Horseback riding in the heart of Jordan - New Year's Eve Special
In summary
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Sports
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Duration10 days
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LevelAdvance
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DestinationMiddle East / Jordan
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AgeFrom the age of 18
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CO₂-Emissions216.11 kg CO2
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Type of stayIn a group
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Languages
English
In a few words
Welcome to Jordan , a jewel of the Middle East with contrasting landscapes and a history spanning millennia. This journey takes you to the heart of Wadi Rum for an immersive horseback trek through a desert ablaze with vibrant colors, guided by passionate Bedouins . The experience alternates between galloping across red sand dunes , camping under the stars, and moments of contemplation amidst breathtaking natural scenery. You will also discover the country's iconic sites: Petra , a masterpiece carved into the rock; Jerash , an ancient city with remarkable Roman ruins; the Dead Sea , whose salty waters offer an unforgettable floating experience; and the Red Sea , perfect for relaxing on its sun-drenched beaches. Each stage of this journey blends adventure , culture , and encounters for a complete immersion in the Jordanian soul.
The highlights
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Horseback riding in the Wadi Rum desert (trekking option for non-riders)
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Meet and share with the Bedouins
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Visiting the treasures of Jordan: Jerash, Dead Sea, Petra, Red Sea
Photos
Sport
Level
Horseback riding
The expert's opinion
This horseback riding trip in Jordan is suitable for intermediate or advanced riders, comfortable at all three gaits in outdoor riding.
Even though the terrain presents no particular difficulty, we ask riders to have perfect mastery of the 3 gaits outdoors in order to be able to fully enjoy, when the terrain allows, long trots and good canters.
Children, from 10 years old, accompanied by adults can participate in this horse trek in Jordan if they have the ability to handle a horse outdoors (even if we assign them the most docile ones) and have a minimum level of gallop 4.
For occasional riders, a short refresher course is recommended before departure.
In figures
Horseback riding
- Average duration/day: 5h
Management
A lover of the desert, your Bedouin guide will be eager to share all its secrets with you. With his excellent riding skills and perfect knowledge of the terrain, he will adapt the pace and route of the horseback trek to suit the group's level and the weather conditions.
Program
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Flight to Jordan
- Accommodation 3-star hotel
- Breakfast not included
- Lunch not included
- Dinner included
Arrival in Jordan, welcome at Queen Alia Airport in the evening and transfer to a 3-star hotel in Amman. Dinner (depending on your arrival time) and overnight stay at the hotel.
Day 1 -
Visit to Amman's Old City - Dead Sea
- Accommodation 3-star hotel
- Breakfast included
- Lunch included
- Dinner included
Breakfast followed by departure for an optional guided tour (payable locally) of Amman's historic Old City. The former capital of the Iron Age Kingdom of Ammon, it has successively been a Hellenistic, Roman, and Byzantine city, then the heart of the Umayyad province of Al-Balqa, an abandoned field of ruins, and a late 19th-century Ottoman village. Today, it is the capital of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. We will pass through:
- The Roman theatre: one of the most important ruins to visit dating from the mid-2nd century, which accommodated more than 6,000 seats arranged in concentric tiers.
- The Jabal al-Qal'a Citadel: a witness to Amman's rich past, the citadel is now an essential visit during a stay in the capital of Jordan.
Transfer and arrival at the Dead Sea for a large buffet lunch on the beach (or inside the restaurant, depending on the season and weather) and a relaxing swim in its salt waters. Departure for Petra in the afternoon. Dinner and overnight stay in a 3-star hotel with a beautiful view of the valley and the legendary site of Petra.
Day 2 -
Discovering Petra - Wadi Rum
- Accommodation Bivouac / Tent
- Breakfast included
- Lunch included
- Dinner included
Explore Petra with an English-speaking guide (for 2 hours) who will explain the history of this capital city from which the Nabataeans controlled the trade of frankincense, spices, and silk throughout the Arabian Peninsula. Lunch is on your own, followed by the rest of the visit at your leisure.
Mid-afternoon transfer to the Wadi Rum desert. First night in the Wadi Rum desert.Day 3 -
Horseback riding in the Wadi Rum desert
- Activity Horseback riding
- Duration of the activity 5h
- Accommodation Bivouac / Tent
- Breakfast included
- Lunch included
- Dinner included
Breakfast at the camp, followed by a short 4x4 transfer to the village stables where our fellow travelers await. We begin our horseback trek in Jordan towards the majestic Jebel Khazali massif, at a leisurely pace to allow us to get acquainted with the horses. Lunch will be served in Um Sabatah, the "Red Canyon," where we can admire the panoramic views of this desert of sand and rock in vibrant colors. We'll then cross the Um Sabatah Valley, a lunar landscape of vast sand dunes, until we reach Um Khathah, where the camp and hot tea await the riders for an evening with the Bedouins.
