Dead to Red Bike Ride

What are the bikes like?

The bikes that we use are Trek 7.1 and 7.2 (2023 model). They are available in XS, S, M, L and XL and you will have plenty of time to select the right bike for you and make all the adjustments you need. Bikes will be prepared based on the heights that you provide at the time of booking. There is a possibility to fit your own pedals and you may bring your own saddle if you wish. We have plenty of spares and our helpful mechanics are on hand at all times to help with repairs or adjustments.

Pre-Existing Medical Conditions

We do not professionally vet your medical details. Please assess for yourself whether you are fit and able to take on the challenge. Please review the detailed Trip Notes and itinerary to get a better idea of what is involved. Please speak to your doctor or specialist if you have any concerns about taking part. If you think that there are things we can do to make the challenge more accessible/comfortable for you, it is your responsibility to let us know, and we will then let you know if we can accommodate your request.

Emergencies

Full back-up support (by 4WD vehicles) will be close by and can be brought in should there be an emergency, or if you need to stop for any reason. The challenge is not run as a race and there is always a large discrepancy in people’s cycling abilities. There will be a staff member at the back of the group at all times to ensure that no one is left behind and can take things at your own pace. 

Safety

Charity Challenge considers the safety of all of its participants and staff to be a top priority, and as such we have set up a thorough safety management system. In a nutshell, Our Challenge Safe brand formalises our ethos when it comes to safety, and brings together the procedures and risk management strategies that we use to audit all aspects of our challenges, from vehicles to accommodation to the activity itself. Your welfare is paramount!
In terms of your Dead Sea to Red Sea Bike Ride, there are a couple of important points that you should be aware of:

• The cycling route is exposed, with almost no shade, and on sunny days the temperatures can soar. You should ideally be wearing sun cream and a cap (which can be worn under your helmet) and be hydrating constantly!
• You will by cycling on highways that are used by all sizes of vehicles and the odd camel!
• The local team are very good at trying to accommodate different dietary requirements. However, a vegan and gluten free diet will be difficult to cater for. If you have any dietary requirements, please let us know and we will try our best to accommodate your request. Please make sure you bring some extra snacks and products that you are used to eating.

Medical Support

First Aid qualified staff will be provided with the medical details that you give on your booking form but please note that they are on the challenge to support with medical matters related to the challenge environment and terrain itself, i.e. heat/cold, high altitude and so on. They will deal with any incidents and accidents (cuts, sprains, breaks and so on). They are not intended to continue any ongoing specialist medical care that you receive in the UK for pre-exiting medical conditions, and should not be assumed to have any professional experience of your specific medical condition.

If you have any specific needs around pre-existing medical conditions, you should discuss with your family doctor or specialist in advance and can discuss any advice given by them with the challenge leader or doctor.

Typical Day

You will wake early (around sunrise), in time for a hearty breakfast. Cycling days will last between 4-8 hours, including breaks and snacks. You will have a leisurely, longer break for lunch around noon (picnic or cooked lunches will be provided). You will arrive at your accommodation each day before sunset.

Flights

You will be flying from a London airport to Amman. The journey will take approximately 6 hours. Your flight tickets will be e-mailed to you before departure. If you choose to book your own flights, you must confirm with the Charity Challenge office before paying otherwise you may be liable for your included group flights. Please contact: flights@charitychallenge.com for further assistance.

Visa

British citizens require a visa to visit Jordan. When arriving at an airport in Jordan, participants can obtain a visa which will be organised in advance by our partners in country who will be provided with a full list of participant names and passport details. Our partners in country will provide an airport representative to facilitate the smooth collection of the visas for the group on arrival. There is no cost of this service when on the group flights. You must hold a full ten-year passport with at least six months to run from the end of your challenge, and at least one blank page for your visa and entry/exit stamps.

Insurance

Your safety when travelling with Charity Challenges is our main concern which is why it is a booking condition that you have a suitable travel insurance policy that will cover you for the adventurous nature of your challenge. We have chosen to partner with specialist travel insurance providers Campbell Irvine, who offer cover for an extensive number of adventurous activities. Cover is available directly from Campbell Irvine for most European residents and includes cover for emergency medical and repatriation and for your cancellation or curtailment of the challenge. Full details including costs may be found by clicking here.
For more general travel insurance questions, please refer to our main FAQs page.

