Name: Jordan 100km Charity Cycle
Start: 2023-09-27T00:00:00.000Z
End: 2023-10-06T00:00:00.000Z
Location: Jordan

John Ward

Email address verified

25 reviews

Sep 27 - Oct 6, 2023

Group size: 1 - 21

Jordan 100km Charity Cycle

Jordan

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John Ward

Email address verified

25 reviews

Sep 27 - Oct 6, 2023

Group size: 1 - 21

You guys may already know but I take my mum on a lot of wild trips. If you know my story, I wont bore you with the details. But single mother, tough times, but my mum always supported me. Now my life has turned around, it’s a blessing to be able to show her the world. Then, she got diagnosed with sh*tty Parkinson’s Disease. But rather than sitting back defeated, we used it as a catalyst to do more stuff. And that morphed into a few charity trips to raise money to find a cure for the disease.

I put together a trip and my mum climbed Mount Fuji at 70 years old, along with an awesome group, where we also raised $20k for a cure.
And then 18 months ago, we tackled the Serengeti Marathon, and my mum completed the 10km there, along side another brilliant group. Another $20k raised.

So here we are in 2023. My mum is another 2 years older, and unfortunately, the Parkinson’s has had another 2 years of effects. But we don’t let that beat us. So we put our heads together to think of our next fund raiser. Mountains are out (“if I climb as much as a bloody set of stairs again Johnny, I’ll murder you!” or something along those lines after Mount Fuji, hahaha). Running is out after the Serengeti. So that left us with boats or bikes. So bikes it is! This time a 100km cycle, across 2 days, from Petra to Wadi Rum.

Haha, the million dollar question! First of all, there are no ebikes in Jordan! They class them as scooters and require a license, so scratch that. It was the first thing my mum asked me!

Before I go on, just remember, I designed this with my 74yo mum in mind. So if she can do it, any of you guys can!

Ok, so it a normal bikes. But a good one. It’s not a ‘road bike’ (those are the skinny bikes, with skinny tyres that they use on the Tour De France), but it’s not quite a big chunky mountain bike either. Somewhere between the two. It’s comfortable, and it’s designed for exactly the kind of thing we’re doing.

PEDALS: The pedals aren’t ‘clip-in’ pedals. Just normal pedals.

SURFACE: Some paved, some off-road, some dirt. But not super challenging, don’t worry.

UPHILL/DOWNHILL: BOTH! But nothing crazy steep, and overall we start higher and finish lower. So not too bad.

CAN YOU SKIP THE CYCLE? If you fundraise the $500 or more, then yes you can sign up and skip the cycle. Also, if you get injured before the trip, or even during the trip, or if you get tired, you can sit out sections by hopping in the support vehicles. Don’t worry. The trip is a challenge, but equally we want everyone to have a good time. I know some of you follow me while I’m off running 200km ultra marathons or trying to climb Everest etc. This is not one of those trips, I promise (although admittedly it might feel like that for my mum!).

SUPPORT? We have spare parts, an mechanic, spare tyres etc. Any problems, we have you covered!

NOTE: My mum and I will be riding a tandem bike. I bought one here in Thailand, and I'm going to bring it with me in my luggage on the flight to Jordan. It may get frozen in customs, so we may end up on the normal bikes, but we hope not! Everyone else's bike is a standard, single bike. If you too would like a tandem, please message me but you'll have to bring it yourself from your home country, they aren't available in Jordan.

Long story short, the dream is $20kUSD (which is about 16k GBP for my UK folk). But I have set the target at a more humble $10,000 (8,250GBP) so it’s not so daunting for us all!

The Cause

Very simply, the goal is donate to find a cure for Parkinson’s. The specific organisation that we are partnered with is Cure Parkinsons (https://cureparkinsons.org.uk). I’ll add the link to here, and I’ll send it privately to everyone who signs up, and then we can all try our best to hit the personal $500 per person fund raising goal! Thanks folks!

Single Supplement

$1,349

If you don't want to share a room, please add the single supplement.

Arrive in Amman
Arrive in Amman
Briefing and group dinner
Fly into Amman anytime. I will host a briefing at 6pm in a meeting room in our first hotel, then we’ll have a group dinner together and get ready for the epic trip.
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DAY 2
DAY 2
Amman City tour and Dead Sea
We take a half day tour of ancient Amman. The Roman temple of Hercules, the ancient Amman Citadel and the famous Roman hillside Amphitheatre.

The second half of the day, we’ll hop on our private bus and drive to the Dead Sea. The LOWEST PLACE ON EARTH! Our hotel includes direct access to the Dead Sea, so watch the mud takes years of your appearance (yeah right), and enjoy floating in the salt water.
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DAY 3
DAY 3
Dead Sea and transfer to Petra
You can spend the morning in the waters of the Dead Sea again if you wish, or enjoy the only lazy morning of the trip.