Day 4 -
Horseback riding in the Wadi Rum desert
- Activity Horseback riding
- Duration of the activity 5h
- Accommodation Bivouac / Tent
- Breakfast included
- Lunch included
- Dinner included
After a hearty breakfast, we set off on horseback through the ochre and pink valleys of Um Kathah and Wadi Sabbat. Lunch in Al-Thatha offers excellent opportunities for walks and short climbs, providing a higher vantage point to discover the vastness of the Jordanian desert. In the afternoon, we ride through the Wadi Nugrah valley to Al Slebat, where we camp for the night.
Day 5 -
Horseback riding in the Wadi Rum desert
- Activity Horseback riding
- Duration of the activity 5h
- Accommodation Bivouac / Tent
- Breakfast included
- Lunch included
- Dinner included
Our horseback riding trek in Jordan takes us through the vast valleys of Wadi Nugrah. A short climb on horseback leads to the Bedouin water reservoirs, where the view of the desert is breathtaking! Lunchtime offers a chance to marvel at the desert's myriad colors, a striking contrast of white, red, and green. The afternoon holds even more surprises and breathtaking panoramas, from the Um Fruth bridge to the Abu Kasbah canyon. A beautiful day concludes with a delicious dinner around a campfire and a night under the stars.
Day 6 -
Horseback riding in the Wadi Rum desert
- Activity Horseback riding
- Duration of the activity 5h
- Accommodation Bivouac / Tent
- Breakfast included
- Lunch included
- Dinner included
Emerging from the Abu Kasbah canyon, we reach the impressive natural arch of Burdah. Our horseback trek in Jordan continues towards the Ashkiek mountains, where a landscape of white sand invites us to enjoy a good trot and canter. We have lunch on the "little rocks" of Htepat Al Fla and then ride to Um Mzelga, where we camp for the night.
Day 7 -
Horseback riding in the Wadi Rum desert
- Activity Horseback riding
- Duration of the activity 5h
- Accommodation Bivouac / Tent
- Breakfast included
- Lunch included
- Dinner included
We ascend the Um Zelgah dunes on horseback, passing the famous house of Lawrence of Arabia, originally used by tribes to trade with Saudi Arabia and Syria. We discover the astonishing Nabataean inscriptions of Anfashieh and continue our horseback trek in Jordan towards the Barrah Canyon, with its towering red cliffs, a favorite among climbers. In the afternoon, we enjoy exhilarating gallops across the red sand dunes before arriving at the Um Ishrin Canyon, with its striking natural pillars reaching for the sky. We set up camp in the canyon for our final night under the stars of the Jordanian desert.
Day 8 -
Horseback riding in the Wadi Rum desert
- Activity Horseback riding
- Duration of the activity 4h
- Accommodation 3-star hotel
- Breakfast included
- Lunch included
- Dinner included
The riders leave the Um Ishrin Valley, passing near the famous "Seven Pillars of Wisdom," mountains made famous by Lawrence of Arabia. Lunch is enjoyed in this stunning setting, followed by a return, in the mid-afternoon, to the Wadi Rum stables, where we leave our horses to rest. Our horseback riding tour in Jordan concludes in the village of Wadi Rum.
Transfer to your 3* hotel in Madaba, a typical small town in Jordan (approximately 3.5 to 4 hours journey).
Dinner and overnight stay in a 3* hotel.
Day 9 -
Return to Europe
- Breakfast included
- Lunch not included
- Dinner not included
Transfer to Amman airport – approximately 45 minutes (Jordanian authorities require you to arrive at Amman airport 3 hours before departure). Return flight. End of trip.
Day 10
Note
Your luggage is transported daily and you will find it every evening.
Accommodation
Days 4 to 8: Wadi Rum bivouac
In the heart of the Wadi Rum desert, camping is an unforgettable experience, allowing you to fully immerse yourself in the desert atmosphere. Silence, the majesty of the rocks beneath the Milky Way... At sunrise and sunset, the landscapes take on an extraordinary dimension, revealing even more the brilliance of the red and gold colors of this desert.
The bivouacs are set up by the support team, which chooses locations sheltered from the wind, in canyons or along the rocks.
A support vehicle transports all the equipment and your luggage each day.
Everything is done to ensure you are as comfortable as possible: igloo tent, mattresses, extra blankets and water containers that can be heated for washing.
The meals are prepared by the team's cook using fresh produce, taking care to vary the dishes to let you taste Bedouin specialties.
Bedouin cuisine is somewhat different from Jordanian cuisine, being heavily inspired by neighboring countries (Lebanon and Turkey), and meals are often presented in the form of mezze composed of several dishes such as hummus, eggplant caviar, tabbouleh, etc., accompanied by pita bread.
