Siq Trail Upstream Scramble

The Siq is a two-kilometre crack in the sandstone with a river running out of it, and the only way up is through the water. You will be wet to the chest inside three minutes. After that it stops mattering. We start at eight, before the coaches from the Dead Sea hotels arrive, which buys you the first hour with the canyon more or less empty - by eleven there is a queue at every ladder. The walls close to a few metres apart and rise forty above you, the light goes green, and the water is cold enough to be a genuine relief when the air outside is touching forty. At the top there is a waterfall you climb, on a fixed rope, with a guide's hand on your harness. Then you float most of the way back down. Two things to know: the reserve sets a minimum age of eighteen and does not bend it, and the entry ticket is paid separately at the Adventure Centre - your Jordan Pass will not cover it. Wear shoes you can swim in and are willing to write off.