What GPS and map planning did you utilize on the trail?
We didn’t have a Garmin GPS, we just downloaded a free app called Gaia onto our phones and downloaded the JTA GPX files into that app. We bought huge powerbanks to make sure we never ran out of battery because the trail is impossible without a GPS. This app worked fine for us. We also made a guide with all of the JTA maps and instructions – see Resources.
We would have preferred a proper GPS device due to superior battery. Charging phones and power banks was another logistical headache at times.
Did you feel comfortable wild camping in Jordan? Were you worried about animals or other people in the area?
Sometimes. Wild camping is permitted all over the country (except in reserved areas like Wadi Rum) so you can pitch a tent literally anywhere. We used the JTA recommended sites as a guide but would end up camping somewhere else nearby that seemed more private, isolated, sheltered, etc. We would try to find places that weren’t near people because they aren’t used to campers and they would be very curious and come up and ask questions. This happened a lot and it was very annoying when we were falling asleep at 6/7pm and then people would come wake us up because they wanted to know what they were doing. We tried to find hidden spots if possible. Animals were never an issue (other than dogs barking all night) but we always kept our belongings/boots/food well-packed inside the tent just in case.
I’m a solo hiker and a woman. I know you had a partner with you, but how did you feel hiking as a woman on this trail?
[From Anna] I would not want to do the trail by myself, but not because I’m a woman or because I felt unsafe. Moreso because I think it would be really hard to keep going and keep pushing myself without somebody struggling with me! But the people were wonderful. Mostly everyone we met was incredibly kind, generous, selfless and respectful – the kindest people we have ever met anywhere. And we have met (through social media and email) other solo female hikers and they have loved it as much as we did.
I’m most worried about the heat and water, how did you prepare for your water?
We hiked in October and even then found it incredibly unbearably hot early on, we had to cut many days short because of the heat. We were drinking 5+ liters of water and still dehydrated. We met a Kiwi couple in Aqaba who had found a hiker collapsed from heat exhaustion and dehydration. He was a very fit and capable guy, just underestimated the difficulty of the hike in desert conditions, and it’s very likely he would have died if the couple hadn’t found him and called a helicopter to evacuate him to hospital. We don’t want to scare you, but we would definitely rethink doing the trail in summer.
How much water did you carry for when you didn’t cache? This will vary from person to person, but we carried about 4.5L (two 1.5L bottles on each side of the pack and 1.5L hydration bladder in the pack) and this was a good amount, although we needed more when it was insanely hot and/or no shade, so we filled up at springs whenever we came across them. But we wouldn’t really want to carry more than 6 liters due to the weight. The most we ever carried was 6.5 liters each and that was only for the last 3 days of the trail from Wadi Rum to Aqaba because there was nowhere to refill and we didn’t organise any caches (and we were all out of cash!). We didn’t drink as much water on the second half of the trail when the temperatures were a bit cooler but its better to be safe.
On one particularly hot day we each only had 3 liters for the day which we both nearly finished by around 11am. By chance we met some kind hunters from Madaba. They called us over and insisted we share their lunch as well as take some water which proved to be crucial for the long stretch that followed that day- we were extra careful with water planning after that!
From what I have seen the recommended time frame is about 36-45 days. Did you follow the breakdowns in the Jordan Trail website or did longer or shorter sections? I am used to hiking quite big days so some of the milage seems a little short to me. Would you say the terrain is quite difficult/steep/hard to navigate and that is why these distances are suggested?
We’re not experienced thru hikers – Patrick has done the 800km Camino de Santiago but that was a walk in the park compared to the JT. We have hiked a lot in New Zealand where we live, around 30km day hikes and many multi-day hikes. And we found Jordan much tougher. Most people we have encountered who have done the whole trail (mostly through social media) said the same. We were definitely not prepared for how difficult it was – it was partly due to the heat and no shade, not being used to drinking so much water, the sometimes very unstable, rocky terrain, and the constant need to look at your GPS to make sure you are going the right way. All of these things slowed us down so much. We were probably going at half to three-quarters the pace that we would hike in NZ. Most of it isn’t overly steep, there are a few bits (like the Three Wadis) that are pretty steep but it’s nothing too scary. Some steep bits are really rocky with unstable footing which was scary. We didn’t have hiking poles but that would have made it a lot easier. It’s not the steepness that’s so bad as much as it is the constantly undulating trail. I think there is only about 1 day on the entire trail that is a mostly flat leisurely lovely walk (Dana to Wadi Malaga). Everything else is up and down, up and down, and it is incredibly tiresome mentally.
