Petra Desert Marathon & Half 2024

Adventure Extension – 4-7 September| 4 Days

Visit the vast and echoing Wadi Rum desert, also known as Valley of the Moon for a night under the stars at a Bedouin Camp. Over days 2 and 3, you will enjoy some hiking, beginning in the Dana Valley on the White Dome Trail taking in canyon-like valleys and terraced gardens. Followed by a two hour hike along a river the following day to reach the Wadi Mujib on the Siq trail. This trail involves climbing up small waterfalls with fixed ropes and ladders where you’ll have the opportunity to swim. There will be time to visit the famous Dead Sea, one of the lowest places in the world. You’ll spend your final night in Amman, before departing the next day.

From $1,250pp

Monday, September 9 – Wadi Rum Desert
After breakfast we leave Petra and drive to the magnificent Wadi Rum Desert. It was here the British army officer T. E. Lawrence gathered the Arab tribes to revolt against the Ottoman Turkish rule during World War I. This is a story that reached world fame in the movie “Lawrence of Arabia”. From the Wadi Rum Visitor Center, you will board jeeps for a tour passing sand dunes and incredible rock formations. The tour ends in the middle of the desert where we overnight at the Sun City Bedouin Camp with a choice of a Bedouin Tent or a Martian Dome. Please note that there are not toilets and running water at this camp-site. (Breakfast, lunch and dinner included)

Tuesday, September 10 – Dana Valley and White Dome Trail
Following a Bedouin-style breakfast, we head back to the Visitor Center, where your bus is waiting to take you to the village of Tafilah. From here we set out on an eight (8) kilometer hike through the Dana Valley, which is one of Jordan’s premier nature reserves. The trail contours the huge escarpments of Wadi Dana and offers breathtaking views of the canyon-like valley while passing through terraced gardens. After about four (4) hours we reach Rummana Camp from where we drive to Grand East Hotel Dead Sea for the night. (Breakfast and lunch included)

Wednesday, September 11 – Wadi Mujib and Amman
Following breakfast, you have the morning to enjoy the Dead Sea. After lunch, we drive to Wadi Mujib Gorge, which in many ways is similar to the Siq in Petra. The Mujib River runs through the gorge. This unique nature reserve is home to more than 400 species of plants, more than 100 species of birds, and animals such as the Nubian Red Fox, Hyena, Jackral and more. We will see the Wadi Mujib during the two-hour hike, climb several small waterfalls with the help of fixed ropes and ladders, swim at the base of a large waterfall and float peacefully back out of the canyon (optional). Following, we head to Amman for your final evening in Jordan. Tonight, dinner is on your own. (Breakfast and lunch included)​

Thursday, September 12 – Farewell Jordan
Enjoy a leisure morning before checking out and departing for your international trip home. Three scheduled airport transfers will be provided to the Queen Alia International Airport in Amman to arrive at the airport at 5:00 AM, 1:00 PM, and 6:00 PM. It is possible to book a different transfer to Amman if the above scheduled group transfers don’t fit your onward journey (extra charge applicable). (Breakfast included)

Cultural Extension – 4-7 September | 4 Days

Amman will be your base for your four-day guided tour, as you set out on day trips to enjoy some of Jordan’s best cultural wonders. You’ll visit the historic city of Madaba, famous for the ancient “Mosaic of Jerusalem”, the Jordan Valley and Baptism Site, the As-Salt the living museum encapsulating the Ottoman period, lunch at the Castle of Ajloun and entrance to the excavated city of Jerash to see the well preserved ruins.

From $1,250pp

Monday, September 9 – Madaba, Mt. Nebo, Baptism Site and Amman
After a leisure breakfast, your extension will begin with a visit to Madaba, famous for the ancient “Mosaic of Jerusalem”, which is one of the oldest pictured testimonies of the Holy City. The next stop is Mt. Nebo, the mountain where Moses saw the Holy Land before finding his final resting place on the mountain. We continue down the Jordan Valley to Bethany Beyond the Jordan, better known as the Baptism Site. This place has been identified as the site where John the Baptist preached and where he baptized Jesus. We finish our day in Amman, where we check into our hotel the Grand Palace Hotel. (Breakfast and lunch included)

Tuesday, September 10​ – As-Salt and Amman​
Today you will visit the small town As-Salt. As-Salt features old lanes and dazzling houses from the late Ottoman Period. A walking tour through this inviting community showcases some of Jordan’s most charming buildings and bazaars. In As-Slat, many traditional businesses and skilled artisans enrich the city’s cultural life, and as you walk down the street you will see a variety of different trades and shops, including blacksmiths, shoemakers, barbershops, Arabic sweet stores, and herbalists.

After our visit to As-Salt, we drive back to Amman and do a sightseeing tour of the capital’s most prominent sites and buildings. (Breakfast and lunch included)​

Wednesday, September 11​ – Ajloun and Jerash​
After breakfast we head to the Castle of Ajloun, another highlight of northern Jordan. The Qualat er-Rbad, as the Ajlun Castle is locally known, was the base of the Arabforces of Saladin, when he defeated the Crusaders in the 12th century. The Ajlun Mountains are famous for their lush vegetation and thick green forest.

