12. Wadi Rum to Aqaba
Stage 12 of 12
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PHYSICAL CHALLENGE: 4 out of 5
(2 out of 5 if you skip the first 10km south of Wadi Rum)
DISTANCE: 70.5 km
APPROX. RIDING TIME: 5.5 – 7 h
Only moving time on your bike. Make sure to plan time for breaks, sightseeing, and other stops!
ELEVATION GAIN: +336 m
ELEVATION LOSS: -1284 m
PAVED: 37 km (52 %)
UNPAVED: 34 km (50 %)
MAX. GRADE: 6 %
AVG. GRADE: -1 %
NEW FEATURE COMING SOON!
NEXT: – >>
PHYSICAL CHALLENGE: 4 out of 5
(2 out of 5 if you skip the first 10km south of Wadi Rum)
DISTANCE: 70.5 km
APPROX. RIDING TIME: 5.5 – 7 h
Only moving time on your bike. Make sure to plan time for breaks, sightseeing, and other stops!
ELEVATION GAIN: +336 m
ELEVATION LOSS: -1284 m
PAVED: 37 km (52 %)
UNPAVED: 34 km (50 %)
MAX. GRADE: 6 %
AVG. GRADE: -1 %
Description
Leave Rum Village and begin a demanding slog through sandy jeep tracks; or if you’ve stayed in a Bedouin tent outside of Rum Village, have your hosts return you to the track. Approximately ~10km south of the village, the tracks turn west. While the route is still sandy and may require you to push your bike, the surface becomes slightly harder. Once you reach Titen — a village that once belonged to Saudi Arabia — you’ve more or less completed your trip. From here, it’s all downhill to Aqaba — you can coast most of the way down to the Red Sea!
Food & Water
BEGINNING:
Rum Village has several stores and restaurants.
ON ROUTE
In emergencies you can get water from someone in Titen. There is also a small store here, but don’t count on it being open.
END:
Aqaba has numerous stores and restaurants.
Accommodation Options
Aqaba: There are numerous hotels in Aqaba. You can also find several budget accommodations at the South Beach (about 12km south of town). We recommend Captain’s Hotel (3 stars), the Grand Swiss Hotel (4 stars) and Moevenpick Hotel (5 stars).
Transportation
Notes & Tips
- Aqaba has pharmacies, ATMs, and a medical center. Border crossings from Aqaba to Saudi, Eqypt, and Israel.
- You may be asked to show your passport at a police checkpoint when you reach the highway after Titen.
- Be careful on the final descent to Aqaba along the highway. There is a wide shoulder for most of the way.
- If you’re not equipped with wide enough tires to handle the sand just south of Wadi Rum, your Bedouin hosts can take you by jeep ~10km south of Rum village to a point where the trail becomes slightly more solid.
- Be sure to carry enough food and water from Rum Village—no guaranteed resupply points until Aqaba.
Sights
Local Contacts
WARNING – Riding from South to North
Please be aware, the route was specifically scouted and designed to be ridden from North to South. The uphill sections are on road, and the downhill or flat sections are on gravel/off-road where possible. We don’t recommend doing the route from South to North! Certain sections can be ridden south to north, but as an overall experience it’s not enjoyable.
Please be aware if you really want to ride from south to North it is NOT possible to enter Wadi Rum coming from Aqaba. There is a police check point where they allow cyclists/ vehicles to leave Wadi Rum, but not enter. If you’re moving north from the Red Sea, you will need to travel from Aqaba up the main highway and turn right at Rum Junction to enter Wadi Rum through the visitors entrance.
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