We did the entire trail in 35 days, including 5 rest days. We took a rest day in 1) Amman after the end of Phase Two, where we dropped off a bunch of stuff that we realised we wouldn’t need (left it at a hotel to collect upon finishing the trail); 2) Karak after Phase Four, we actually took 2 rest days because we needed more time to plan and we were really enjoying the serenity of the Cairwan Hotel; 3) Petra (Wadi Musa city); and 4) Wadi Rum.
The rest days were so key for us, not so much because we physically felt like we needed the rest, but mentally! And we really needed that day to plan for the next section. We didn’t plan out the entire trail ahead of time; we took it section by section knowing that we would be able to plan in between. It made it seem less daunting. We combined a few of the days that seemed too short of a distance for us (as you’ll see in our guide), but otherwise, yes, we found it very difficult/steep/hard to navigate.
What gear did you take?
Our planning wasn’t from the comfort of New Zealand where we had all of our hiking stuff; our planning was from Georgia, Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan. Not exactly the kind of places where you’ll find an abundance of outdoor stores. We spent an entire day in Tbilisi just to find appropriate hiking boots. We both fell in love with the North Face Ultra Fastpack III Mid GTX so we got matching pairs – luckily the men’s and women’s were different colours. We tested them out on a four-day mountainous hike in Georgia and they passed – super lightweight and comfortable, and no break-in period. Aside from that, we got everything we needed once we arrived in Amman. We had read about a place called Treks in a suburb of Amman, where we hoped we would be able to get everything we needed. If not for Treks, we could not have done the trail. We couldn’t even have done the first day of the trail. We arrived at Treks a few days before starting the trail, and the guy at the shop looked at us as if we were absolutely insane. “You’re going to hike the JordanTrail with those bags?” We thought we could use our carry-on bags for the trail. He thought this was a joke.
We each hired a massive Teton Sports hiking pack, lightweight sleeping bag, sleeping mat, and we shared a tiny lightweight freestanding tent. We had a very basic first aid kit, minimal toiletries, a head torch, and some toilet paper. We packed a rain jacket, a lightweight puffer jacket, a spare shirt, spare pants, and spare undergarments. Camera, Kindles and power banks to charge our phones. Everything else was on our bodies: cap, t-shirt, pants, hiking boots. We didn’t buy hiking poles (didn’t think we’d need them) or a GPS device (too expensive). Instead we downloaded a free app called Gaia GPS on our phones.
What were the highlights for you along the trail?
How long do you have? We were enchanted by the diversity of the country, the history, and the pure wilderness: the star-studded nights, the lone camels, the ancient ruins, the magnificent wavy slot canyons, the immense, shifting sands of desert, and of course, Petra.
But it wasn’t the beauty of the landscape that made the trail so meaningful; the highlights were our experiences, our adventures.
The people. The lifestyle away from the screens, the noise and the distractions. But mainly the people.
Were there ever any times you felt scared or unsafe?
Only every time we got lost, every time our phone (aka GPS) batteries started to get low, every time our water got low, every time we encountered an especially aggressive teeth-baring mouth-frothing sheep dog, every steep descent, every noise we heard outside our tent, every time we had to walk in the dark.
One night, after a long long day where we combined 2 days of walking, we saw some strange shapes in the distance. We could hardly make them out in the dark, just four silhouetted lines. What is that? Oh of course: camels!!! We went a bit closer thinking they would move – they were right in our path in the narrow canyon – but they didn’t move. They let us pass and we continued on our way. They followed, so we walked a bit faster. They sped up as well. Anna was convinced it was fine – they’re just sweet camels. We continued on the path, they followed. We stopped, they stopped. We kept walking. This time they didn’t follow, so we thought we were ok. But then one camel went into a full sprint and ran right into Anna, almost knocking her to the ground. We are fairly sure it just wanted to play, but we stopped feeling so comfortable around enormous wild animals after that.
