JORDAN
The Jordan Trail: take a stroll through history
With its Crusader castles and Roman ruins, the Dead Sea and the rose-colored jewel of Petra, the Jordan Trail leads walkers into its poetic, colorful heart.
WORDS BELINDA JACKSON
Sponsored by
JORDAN
The Jordan Trail: take a stroll through history
With its Crusader castles and Roman ruins, the Dead Sea and the rose-colored jewel of Petra, the Jordan Trail leads walkers into its poetic, colorful heart.
WORDS BELINDA JACKSON
Sponsored by
The last of the sunlight in the desert, where sunsets are on another level.
A journey over 45 days and thousands of years, the Jordan Trail is a long-distance walking route that runs north to south through one of the Middle Eastern’s most fascinating countries.
Travelers have always found refuge and wellness here – be they spice traders on the ancient trade route, pilgrims journeying south to Mecca, Roman lovers of luxury or today’s hikers on the Jordan Trail.
From Umm Qais in the north to the Red Sea town of Aqaba in the south, the 400 mile route winds through wadis (valleys) and ridges and into Jordanian life, visiting 75 towns and villages along the way.
The Jordan Trail encompasses 400 miles of all kinds of terrain.
For modern visitors, there’s no pressure to hike the entire route – take a day walk or choose a section; the trail is broken up into eight regions including the popular four-day Dana to Petra section and the seven-day, high-elevation walk from Petra to Wadi Rum. The four-day section from Karak to Dana sets a high standard as it starts at the 12th century Karak Castle, which was built by Frankish Crusaders to repel the Muslim sultan and military genius Saladin – and finishes with sweeping views from the rim of Wadi Labun over the Dead Sea.
The last of the sunlight in the desert, where sunsets are on another level.
Swimming below sea level seems counterintuitive, but the Dead Sea is an ocean of contradictions. Its ancient waters are both simultaneously salty and oily, and while it brings tears to your eyes if it finds any nicks or cuts on your skin, it’s also one of the world’s most powerful skincare treatments. Beauty is found in slathering your body in the unctuous black mud, and eternal youth uncovered by rinsing off in the three-million-year-old waters of the inland sea.
Contrary to its name, you'll feel alive and well after a swim in the Dead Sea.
“Swimming below sea level seems counterintuitive, but the Dead Sea is an ocean of contradictions.”
Hiker’s heaven is a soak in the mineral-rich hot springs of Ma’an. While the thermal springs are located in the hills above the Dead Sea, its best-known spring, Hammamat Ma'in, is still 866 feet below sea level, and taps into the earth’s fiery depths to produce water temperatures up to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. A side-trip on the sixth section of the trail, feel the magnesium and calcium do their work on tired muscles: if they were good enough for King Herod, they’re good enough for you.
Hiking is hungry work, and a visit to Beit Khairat Souf feeds not only the belly, but also the soul. The women-run café and produce store dishes up the best Jordanian cuisine, while providing employment and connection for women and girls in the remote village of Souf. Located in the Jeresh district, this is a side-trip in the first section of the Jordan Trail, from Umm Qais to the 12th century Muslim fortress, Ajloun Castle. Taste the olives, pickles, herbs and oils from the region – and get a kick with the house’s own blend of coffee, sure to put a pep in every step!
Ancient ruins and disused fortresses are dotted along the trail, like Umm Qais, where it is possible to see three different countries: Jordan, Syria, and Israel.
There aren't many better night skylines than at Wadi Rum, where the stars reflect off sandstone.
If the delicious Beit Khairat Souf has whet your appetite for the Jordanian table, a highlight of the third section of the trail, from As-Salt to Wadi Zarqa Ma’in, is a women's-focused experience called, the Iraq Al-Amir Women’s Cooperative.
The social enterprise is a key initiative in responsible travel, and is run by women and girls from the villages of Wadi Al Seer, while also preserving their heritage. Join a cooking class or shop their handmade, traditional crafts including ceramics, soaps and paper.
The group receives some of their funding from the TreadRight Foundation, which is a not-for-profit organization created as a joint initiative between The Travel Corporation's family of brands.
Touch your hand to your heart as you bid ‘ahlan wa sahlan’ – the classic welcome to guests in this part of the world. Time runs slowly in Wadi Rum and the stories its Bedouin caretakers tell are best heard over a glass of sweet mint tea at Sun City Camp, where futuristic, geodesic tents and traditional goat hair tents are set beneath broad skies in the Valley of the Moon. The heavens are Wadi Rum’s theater and the stars shine brightly in one of the world’s great stargazing destinations. With almost no settlements and little light pollution, meteor showers compete with planets for your attention, nebulas and entire galaxies come alive with guidance from the wadi’s guardians.
“With almost no settlements and little light pollution, meteor showers compete with planets for your attention, nebulas and entire galaxies come alive with guidance from the wadi’s guardians.”
It is one of the world’s great reveals: walking through the slender rock corridor that is The Siq to Petra’s unmistakable Al Khazneh, better known as The Treasury. In 2007, it also earned its rightful place as one of the new Seven Wonders of the World.
One of the world's most unmistakable sights, in the cool of the morning shade.
The Treasury is Jordan’s most visited sight and is also known as the ‘Red Rose City’ because of the color of the stone from which it was carved. The attraction lures more than a million visitors each year, and Petra is absolutely worth the hype, even amongst the souvenir sellers and busy tour groups. How to find peace here? Take a cup of sugar-laden sage tea from a local seller, lace up your walking shoes and venture past the crowds to the fringes of the rock-cut city to breathe the desert air and marvel at the carving skills of Petra’s Nabatean founders. Night brings a different type of tranquility in the ruined city, on a lantern-lit night walk through antiquity. Follow the soft light of 1,500 candles as the city, which was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1985, glows beneath the velvety night sky.
Feynan Ecolodge.
People come from all corners to soak in the medicinal waters of Ma'in Hot Springs.
The night is soft at Feynan Eco Lodge, hidden in the Dana Biosphere Reserve. This special solar-powered retreat gives visitors a chance to enjoy quiet contemplation and warm Bedouin hospitality in this desert wilderness. And with just 26 candle-lit rooms, it’s a silent sanctuary with yoga, hiking and stargazing activities planned throughout the year.
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