Jordan Desert to Dead Sea Cycling

Madaba · Jordan

Challenging10 daysAsia~£900 est.

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Overview

The King's Highway is three thousand years of history laid onto tarmac, and by bicycle you feel every metre of its geography. From Madaba's Byzantine mosaic map the road rolls south across a sequence of colossal wadis, none more dramatic than Wadi Mujib - Jordan's Grand Canyon - where you lose and regain a vertical kilometre in one sweltering afternoon. Crusader castles at Kerak and Shobak break up the climbing; then comes Petra, where you walk the bike-free Siq at dawn as the Treasury ignites in reflected pink light. The route's coda drops through Wadi Rum's red sandstone desert for a night at a Bedouin camp under a preposterous sky, before the final surreal freewheel to the Dead Sea at 430 metres below sea level - the lowest road finish on Earth. Spring (March-April) and autumn (October-November) dodge both the heat and the winter squalls; even then carry four-plus litres and start the big climbs at first light. Traffic is light on the King's Highway itself, though Jordanian drivers are enthusiastic - a mirror helps. Buy the Jordan Pass before arrival to bundle the visa with Petra entry. Ten days with guesthouses, the Wadi Rum camp and food runs about £900 excluding flights to Amman.