The 2nd edition of our Jordan book is due out in summer 2008. Info on a number of new climbs and treks was received just after the publisher's deadline, plus we added more on our spring 2008 visit, and some GPS points. We include them here, and in the following pages, working through Jordan from north to south (trekking info is minimal, due to space limitations).

Any info received in the future that is relevant to this book will be posted on these 'Jordan-update' pages for the benefit of our readers.

The Aqaba Mountains - more explorations by Brian Hodgkinson (see Route 144)

Brian emailed, Dec 08, to say "I decided to have a closer look at the peak behind Aqaba and across the road to the west of my other route (144). Although I didn't manage to reach the summit I now understand the topography much better and have two or three potential routes to complete.

Viewed from Aqaba when the sun is shining it all looks like one mountain, but when the sun is going down and when you are on it you realise that it's two completely separate peaks; the one mentioned in your guide (Jebel el Yitm, route 143, which is supposed to be the highest in the area) is further back, hence the approach to it from near the customs post.

I parked just off the road as it goes through its final turn on the way into Aqaba, and followed a prominent ridge line which I thought went all the way to the summit. Some interesting climbing for 3 hours in exposed situations but nothing more than grade 3, but then you reach a false summit and find that you have to descend 100m before continuing up again. By this time I was in danger of spending a night on the mountain, so I decided to retreat.

I followed a gully down, which becomes a wadi and is completely out of view from the road. I had a 30m rope and had to do one short abseil, and then I came to a big drop where my my initial thought was, I am going to have to retrace my steps. However I managed to climb down the side walls, and after that it began to ease off and eventually turned into a pleasant stroll down a sandy wadi well trodden by hundreds of goats. What the goats were doing up there I have no idea as there's nothing to eat up there. Eventually I came to signs of habitation i.e bits of plastic and graphiti on the rocks and then emerged out into the main valley only a couple of hundred metres from where I had started."

The following pages have info on other developments in Jordan since March 2008:

Walks near Pella
Walks in El Aluk Hills (SE of Jerash)
Dead Sea Hills: RSCN Dead Sea Canyons, a new climb in Karak area, GPS points, Wadi Assal and Wadi Numeira
Climbs in the Petra area
Treks in the new Jebel Mas’uda Reserve

New climb near Wadi Rum and some GPS points in Rum

Jebel Kharaz (see photos sent by James Garrett)
In Nov 2006, James Garrett from the USA and Res von Känel from Switzerland climbed a route on Jebel Kharaz to the left of, and minutes from, the Kharaz Rock Bridge (see R118 and the section ‘North of Rum’ in the new Jordan guide); generous and friendly Bedouin at the base, offering tea all the time!

Amidst Difficulty lies Opportunity*** 6a
This 4 pitch sandstone route climbs the obvious corner on off-widths reducing to hands then fingers followed by some face climbing pitches; well protected with bolts at the very beginning protecting the off-width, up to a pleasant right facing corner 5a, and the slab at the top.

Wadi Rum GPS points

Jebel um Adaami (Jordan's highest mountain)
Start GPS 1471m 29 18.589 35 26.376
top GPS 1848m 29 18.449 35 25.977

Canyon Jebel um Anfus (NW of Barrah)
Entrance to Um Tawagi from W um Ishrin GPS 907m 29 36.706 35 29.478
Entrance from Disi
GPS 890m 29 37.474 35 29.979
NB Litter on the Disi side was disgusting (spring 2008)