Then we head for Petra, with a few stops along the way. We’ll have dinner together near Petra, in the lovely city of Wadi Musa, ready for a big day tomorrow.
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DAY 4
DAY 4
PETRA!
PETRA! One of the Seven Wonders of the world! Today is THE DAY. Today is a physical challenge in itself truth be told. But wow is it ever worth it. For the energetic amongst us, we’ll be at the entrance at 5.30am for the best travel hack in the world, HAVING PETRA TO YOURSELF!

For the slower folks, we’ll have a normal day, starting at a normal time. You’re free to explore Petra solo and run around to every corner and cave, or walk with our local guide and learn about the culture and history of this magical place.

Expect up to 35,000 steps on your smart watch today folks, where appropriate footwear!
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DAY 5
DAY 5
On your bikes... Cycle Day !
Alrighty then. Here we are. Ever cycled 100km before? This is the last day of your life that you’ll be able to answer no to that question!

We’ll take our transport out of the city to avoid the steep hills (the gym buddies among us can cycle if they wish). Then we’ll start the cycle. Today will be 35-55km depending on the weather and traffic. From outside Wadi Musa to a small desert village called Abbasiya.

After the cycle, we’ll drive the last hour or so to the desert and settle in our glamping Bedouin Camp experience. Camp fire dinner, traditional Jordanian food and time to rest those weary bones.
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DAY 6
DAY 6
Cycle Day 2
Cycle Day Round 2! We owe the cycling Gods another 50km or so. After judging the strength of the group, we’ll either go back to where we stopped yesterday and continue the remaining 50km back towards Wadi Rum.

Or we’ll head out in the desert and get the 50km in a much sexier way, off ride, in the desert!

Either way, we’ll rack up the 100kms and earn those donations. Thanks everyone!

That night we’re in the same camp, so settle back in. You’re free to enjoy the rest of the trip without the clouds of a 100km cycle hanging over you!
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DAY 7
DAY 7
Wadi Rum in all its glory
Today is Wadi Rum in all its glory. We’ll take the off-road SUVs and explore the desert. From Lawrence of Arabia’s home, to ancient dunes. Wadi Rum is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for a reason. Get ready to have your mind blown.
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Day 8
Day 8
Transfer to Aqaba. Aaaaand Relax!
Today, it’s almost like we’re a ‘normal’ tour group. Shock, horror. We have brekkie in the desert, then take our private transfer to the beach town of Aqaba, perched on the coast of the Red Sea. It’s been an escape from the heat and sand for Middle Eastern cultures since the 13th century.

We have some optional activities for you guys today, or sit in our 4* hotel, drink cocktails and lounge by the pool. If anyone can justify a break, it’s us. Aqaba is also home to a few more bars than any other Jordanian city, so maybe a night on the town to celebrate our successful cycle? Why not!
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DAY 9
DAY 9
Aqaba and a sunset cruise
The final day. A lazy buffet breakfast, followed by optional lunch time activities. Don’t tire yourself out though because we have a sunset cruise to finish off our trip together. Seeing Jordan out in style.
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DAY 10
DAY 10
That's all folks
That’s all folks. We can discuss via email and chat what your plans are from here. We can facilitate transfers back to Amman, the Capital, every hour (it’s a 3.5 hour drive).

My mum and I will be doing just that around lunch time. Or you can spend some more time in Aqaba should you want. Perhaps even continue on to Egypt, Israel or beyond? We can chat about all this later.
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Arrive in Amman

Briefing and group dinner

Fly into Amman anytime. I will host a briefing at 6pm in a meeting room in our first hotel, then we’ll have a group dinner together and get ready for the epic trip.

Such a blast! Johnny’s trips never disappoint! Loved the overnight camping on a gorgeous island in the Red Sea! Asmara and Massawa were also incredible. Missing those views already. As always, the memories and friendships made during trip will last a lifetime.

By Courtney J for Eritrea on Mar 23, 2025

This was an incredible trip from start to finish! Excellent food, awesome accommodations, and the most kind and welcoming people I’ve ever encountered. Seeing their happiness at having tourists again after so much turmoil at home was something truly special. Witnessing war torn towns and cities and then the beauty of Old Damascus has left me without words.

By Courtney J for Silk Road Trip on Mar 17, 2025

The itenary was great, even without Keren. Actually might have been that having Keren in it would have left too little time to Asmara and Massawa. Lunches on the road could maybe have been included as paying for them as such a mess most of the time. The bus was a bit small, but the group consisted of so nice people that I got more space for my legs when I needed it. For a first-timer the communication in the WhatsApp group especially before trip was a bit overwhelming and contained both important things and people just saying hi to each other. Most important things came however also as emails, appreciated. Would participate again to another trip if the destination would be one I'd wish to do.

By Pirkko S for Eritrea on Mar 16, 2025

Thank you for another fantastic experience Johnny. Eritrea was on the list for a while and we got to see it like few other do. The warmth of every Eritrean we met, the incredible Art Deco architecture and the general safety of the country made this one for the books. Onto the next one!

By Aavishkar M for Eritrea on Mar 16, 2025

Third trip with Johnny, won’t be the last. The group culture he creates is really uniquely special in addition to the fun and adrenaline on the itinerary.