Wadi Feid, Jordan, summer 2010

[Don]

Agreed. Great trip report! I'm envious.

[DaneDane]

Yeah, good grief--THAT's a trip.

[Iceaxe]

Nice Pics

[boxbarr]

Great TR and photos and fantastic timing to post it. I'm in the middle of planning a short trip over Christmas break to Jordan and Egypt! I've been studying the canyons there but I think the weather will make technical canyoneering not feasible? Instead I'm thinking of some trekking or rock scrambling. We'll probably make use of a guiding service to maximize our time. Can I PM/email you with some more questions?

Winter is mild in our area, and there are good canyons without perennial stream, so it is possible to do technical canyoneering even in winter (and even without wetsuits). Plus, there are some canyons with hot water that we reserve specially for winter. Needless to say, in any canyon, simple or technical, you must be alert for flashfloods, they can happen even if the sky is sunny above you, so you must check the weather a day before.

Trekking and scrambling outside of canyons is possible, but we know of good places only in the Wadi Ram area (I'm sorry to say that the rule of thumb in Jordan is that if the place is negotiable, it will be full of litter - BBQ leftovers or just garbage).

Anyway, Wadi Ram area (between Aqaba and Petra) is a marvelous reservation with some of the best rock formation in the world, and there is a lot of technical trekking and scrambling to do there (as well as climbing - it is considered to be one of the best sandstone natural climbing sites in the world). Over there you can also find many local operators who organize guided tours, meals, and places to sleep in the middle of the red dessert. The only problem is that it can be quite chilly over there in winter - the valley is about 1,000m (3,300 ft) above see level, and Djable (Mount) Ram is app. 1,700m (5,600ft).

Off course you can email us with more questions (our direct email is boxbarr@gmail.com).