Aqaba, Jordan
8 days - 7 nights
Sat, Feb 21 - Sun, Mar 1, 2026
Visit Wadi Rum, Petra & the Dead Sea
Support local athletes
£645pp (all included except flights)
This is the 3rd edition of the Aqaba Running Camp, created to support grassroots Jordanian athletics. Each year, we sponsor local athletes to join us for a week of living and training together, and invite local runners from Aqaba to participate.
The camp takes place during Ramadan 2027 and is a fantastic opportunity to immerse yourself in the local culture and experience a unique approach to training. (Non-Muslim athletes not obliged to fast.)
The trip is designed to cover all the major tourist destinations in Jordan. Petra, Wadi Rum, the Dead Sea, the Red Sea and Amman. You will experience these places in a way most tourists will not, accompanied by locals who share your passion for running and adventure!
“I was lucky enough to embark on a truely unforgettable experience in Jordan. It is an incredible opportunity to immerse yourself into a different culture - something Haraka Baraka was able facilitate with their sensitive contacts and knowledge of the areas and customs.”
Bethany Barnett - Trip attendee (Feb 2024)
ITINERARY
Highlights include:
Led by internationally competitive runners (inc. Jordan’s fastest marathon winner)
Opportunites to snorkle in the Red Sea, swim in the indoor and outdoor pools, play table tennis and beach volleyball
Visit one of the seven wonders; Petra, and, then float and enjoy the natural cave sauna’s in the lowest point on the earth; the Dead Sea, all on the same day!
-
Having met at our hotel for 17.00, we will have head the hilltop of Qal’a, a Roman citadel, to enjoy our first sunset as a group. Afterward, sunset we will have dinner/ Iftar in a traditional Jordanian restaurant.
-
Today is dedicated to exploring Amman. After our breakfast at the hotel we will be met by our expert guide for our tour of Amman and its many hidden gems. The tour will unpick Amman and its historical importance as the capital of Jordan.
Having passed through old markets and the Roman ruins, we will conclude the day at a homestay where we will learn how to cook traditional dishes which will serve as our dinner for that evening.
-
Our day will begin with an early morning coach heading south to Aqaba. The journey will take approximately 4.5 hours and lunch will be waiting for us at the sports city (our training base for the week).
Having settled into our accommodation in Aqaba’s Sports City, there will be the opportunity to undergo an shake-off run at the Beach and cool off by jumping into the Red Sea.
We will then be meeting in the village of Ayla for our dinner on the waterfront, with the view of the sunset over Egypt across the sea.
-
These days look similar, with us waking up for breakfast at 8:00 for breakfast and setting off to run at 9:00. The run including warm up, cool down and stretching will take us to around midday leaving an hour to shower and change for lunch at 13:00.
After the initial days training there is a degree of flexibility, including another run in the afternoon, cultural exchange opportunities or using the facilities in the sports city (e.g volleyball and swimming). Dinner is served each day at 19:30. After dinner is free time to play card games, study and relax before the next day's training. .
-
Ending our time in Aqaba, we will leave in the morning for the challenge of running a half marathon. Runnning from the sports city to the beach of the Red Sea is exactly 21.2km and makes fora stunning run to challenge yourself with the sweeping mountain views across the Red Sea. Having spent the afternoon at the beach, snorkeling and enjoying a barbecue for lunch, we will head to Wadi Rum desert for the night.
-
There might not be a better place to recover than Wadi Rum. HAving spent the night in a Bedouin camp, there will be the option for a sunrise run on the sand and the rest of the day will be spent exploring the canyons and rock formations on guided 4×4 jeep tours.
Finishing the day with another meal cooked in a chamber under the sand.
-
The next morning will involve us waking up early to visit Petra, one of the world’s seven wonders, before we head back to Amman in the afternoon, passing by the Dead Sea to experience the natural cave saunas and mud masks whilst also floating and reflecting on the trip.
-
-
Transport to and from Amman, Wadi Rum, Petra and the Dead Sea
Accommodation
Access to the Sports City (track, pools, ping pong, beech volleyball)
All meals and water
Jeep tour in Wadi Rum and entrance to Petra
However, we do not cover:
Flights
Personal travel insurance
Tips
-
We will run in a series of beautiful locations across Jordan during the trip, the highlights being in Wadi Rum, Aqaba to the South Beach on the Red Sea and Petra.
