Petra & Wadi Rum By Bike

Our Clients’ Reviews

Here at Exodus we thrive on feedback from our customers. It's the only way we can ensure our trips continue to be the best they can be. So, for the real tales, twists and turns of the trip you're interested in, look no further than the reviews from our previous travellers. Any feedback collected (Good or bad) from Exodus clients is posted straight onto our website - totally unedited. Read more...

Average Review Rating: from 64 reviews.

Karen Murdoch

PETRA & WADI RUM BY BIKE

Written April 2013
I chose this trip (my first with Exodus) because I really wanted to see Petra. However, I also enjoy exercising and keeping fit, so the combination of cycling and sightseeing appealed greatly.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
1. My first sighting of The Treasury at Petra, awesome! 2. Swimming in The Dead Sea. 3. Spending a night in the Wadi Rum desert, very special indeed.
What did you think of your group leader?
Our group leader Khalid was personable, knowledgable and gave us more of his time than he was scheduled to do, I'm sure. He kept the group well informed at all times, arranged extra excursions with no problems, and generally entertained us all very well. I always felt safe and confident that we were being well looked after. Thanks to his efforts all seemed to run very smoothly.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Keep hydrated! It's fine to wear Lycra/tight cycling gear on the bikes. Our cycle guide was in Lycra every day.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
For me this one of my best holidays ever, it had just the right balance of physical activity on the bikes, and sightseeing, combined with some free time. Every minute was filled with adventures, the days flew by and never did I feel that time was being wasted. The way we were looked after whilst cycling was staggeringly good. Our group size was 19, we had a support team of 6 at all times including our guide, the coach driver, a tourism policeman, and a 3-strong bike support team. 2 vehicles escorted us as we cycled and when we stopped for breaks refreshments were always on hand which included juices, fresh fruit, healthy seed bars and other tasty morsels. A constant supply of bottled water was available which was fantastic. This tour was so well organised that all I had to do was turn up when asked to, and just enjoy myself! Finally, I met some lovely people, the group I travelled with were great fun and I made some new friends. It's the people who make the trip, our Jordanian hosts made us feel very welcome, a fantastic place to visit. I really hope it continues to be that way.
Stephen Harrison

PETRA & WADI RUM BY BIKE

Written April 2013
This trip was so well organised. Everything was like clockwork, leaving us to just turn up and have a great time. It is action packed, fast paced and so many activities and sights crammed in such a short time.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
The remote trek through the hills to get to look down at the Treasury in Petra, and the scenery in Wadi Rum is spectacular
What did you think of your group leader?
Khalid was our group leader, and it was because of him that the trip was so well organised and ran so smoothly. Nothing was too much trouble for him, and he posseses great knowledge of the history and culture of the region
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Khalid provided food snacks, lunches and drinks while we were on the road, including unlimited water. You have to pay, but it is well worth it. The cycling is not excessive, and the coach is always close by for people that might struggle with some of the hills
Is there anything else you would like to add?
We had a fantastic holiday, with a great group of people, and I would recommend it to everyone (PS...Steve wrote the review, not Barbara)
wil harvey

PETRA & WADI RUM BY BIKE

Written April 2013
Great group of like-minded people, good balance between cycling & sight-seeing, and very helpful and fun tour leader & support team
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
cycling down to Dead Sea
What did you think of your group leader?
Very good - consciencious, good sense of humour. Knew his stuff!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Only minor niggle was difficulty finding info/ contact for group visa before clearing immigration at Amman.
Hotels surprisingly good.
Gail Gunn

PETRA & WADI RUM BY BIKE

Written March 2013
I wanted a multi activity week to re-charge my soul and I wasn't disppointed.. Great cycling and walking in stunning scenery. Throw in the amazing experience of floating in the Dead Sea and gazing up to a magical star studded sky in the desert of Wadi Rum with a great bunch of like minded people. Wonderful.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
It was great to have completed the cycling without having to get in the bus! All the group were supportive and eveven though there were different levels of cyclists it didn't feel too competitive - everyone wanted to take time to smell the flowers so to speak,
Petra was truly stunning and seeing the Treasury fromr a high up vantage point with just three of the group and the guide Zahaire was a fabulous memory,
What did you think of your group leader?
Zahaire was great - very knowledgeabe and likeable.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Have fun and savour it all . A trip to awake all your senses, Reasd the trip notes before you go. Also do sleep out under the stars, all you need is a decent sleeping bag and perhaps a hat!
Is there anything else you would like to add?
A fun trip I can fully recommend, A moderate amount of fitness is required but I m a woman in my fifties. Don't book that cruise - this is not just a holiday it is an adventure and we should never stop having them no matter what age!
Paul Holden

