A route created by local guide Yamaan Safady ensures that hikers arrive at Petra the way pre-Christian-era travelers did: out of virgin desert, no tour buses in sight. The six-day, 50-mile “back door” route begins in the Dana Biosphere Reserve; at night, trekkers sleep in Bedouin tents. When to go: September–May From $2,795; wildland.com. Image by Jason Harman. This appeared in the July/August 2012 issue.