There will also be an opportunity to try different types of training; double threshold training, long runs and speed work on the track.
We are accompanied by a local physio Mohammad el-Sweileh who has worked at Jordan’s first Vo2 max testing centre and will lead strength training, as well as a qualified PT who will lead evening recovery sessions.
-
Since the announcement of the ceasefire in October 2025, tourism in Jordan is showing signs of recovery, and we are confident that the trip will go ahead. In the case of the cancellation of the trip at any time prior to departure due to safety concerns, all deposits will be returned.
The camp is registered officially and signed off by the Governor of Aqaba, and the safety of the group is always of the highest priority.
-
Each year local athletes are chosen to attend the camp from around Jordan. Athletes from Jordan and the North of Jordan rarely get the opportunity to travel to Aqaba for training due to financial obstacles. We chose athletes who we believe are at crucial points in their athletic development and whilst we are currently unable to provide salaried positions, we find these opportunities have positive long term effects on the development of local athletes.
The long term goal is to create meaningful employment for developing Jordanian athletes, to provide them with more resources this includes:
Running gear; shoes, clothes and timing devices.
Opportunities to train and race abroad; this includes our high altitude camps in Morocco and the summer racing circuit in Europe.
English language skills; Jordanian athletes are encouraged and helped in learning English before, during and after the camps.
Leadership skills; during the camps Jordanian athletes lead activities and training sessions.
KEY INFORMATION
All cuisine will be traditional Jordanian dishes prepared by Um Sultan and her team of cooks. It is not an issue to accommodate for allergies and dietary requirements. Note that as Aqaba is a coastal city, its speciality is fish and this will be a key feature in many dishes.
The first and last night will be spent in a 3 star hotel in Amman. Our accom in Aqaba will be a hotel in the Sports City, meaning the track, indoor and outfdoor pool, ping pong and beach volleyball courts are all on our doorstep.
-
The camp takes place during Ramadan (which involves abstaining from food and water from sunrise to sunset). Non-Muslim athletes are welcome to participate in fasting, and we will support those who choose to do so, even if it is just for a day.
Fasting is of course not obligetory, and food and water will be provided to those who want it. However, note that having meals and drinking in public during the day is frowned upon, so attendees will be given their meals and drink discreetly.
We have found in the past that communal meals at the breaking of fast (Iftar) between fasting and non-fasting athletes have been a great bonding experience.
-
We want to create safe, welcoming spaces for female Jordanian athletes to train. Therefore, all our sessions and activities are open for local female athletes to join, whether that is a double threshold or a class to make Yorkshire puddings!
Sophie Kirkby a runner and cyclist living in Jordan speaking about the camp in Aqaba puts it best:
“Running is an up-and-coming sport in Jordan. Whilst the community is small, it’s also strong, and runners encourage each other, perhaps because they realise the rarity of it. The running community in Jordan mostly consists of men. Female runners are extremely strong and determined, yet it’s not as widespread amongst women, possibly due to cultural and religious reasons. That being said, more women are beginning to take up running personally and professionally. In essence, the idea of the camp in Aqaba is to support and bolster the running community in Jordan. We know the passion is there. What needs to happen now is funding, encouragement, and recognition, which is exactly what the camp will show to the running community and Jordanians.”
-
Amman is likely to be below 10 degree celscious and snow is unlikely but possible.
Aqaba being further south will be considerably warmer at around 22 degrees and clear skies.
Wadi Rum and Petra will be notebly cold, with similar temperatues to Amman.
‘Haraka Baraka’ is an Arabic expression meaning ‘Movement is a Blessing' — a phrase that reflects our belief in sports ability to bring us together.
We specialise in curated running trips across the Middle East and North Africa, drawing on years of experience and a extensive regional network to offer people the ability to enjoy a new location and culture through a shared love of sports.
All our trips are led by local athletes and provide participants with an authentic, immersive experience beyond that of typical tourism.