Climate & Terrain

Climate
Jordan's climate is subtropical – hot to very hot summers and warm to cool winters. Where most of Jordan is covered by desert, summers are extremely hot. We tend to run our trips in Spring & Autumn as the weather is better & cooler then. It is very hard to predict the weather in Jordan but you can expect anywhere between 19°C - 35°C, depending on what time of year you are going. It is always worth checking the weather close to your departure. However, always remember the nights will be cold.

Terrain
The route is mainly on paved roads or cycle paths. The terrain is mostly flat with undulating sections. It is likely to be dusty and sandy when cycling, especially if the wind picks up.

Luggage allowance & valuables

Try to keep luggage to an absolute minimum – details of what to pack are provided in your kit list. Your rucksack/duffel bag (suitcases are not appropriate) must not exceed the maximum weight limit of the airline you are flying with (usually 20kg, however do check this with the airline or contact our flights team if in doubt).

Each day when you begin to ride, your main bag will be transported to the next nights' accommodation. You will only need to have a daybag, handle bar bag or bum bag with you during the day and you will be able to access your day pack at rest stops.

While we will do everything to provide adequate safety for the group and security for your possessions, the general rule is that if you don’t need it, don’t bring it. This includes jewellery, necklaces, rings and even watches.  Your passport and money should be kept on you at all times.

Responsible Tourism

At Charity Challenge we are committed to sustainable and responsible tourism, and work closely with bodies such as the International Porter Protection Group and Climate Impact Partners to ensure that our challenges benefit the local environments and communities in which they take place. We ensure that all rubbish is disposed of responsibly, and following local guidelines on cultural and environmental protection and respect, we aim to limit our impact on the natural environment. In addition to taking these practical steps to ensure that our challenges are sustainable, we also make a contribution each year to a number of local community projects, so as to give something back directly to the communities that we visit. Since 2000 we have donated almost £200,000 to such projects, supporting a range of initiatives, including schooling for children in Africa, shelter for street children in Brazil, and Orang-utan conservation in Indonesia. We recommend that any gifts brought over for children are given to the UK challenge leader and distributed where needed by them and our local Ground Agent. If you wish to do more, you should consider buying drinks, postcards and souvenirs from the local vendors. For many, it is their sole source of income. For more information, please visit our Responsible Tourism pages, where you will be able to view a list of the projects that we currently support.

On your Dead Sea to Red Sea Bike Ride, we commit to the following:

• Wherever possible using local leaders and support staff from the Bedouin tribes who live in the area of the Dead to Red cycle challenge. The local team for this challenge are either native from or long-term residents of Jordan. This will ensure that you not only will have a much higher level of engagement with the local culture, but also knowledge of the environment, local ways of living, history and experiences from the locals.
• The support of our local staff does not stop after your challenge has finished.  Our ground handler provides annual training on safety, group management, environmental protection management, and First Aid. This continued support throughout the year empowers our local leaders and helps to keep them up to date with best practice.

Using local produce and reducing our plastic footprint:

• Our ground handler sources local produce to ensure fresh food and provides water for you to refill your water bottles at the beginning and end of the day which cuts down our use of plastic bottles, and of course all this fresh water will help you to stay hydrated.

Animal Welfare:

• You should be aware that when you arrive in Petra, tourists are offered the chance to ride donkeys, horses and camels through the massive site, and whilst we will cover the site on foot, many others will choose an option that is animal led. This can be uncomfortable for some.

Vaccinations & Medicines

Vaccinations
For up to date vaccination information please check the Travel Health Pro page:  https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/country/115/jordan

Charity Challenge are not medical experts and we would encourage you to visit your doctor or travel nurse to discuss vaccination requirements. Your doctor may ask questions about the specific locations that you are visiting, and as such it may be useful to take a copy of your itinerary with you.

Medication

• Carry medicines (including those bought over the counter) in their correctly labelled original packaging, as issued by the pharmacist. These should be carried in your hand luggage.
• Consider packing a spare supply of medication in the hold luggage in case of loss of hand luggage
• A letter from the prescriber detailing the medicines with the generic names for the medications can be helpful for border control checks, and in case medicines have to be replaced or medical help is required
• Carry a note from the prescribing physician on letterhead stationery for controlled substances and injection medications

N.B.  Some medications are banned abroad so please check. You can find further information at https://travelhealthpro.org.uk/factsheet/43/medicines-abroad

Training

Training and fitness is definitely required. It is important that you work specifically on your stamina, leg and joint strength, core and balance in order to get as much out of the challenge as possible. You will be cycling everyday on varied terrain so get out on your bike as often as you can! You need to be able to sustain around 4-8 hours of cycling for 5 continuous days, so replicating this over a weekend would be fantastic training, if you are able. In your Charity Challenge account you will find more comprehensive Fitness Training Notes. 