PETRA & WADI RUM BY BIKE

Written February 2013
Great trip through such an amazing country, packed into an area filled with thousands of years of history. The sights, smells and sounds were amazing, Jordan is a gem of a place to visit. The cycling element was equally great, I don't know if I'll ever forget cycling down from Mt. Nebo in the warm sun, whizzing around hairpins and check points.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Standing on top of Mt. Nebo, and looking out over the valley of the River Jordan, an area with thousands of years of history. In the far distance one can make out Jerusalem, and below it Jericho. I'd only heard of Wadi Rum and Petra before embarking on the trip, but found Jerash to be mind blowing. So much well preserved, and you can almost imagine life back in Roman times.
What did you think of your group leader?
Khalid was great, funny, witty and well informed. He can also just about ride a bike.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
February can be cold, apart from the Red Sea/Dead Sea. I wore long sleeve quick wick fabric t-shirts for most of the riding, and a wind-proof raincoat for most of the rest of the time. The desert was bitterly cold around sunset, and you will need a torch, preferably a head torch. Most hotel rooms had British and European plug sockets and free wifi in the rooms or reception areas. There were all ages on the trip, from mid 20s up to 70s. Apart from a few hills, everyone completed all the cycling with no accidents. You're heavily advised to wear a helmet, but I hate them and signed a piece of paper to the effect I absolve the tour company of any liability due to absence of helmet. So you have the option.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
The bikes rented were mountain bikes with knobbly tyres, not so sure these were the best, as they slowed the bikes down. 95% of the cycling can easily be done on a normal road bike, and even slick tyres would have improved things on the bikes. One of the descents on the longest days riding had a poor surface, but a decent rider could easily survive on a road bike. The longest day has a few small hills and one killer one, about a mile of uphill. The hill back from Little Petra up through the town is also a challenge. People say you need 2 days for Petra, I guess if you wish to see every single tomb, but I found 1 day was more than enough. I was a bit disappointed by the Wadi Rum experience, it seemed we drove around the same small area a number of times, without really delving deeper into the area. I guess you can't do everything, but If I was to change the trip, I'd have one day in Petra and 2 full days in Wadi Rum. Bring earplugs if you're a light sleeper in Wadi Rum, because of the cats meowing all night, yes, cats!
John Williams

PETRA & WADI RUM BY BIKE

Written February 2013
My first ever organised tour of any kind (at 61yrs old) I thoroghly enjoyed it. A good mix of people who got on well so that was lucky and good for all of us. Always wanted to see Petra and knew little of the other regional visits which were also interesting, Roman city of Jerash, Dead sea resort, the Red sea at Aquaba (never done snorkling on a coral reef, brill) and a camp site at Wadi rum all very different.
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
Petra was clearly the highlight of my tour and I can now see it was very easy to spend two days in and aroud the area walking, and a little cycling.
Long periods of cycling down hill, prepare your hands for braking!
What did you think of your group leader?
Danny was very good at communicating and organising us. He repeated most of the basic information enough times to ensure we knew what was going on, where and when we should be at all critical times.
During the guided tours he gave us plenty of the regional history but never too much. For me he judged it well.
I'd like more options on the last night, in Amman, one of our group said it was beautiful and she was the only one that saw it!
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
Read the trip notes.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
Trip notes were good but having completed the week there are a few bits I was less clear about and a little to add that could be useful.
My observation: People (who are not regular cyclists) with moderate fitness were challenged by the cycling whereas people who are moderate cyclists found it, umm Moderate! I think those less used to cycling did surprise themselves, They cycled over 200km in a week, and thats great!
For difficult hills, both up and down, the coach and bike support van was alway nearby to help with a short or long lift.
The bussing between venues was more significant than I realised. The cycling routes seemed to be chosen not so much for getting from one venue to another but the pleasure of the route. This is fine by me, I just didn't realise.
Additional talk on cycling for novices: there were a few in our group and our guide said our group was normal so I'd guess it could happen a lot. The talk to include additional bike info like; best saddle height, rear wheel braking down hill, how to change gear, choice of gears, and in all these cases why! Cycle support to give ongoing advice, ie keep adjusting saddle, watching for gear changing problems, esp on hills.
Anna Fairhurst

PETRA & WADI RUM BY BIKE

Written February 2013
We had a wonderful time. A great mixture of sightseeing and cycling, including some amazing rides and archaelogical sites which really should be better known (Jerash in particular).
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What was the most inspirational moment of your trip?
I never thought I'd say it (not being the world's most confident cyclist), but the long bike ride through desert mountains with just the odd Bedouin, camel or goat for company. I also loved swimming in the Dead Sea and camping in the Wadi Rum, with a camel ride as a contrast to the cycling - true wilderness. However, my real highlight was when Khaled, our wonderful guide, took us to have dinner in a cave in Petra with Bedouin friends of his who had lived there for generations: not on the itinerary but not a surprise given everyone's friendliness and his huge knowledge.
What did you think of your group leader?
Khaled was fantastic. He had a vast knowledge of the archaelogical sites and everything about the country. He was friendly and more than able to cope with any awkwardnesses in the group. Whenever anyone needed anything, he sorted it out, and I was really sorry to say goodbye. We also had the support of a team of three cyclists, who made sure the bikes were safe, fixed any little problems and even offered lifts to those who preferred to avoid the steep uphills. One of them, Fahad, had a permanent grin on his face and had us dancing to Jordanian pop music every time we stopped for a break.
Do you have any advice for potential travellers?
February is not cold in Jordan! We were kitted out with all our woollies, which were useful for the night in the Wadi Rum but useless otherwise. We really missed having summer cycling gloves, suncream and sunglasses. Most of the time we were cycling in shorts and T-shirts during the day, though jumpers were needed at night.
The bikes are heavy but felt very safe on the unfamiliar roads. I didn't regret not bringing my own bike, especially as the team sorted out any problems. Next time I would probably bring my SPD pedals and my own saddle, though.
Is there anything else you would like to add?
A marvellous complete break which left me feeling totally refreshed. I'm detemined to go on another Exodus cycling holiday as soon as I've saved up enough!