There will be exposed grade 1 scrambling. You will need a head for heights.

There will be a UK Mountain Leader and a local Bedouin guide making sure everyone is kept safe. The group will help each other to overcome tricky sections. Scrambling is a really good team effort.

The Bedouins are the inhabitants of Wadi Rum. Many are still semi-nomadic and possibly the most traditional of all the Jordanian tribes as they claim to descend from the time of Christ.

The Bedouins are a very friendly people and if you are straight and open with them and respect their customs you are welcomed as one of the family. At all times avoid appearing to them as a camera clicking tourist. Never take photographs of women or approach women in a group or in the privacy of their camp.

You may be invited to take tea with them, my advice is always accept, this is a real treat and should not be missed.

If offered food always accept it and eat with your right hand. If invited into someone’s home always take your shoes off before entering. This may not be required when entering a tent if the floor is just sand.

Holding hands and public displays of affection between men and women are disliked by the local people.

Be patient, friendly and sensitive. The people will really warm to you if they can see you are aware of their traditions and ways of living. They also have a wicked sense of humour that comes out when they get to know you.

Two useful words in Arabic are Salamalaykum (Hello), Shokran (Thank you).

In October it will be around 25 C during the day and 10 C during the night. In February it will be cooler in the day at around 18 C and 5 C at night. The sun is strong so bring plenty of sun cream. Very soon after arrival you will be wearing the traditional Arabic head scarf it being the best thing to keep you cool.

You will be hiking and scrambling for between 6 and 8 hours a day.

You will be bivouacing. See below for details.

This means that we will be sleeping in the open with no tents. Our support crew will supply sleeping mats and transport your sleeping bag and extra clothing to the overnight location. A meal will be cooked and we will all help in making the camp comfortable and also collect firewood. There are no formal toilet facilities. This is a unique experience, looking up at the stars from your bed, the whole Milky Way on show, listening to the early morning birds and experiencing the true silence of the desert.

In Aqaba we stay in the Maswada Plaza Hotel, a clean modern three star hotel and in Petra  the Silk Road Hotel, a simple, friendly and conveniently located family run hotel.

Jordan feels a safe place to travel. This is because they have protected their borders very effectively. The security in Jordan is very evident and is reassuring. When travelling we will be passing through security checkpoints where our passports may be inspected so it is important to have your passport accessible at all times. We will also need our passport to enter into Petra. It is a good idea to have a photocopy of your passport stored away separately from your passport.

Yes, most of the group will be coming on their own, some may know each other from previous trips. By the end of the trip you will have made many new friends through sharing in an amazing adventure.

We like to keep the group quite small on this trip so no more than eleven plus the leader.

You will need insurance covering hiking in Jordan up to 2000 meters.

There are very few insects around when we are bivouacking. We may get a visit from a desert fox or a camel in the night which all adds to the experience. Sightings of snakes are extremely rare. We will see various lizards during the day but these are harmless. Check your shoes before putting them on in the morning though!

The Bedouins are a very traditional tribe.  Avoid wearing clothes that show off too much skin. In the desert loose lightweight clothes are preferable as opposed to skintight Lycra.

For UK nationals and many other nationalities a visa can be obtained free of charge on arrival at Aqaba airport. Please check on your particular visa requirement on line at www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/jordan/entry-requirements The foreign office section on Jordan has lots of interesting information on health, security, travel and customs.

We advise you bring 100 Jordanian Dinars(£115) from the UK. There are also cash machines in Aqaba and one in Petra.

The Bedouin food is simple but really tasty. Lots of chicken and lamb in tasty rice. Salads and flat bread are always served with each meal. A hot lunch in the shade of a tree or rock will be served when in the desert. You will not go hungry!

Vegetarians will get a tasty alternative. Please contact us before you book to check whether we can accommodate your particular requirement.

Jordan is a Muslim country so does not allow the consumption of alcohol. Having said that there are a number of hotels in Petra where alcohol is consumed. It’s not cheap though!

Details of inoculations can be found at: www.travelhealthpro.org.uk

A note on Yellow Fever: As we are not travelling from a country with Yellow Fever we do not need a Yellow Fever immunisation.

We will inform you when we have enough people signed up for the trip in order for it to run. The flight we recommend you book for this trip is the Easyjet flight from London Gatwick to Aqaba.

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