We then drive north through the Jordan Valley to the city ruins of Jerash. These well-preserved ruins were once the ground pillars of a Roman Decapolis city built in approximately 330BC. During its peak, the city flourished from trade with the Nabateans from Petra and was one of the most important cities in the Roman province. In 747AD Jerash was hit by an earthquake and the city was slowly abandoned. As the years went by, sand covered the columns and buildings, which is why everything was so well preserved when a Russian expedition excavated the city in 1878. After lunch in Jerash we drive back to Amman. In the evening we will drive to a local restaurant in Amman for a Jordan farewell dinner. (Breakfast, lunch and dinner included)

Thursday, September 12 – Farewell Jordan

Enjoy a leisure morning before checking out and departing for your international trip home. Three scheduled airport transfers will be provided to the Queen Alia International Airport in Amman to arrive at the airport at 5:00 AM, 1:00 PM, and 6:00 PM. It is possible to book a different transfer to Amman if the above scheduled group transfers don’t fit your onward journey (extra charge applicable). (Breakfast included)

Marathon Tours & Travel 2024 Petra Desert Marathon Package

This year we are offering 2 accommodation packages to choose from starting at $2,335 per person based on sharing a twin (2 beds) or double room (1 double bed).

Each package includes the following:

• 5 nights’ accommodation
• English-speaking tour leader
• 4 scheduled departure transfers
• 3-days entry to Petra
• Celebration dinner including transportation

Also Available:

• Marathon or Half Marathon entry – $450
• Additional tours and excursions – See more details under “Extensions”

Race Entry Includes:

• English-speaking race officials
• Medical team
• Time keeping
• Transport to the starting point
• Manned drink stations including safety equipment
• Start number and medal

Why Book with Marathon Tours & Travel?

Choice of Hotels

Choose between a comfort level hotel (based on location) and a deluxe hotel option. In general, guests should expect the standard hotels to be clean and basic, with no added amenities. The comfort hotels will have limited amenities, while the deluxe hotels are more similar to name-brand Western hotels.

Logistics Covered

We take care of all of the logistics for you, so you can focus on the event and your trip. Book our 5 night package and in addition, book one of our optional excursions or extension tour.

You’re in Safe Hands

Whether you are running or supporting, we have an expert team on the ground to ensure your trip runs smoothly.

Race Date: September 7, 2024

Start Time: 6:30AM, which means runners need to meet at the Visitor Center at 5:15AM.

Time Limit:

All runners have seven (7) hours to complete the race. Runners still on the route after the cut-off time will be picked up by a race official or medical car and driven back to the finish area. Five hours after the start however, the route closes at the 31 KM mark (10 KM for the half marathon) meaning that runners who haven’t passed this point by 11:30 AM will not be allowed to finish the race.

Start / Finish

For the start, all runners must meet at the Petra Visitor Centre from where we walk the 2.5 kilometres through the Siq and past the Treasury to the start line at the Street of Facades.

The finish line is located near the Petra Visitor Centre within walking distance of the Mövenpick Resort, Petra Palace, Petra Guest House, and Edom hotels.

All runners who complete the marathon or half-marathon within the time limit will receive a medal after crossing the finish line. Water and a sandwich lunch pack are given to all participants. Checked-in bags can be picked up at the bag check-out area.

Route Description

From the start line in the Street of Facades, the route goes through the ancient city of Petra and right away you will find yourself surrounded with tombs, caves, and monasteries carved in the mountainsides. A 2 km uphill section on a paved road leads runners out of the Petra Archaeological Park boundaries and, via the main road, towards the desert on hilly tarmac road.

After 6 kilometres, the route leaves the asphalt road and continues into the desert. Half-marathon runners take the direct way to the river bed gorge “Siq Al Bard,” while marathon runners have to do a loop around the hilltop “Al Musirh.” Leaving Siq al Bard at Little Petra, the route goes back on the tarmac road heading towards the village of Ammarine.

Half-marathon runners continue straight through the village while marathon runners, just before the village, turn left on the road leading to Wadi Araba to do a 8 km back-tracking stretch that will take you past incredible rock formations that only a few tourists visit.

When passing the 30 km mark, full marathon runners find themselves back at Ammarine village and merge again with the half marathon course. From here, the route goes uphill to a mountain ridge for the next 5 kilometres, but the strenuous efforts are rewarded with an astonishing view over most of the marathon route, the mountains covering Petra and on clear days even Israel can be seen. On this mountain ridge the surface becomes gravel for the next 3 km. The final 4 km is steep downhill running on paved roads towards the finish line.

There will be no race pacers at this event.

Weather:

It is very hot in Jordan. Be prepared for temperatures to be in the high range of 32°C.

Eligibility:

Marathon runners must be 18 years of age or older on race day. Half-Marathon runners must be 16 years of age or older on race day.

Awards:

All finishers receive a medal. A small, symbolic prize is given to the winners of both distances for men and women. There is no prize money.

Difficulty:

Difficult. Hilly course with an ascent of roughly 1,200 meters and a descent of 1,100 meters. Be prepared for unrelenting heat with temps between 29°-40°C.