out theree for many weeks whilst airspaces end up shut and flight routes cancelled.

It has frustrating, we've also wanted to go to Kyiv and Chernobyl for a few years but Putin won't back off and leave the Ukraine alone either!

Just to add that airports will not operate leisure flights whilst they are being bombed! Places like Dubai and Qatar had closed airspace for ages, I watched YouTubers who were trapped in these places who were absolutely crapping themselves, people were trapped all over Asia and Australia because their flights home via Dubai went up the swanny.

We stayed in a camp called Beit Ali in Wadi Rum and it was really wonderful, they arrange treks and the like in the surrounding desert. Petra you don’t really need a ’guide’, it’s a set route.

Jordan was really magical and easy to navigate. I have been a few times with my two young DC.

As to flights, I live in the region and people were trapped in the UAE only for a short time, there was a lot of drama from influencers. By a week in anyone who wanted to leave could have done. We also went to Jordan during the conflict - albeit there was no active bombing from the US/Iran that week.

I have also taken several direct flights between London and the UAE in this time period. Things are operating as normal …

We did it ourselves a couple of years ago. Hired a car and it was really easy to get around. People were amazing. Petra is quite a lot of walking so comfy boots are a must!

We used discover Jordan as well. Can't fault them. Petra is huge. You could tour it for a week and barely see it all. Comfy boots and a camelbak are useful. Its a beautiful country with friendly people.

I haven't said that UAE airdoave didn't reopen but bombs have been dropping again so airspaces staying open is not a given! There are direct flights to Jordan. Don't confuse issues!

@FlyingCatGirl The Foreign Office are not advising against all travel to Jordan, only within 3km of Syrian border.

www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/jordan

And I think bringing the Ukraine and Kyiv into it is a bit OTT

Yes but people had to leave some places by land transport, Gabriel Traveller is neither an influencer or a dramaticist and he was stuck in Qatar for some time when the war broke out and he could see and hear missiles at night being intercepted, I watched that guy being in genuine fear and losing weight because he was that scared and stressed. He booked countless flights that all got cancelled because DOHA airport had to stay closed for so long. He got out via road transport in the end!

I was on a Sri Lanka Facebook group at tjdbtoje because I'd not long since comeback from a trip there, the amount of people trapped in places like Sri Lanka for weeks and unable to get home because the connection hubs in the middle east were shut! This wasn't something that just lasted a week! People were stuck in places like Sri Lanka for weeks - you can trivialise it as a safe, tiny little war that barely lasted a week but you'd be lying because it's still happening! Bombs are still dropping, airspaces can still shut at a moments notice! And when those airspaces have been shut a week it causes flight chaos for weeks after because huge numbers of people are displaced and stranded and nobody can get on alternative flights because they were all full and of course some airlines were profiteering and charged silly money for fares. Nobody should be flying to war zones or trying to use war zones as connecting hubs for the sake of holiday, it's massively foolish and will result in insurances being invalid. If people have to get back home to get pets picked up from kennels / cattery, get cars out of airport parking, get back to work, get kids back to school then you don't risk flying to or via the middle east right now!

@ToastandPearJam thanks, I’ll look into that. I was planning to fly Royal Jordanian as I thought they’d be more reliable. They fly into Paris.

This is the tour I was thinking of doing

I’ve not been to Jordan but used this company for another trip and would consider them again https://www.muchbetteradventures.com/explore/jordan/