Mediterranean vegetables play a major role in the preparation of local dishes, and the meat is primarily mutton, lamb, or chicken.
In the desert, you will enjoy the Bedouin cuisine, tasty and balanced, accompanied by the essential "Bedouin whisky", a sweet black tea sometimes with added herbs.
A true social link, you will be offered it all the time and even in the middle of the desert, the teapot is always within reach!
Access
Go to the starting point
Transfer to Amman airport - approximately 45 minutes journey (Jordanian authorities require you to be at Amman airport 3 hours before departure).
Price details
The price includes
- Application fee (from age 12): €15 per person
- Horseback riding as described in the program
- Transfers throughout the stay
- Overnight stays in accommodations based on 2 people occupancy
- Full board (except for lunch at your leisure in Petra) excluding drinks at the hotels
- Mineral water and soft drinks during the horseback riding trip in the desert
- Access to the Dead Sea beach
- Entrance and guided tour to Petra
- The entrance ticket to the Visitors' Center at Wadi Rum
- Luggage transport every day
- The Jordan entry visa (normally costing 40 JOD per person) - FREE FOR DEPARTURES IN 2026
- The financial guarantee of deposited funds
The price does not include
- Air transport (included upon request)
- Drinks at hotels, except during the desert trek
- Lunch in Petra (restaurant on site or packed lunch)
- Tips and personal expenses
- Optional visits and extensions
- The single room/tent supplement (mandatory for solo bookings, refunded if the room/tent is shared) is €175 per person throughout the year - €225 per person during the Christmas/New Year period.
- The small group supplement applies to groups of fewer than 3 riders and is €70 per person.
- FFE rider's license: annual insurance: €50 / "Green" card valid for 30 days: €15 (to be requested when booking)
- Individual travel insurance for the rider
Options
- Flex fare and insurance
Practical information
Specific formalities
Specifics
Before your departure, check with the embassy or consulate regarding the entry and stay requirements for your destination country. You can also find this information on the France Diplomatie website ( https://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/fr/dossiers-pays/ ).
In the case of flights with stopovers operated by different airlines, also check the entry requirements of the countries you are transiting through.
It is your responsibility to ensure you are in compliance, particularly regarding the validity of your identity documents (for example, some countries require your passport to be valid for at least six months after your return) , visa requirements, necessary vaccinations, and health recommendations. And don't forget to consider any customs restrictions and other potential requirements of your destination or transit country.
ℹ️ Information may change up to the departure date, remember to regularly check official websites.
Equipment
Equipment provided on site
- Small foam mattresses and blankets for the 4 nights in the desert
- Horse riding helmet (we recommend bringing your own for greater comfort)
Equipment to bring
- Riding trousers
- Mini-chaps
- Comfortable shoes are essential for both riding and walking, especially if you fancy a bit of climbing during your lunch break. (Wearing a helmet is not mandatory but highly recommended.)
Although Jordan is a country accustomed to tourism, respect for the Muslim religion requires "decent" attire: no shorts or low-cut t-shirts.
Choose your equipment and clothing according to the season, without forgetting the essentials:
- Waterproof windbreaker: thunderstorms can still occur at the end of spring
- Helmet or riding hat: not mandatory but strongly recommended
- Good shoes for walking in Petra and Wadi Rum
- A scarf or cheche to protect oneself from the sand if it's windy
- Pair of good quality sunglasses
- Headlamp or flashlight
- Toiletries: choose biodegradable products if possible
- Bath towels: some types dry quickly.
- Toilet paper and a lighter to burn it
- Small bags for your rubbish
- Spare batteries (the team goes to the village daily for shopping and water and can recharge your batteries if necessary)
For nights in Wadi Rum, take into account the strong temperature range of the desert where, even in summer, nights can be cool.
Choose a sleeping bag that is suitable for the season and your sensitivity to the cold:
- From November to February: extreme cold weather sleeping bag (-5°C)
- Other periods: normal sleeping bag from 0°C to -5°C
You can easily gain a few degrees by adding a silk bag, which is compact and very warm.
Clothing to bring
- Waterproof windbreaker: thunderstorms can still occur at the end of spring
- Helmet or riding hat: not mandatory but strongly recommended
- Good shoes for walking in Petra and Wadi Rum
- A scarf or cheche to protect oneself from the sand if it's windy
The Phoebe, Audrey et Marjolaine team
Led by a team of five horse and adventure enthusiasts, our local expert specializes in ethical equestrian tourism. Committed to developing travel that respects local communities, he forges lasting relationships with partners worldwide. His on-the-ground expertise, equestrian know-how, and technical versatility allow him to offer immersive itineraries, meticulously designed with high standards and authenticity, in a friendly and committed atmosphere.
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