WALKING HOLIDAYS IN JORDAN
Jordan has always been a persuasive draw, not least for the Dead Sea - the lowest point on Earth at nearly 1,400 feet below sea level. But there’s more to this calm corner of the Middle East than effortlessly floating with your feet up in mineral-rich waters. When it comes to Lawrence of Arabia-style adventures, this small rocky nation has managed to pull off that rarest of feats with a mix of layered archaeology, broad swathes of desert, rich Bedouin traditions, and a rather interesting biblical heritage.
And then, of course, there’s the architectural wonder that is Petra - the so-called Red Rose City that was the country’s first designated UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985. What was once the prosperous capital of the Nabataeans is now a wow-worthy tourist attraction welcoming over 1.1 million visitors every year. Add to the list the Roman city of Jerash, the moonscape of Wadi Rum, and the walking tours and wildlife-watching opportunities at Dana Biosphere Reserve, and you’ll realise that Jordan is remarkable in more ways than one.
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Archaeological delights
It’s easy to see why Jordan sets the benchmark high for fans of walking tours. Nothing quite prepares you for Petra, the extraordinary ancient city in Southern Jordan that’s all rock-cut treasures, winding passageways, and golden-pink temples. Equally fascinating is the ruined Roman city of Jerash for its colonnaded main street, baths, ceremonial gates, temples, and theatres.
Desert landscapes
Little beats hitting the desert trails in Jordan for wind-eroded granite and reddish-orange sandstone pretty much everywhere you look. And there’s nothing like gazing at star-studded dark skies from a Bedouin tent in Wadi Rum – the otherworldly landscape David Lean set out to capture for his cinematic epic, Lawrence of Arabia. For all the Jordan walking thrills you can muster, this place hits the mark with 25,000 petroglyphs, 20,000 inscriptions, 154 archaeological sites, and camel-spotting aplenty.
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Nature thrills
Some of the real joys of a Jordan hiking holiday include keeping your eyes peeled for any number of 435 bird species, 45 mammal species, and 161 fish species that call this place home. Located in the eastern margin of the Great Rift Valley, the Dana Biosphere Reserve is home to the Spiny Tailed Lizard Sand Cat, the Lesser Kestrel, the Syrian Wolf, and more. You’ll also get to master the art of floating in the Dead Sea, one of the saltiest bodies of water in the world.