How did you find it physically?
We hiked for 8+ hours every day – every day for 30 days – with 20kg on our backs in a very hot desert climate with elevation changes from below sea level to 1200m. And unreliable water sources. It was hard. Very, very hard.
We’ve done some tough hikes in New Zealand, but in Jordan, everything was different. We couldn’t just put our heads down and trudge – we had to check the GPS continually, try to safely navigate the sharp, rocky terrain with loose footing, and watch out for heat exhaustion. We heard stories of other hikers needing to get evacuated by helicopter due to dehydration, heat exhaustion, and lack of water. On the first two treacherous days of the trail, we each drank 5L of water and didn’t need to go to the bathroom all day – that’s how much the heat dehydrated us.
What do you think are the biggest misconceptions about Jordan?
The first question our friends and family asked us when we said we were going to Jordan: “Is it safe?” The biggest misconception is that it isn’t safe for tourists and that it has the same issues as its neighbours. Jordan is a peaceful country, relatively progressive for the region and safe. Nearly everyone we met made us feel so welcome – the Jordanian people looked after us and seemed to make an extra effort to ensure we were enjoying Jordan and being treated well.
What do you think about Jordan?
It’s hard to explain in words – we’ve seen the good and the bad, the beautiful and the ugly. Our feelings about Jordan, as they would be about any country you get to know really well, are complex. But we will never forget the people. We will always remember Jordan for the daily acts of kindness from complete strangers.
Why was it a life-changing experience for you. Can you elaborate on why this is?
The trail has made our lives feel so much longer. We have changed. We learned how to deal with our emotions, how to try to be compassionate and remain calm in even the most trying circumstances. And we learned how to tolerate intense physical pain and just keep walking, no matter what. It was a constant challenge of endurance. Every day we wondered how we were going to keep going. But we didn’t have a choice. And while the lows were so low, the highs were so high. we’ve never felt such euphoria – absolute bliss and joy. So many rejuvenating moments – we call them ‘rejuvenators’ – whether the feeling of a cool breeze on our bare feet, a seat in the shade, the first swig of orange soda from a local minimarket, or a kind gesture from a stranger. The emotional roller coaster was intoxicating. We worry less about little things because even when everything goes wrong, it all works out. We learned how to be present and grateful – looking down at our feet and focusing on nothing beyond the next step, but also remembering to look up at the beauty that surrounded us.
Did you get the Jordan Pass? How many days did you visit Petra? Was it easy to extend your visa?
Well actually we didn’t get the Jordan Pass!! We didn’t know about it before we arrived in Amman – that’s how unprepared we were before we got to Jordan!! Highly recommended though, it’ll save you money and hassle.
We got the 3-day pass for Petra – first day was walking in through the back door from Little Petra, and then spent a day in Wadi Musa planning for the next section (and didn’t even bother going back in to Petra that day!) and then entered Petra again to continue onto the trail. Warning: we got held up by the ‘authorities’ getting back into Petra with our packs. We were delayed for a few hours because they insisted that it was illegal to bring camping gear into Petra, even though we explained that we weren’t camping inside Petra just walking through it. We had to get Bashir, the head of the JTA to call the head authority of Petra to let us through. The reason we didn’t go back into Petra on the second day was two-fold: a) we really thought we had gotten the best of it by going through the back door and spending a whole day exploring at our own pace through the less-visited spots and didn’t really feel like doing more sight-seeing in the super touristy areas near the entrance, and b) we needed that day to plan!
What were your favorite parts?
The hike after to Wadi Rum was amazing. It was unique, special, isolated and some of the best hiking we have ever done. We were in awe of the slot canyons, colorful rocks, long wadis, vast deserts.
The Three Wadi’s were also spectacular with the grand canyon like views.
We had many special days due to the interactions and friends we made.