Shops & Supplies

Bike Shops

The only bike shops in Jordan can be found in Amman, so you should be prepared to handle all mechanical issues you encounter on your own. Make sure to take all tools, gear and spare parts you might need with you on the trail! The bike shops in Amman are good, professional bike shops, but they may have limited supplies depending on your needs.

 

For more information see:

Shops & Restaurants

You’ll pass small shops and restaurants frequently along the Jordan Bike Trail:

 

  • Basic Shops are most common and quite simple. They have basic snacks, drinks (water), and canned meat and/or boxed hummus/cheese. They generally do not have produce and may/may not have bread.
  • Produce Shops are slightly less frequent—more common in town centers. They carry a range of fruits and vegetables.
  • Bakeries have wonderful Jordanian bread and usually open very early (as opposed to shops).
  • Larger Shops (usually in larger towns) have a wider range of food options and often have both produce and bread.
  • Restaurants in larger cities will have a range of food options; in smaller towns restaurants are limited to small falafel/shawarma shops.

 

In the waypoints and in-stage notes (on the GPX tracks and Ride with GPS downloads), we’ve tried to identify the different types of shops/restaurants along the Jordan Bike Trail.

Water

The Jordan Bike Trail regularly passes basic shops, so you shouldn’t have to carry lots of food and water. The longest distance between between resupply is 70km between Rum Village and Aqaba. There are a number of ~40km sections between resupply with major climbs.

 

Natural water sources are infrequent, but present in Jordan. You can buy water at all shops. We’ve noted in waypoints and in stage notes where the route passes natural springs. However, please be aware that most springs in Jordan are seasonal, and therefore may not carry water all year round! The trail also crosses a number of wadis/canyons (Wadi Zarqa, Wadi Hidan, and Wadi Mujib), but we recommend using springs before running water in wadis. You should always treat water from natural sources before drinking—best to use chemical treatment or steripen.

 

Tap water in Jordan is not guaranteed to be potable — to be safe you may want to purify before drinking. Mosques often have potable water freely available (usually from a metal tank with spigots; ask before drinking).

 

While distances between water sources are not great, we’d recommend having the capacity to carry 4-5L of water at a time. Some of the 40km stretches between water include long, hot, exposed climbs, where sun exposure and heat exhaustion are a risk. If you plan on camping, be prepared to carry even more water to campsites without water sources nearby. In waypoints and in stage notes, we’ve tried to identify the different types of shops/restaurants along the Jordan Bike Trail.

Cell Providers

You can purchase affordable SIM cards and cell plans upon arrival in Jordan. We recommend Orange, as it has the best reception in Jordan’s remote southern deserts. (Orange offers affordable plans with unlimited local calling, limited international calling, and various amounts of data usage.)

 

You can buy a SIM card and short term cell plan upon arrival in the Queen Alia Airport. Alternatively, you can purchase the card and plan in one of the many cell shops that are ubiquitous throughout the country.