Level of difficulty

The Dead Sea to Red Sea Bike Ride is graded as challenging. A "challenging" trip is the perfect challenge for someone who has perhaps never taken on a challenge event before, and is looking to test themselves on an active physical challenge. Although a challenging challenge might be culturally challenging, you will usually be staying in hotels rather than camping throughout, and there will be no altitude involved. Training is necessary for all challenges to ensure you are fully prepared.

You can tell your supporters that on your Dead Sea to Red Sea Bike Ride you will be:

• Cycling for around 4-5 hours per day, covering approximately 225kms over 5 days.
• Battling the Jordanian heat. Temperatures can reach the mid 30°cs.

Leadership

There will be an English-speaking challenge leader who will be responsible for the logistics and co-ordination of your challenge. There will also be numerous local support guides and staff to assist them. The challenge leader will be ultimately responsible for the running of the itinerary and the safety of your group.

Group size

Each group is intended to be a minimum of 15 people in order to run and a maximum of 30 people. We will be able to run this challenge for 10-14 people by charging a small group supplement of £125.00 which will be added to your final balance invoice (self-funders) or charged to your charity (minimum sponsorship or flexi).

Clothing & equipment

Good quality, durable kit could mean the difference between a fantastic challenge experience and an uncomfortable one. For your cycle challenge, padded cycling shorts and comfortable footwear are essential, and helmets are compulsory throughout. Training with your cycling shorts is definitely advised! You can bring equipment like clip-in pedals or a gel seat, if desired, in order to adapt your bike in country, and we would also recommend technical/wicking t-shirts rather than cotton shirts. A full kit list for this challenge can be found in your account area and once you book you will have access to kit discounts with our partners The Outdoor Shop, The Cycle Store, Outdoorhire and Cotswold Outdoor.

Accommodation & toilets

Accommodation
During the challenge you will be staying in hotels except from the nights camping in Wadi Rum. At the camp in Wadi Rum, it is a permanent camp. This means the camp is more like 'glamping', it will be very comfortable and there will be a toilet block with showers and a communal dining area.

If you are travelling with a friend or partner who you wish to share with please ensure that you note this where appropriate when booking or email challenges@charitychallenge.com.

Toilets
During the actual cycling day, you will have to make use of the bushes, trees and rocks for privacy if you are not close to villages for public toilets. Please ensure you have a supply of nappy bags/ziplock bags to dispose of used toilet roll, as well as wet wipes and hand sanitiser.

Food & Drink

You will be served a variety of Jordanian food. All meals are healthy and nourishing. Lunches will be either in the form of light snacks suitable for biking, or picnics. There will be plenty of food to satisfy hungry appetites, but please let Charity Challenge know if you have any specific dietary requirements.

NB. You will only be expected to carry water & any essentials you would carry on a day ride – our support team will take care of the rest of your luggage.

Money

Currency: Jordan uses the Dinar as its currency. For up to date currency exchange, go to www.xe.com. You should ideally bring a combination of Dinars and Sterling, or Sterling that you can change into Dinars on arrival in Jordan.

Credit Cards: Credit cards are welcomed in Amman (Visa, MasterCard, Diners and American Express), but take cash for small towns and villages. Major credit cards are accepted in most hotels, shops and restaurants.

ATMs: You will find ATMs in Amman and Petra, located in the airport, the city centre or near banks.

How much to bring: You will not need a large amount of money during this trip, as most expenses are included. You should only need money for tips, food & drink (additional), gifts and souvenirs. There are a wide range of souvenirs to buy including rugs and jewellery. On average around £150-£200 plus a credit card in case of an emergency, should suffice. We recommend that you carry some cash. You will mainly need Dinars in small denominations for the staff tips for this trip.

Tipping: Tipping is personal and at your sole discretion. You should only tip if you feel that you have received good service. We recommend £16 per person per day for the 5 days of activity in country, (£80/70-75 Jordanian Dinar) in total ideally in small denominations, and this should be given to the challenge leader during the trek who will distribute it among the support team, including guides, assistant guides, drivers, and hotel staff.

Phone & Wi-fi

During your challenge you are likely to have good wi-fi access each evening and phone signal. However, we recommend that you enjoy the opportunity to disconnect.