Trek the Jordan Trail

“By far the most rewarding and challenging trail I’ve hiked so far. It runs north-south through the country of Jordan for 675 km and goes through a variety of stunning landscapes. The north is more populated and the south is very wild until you get to the end of the trail on the coast of the Red Sea. I hiked it solo north to south but you can hire guides for some or all of the trail if you choose. The trail agency is continuing to add blazes and other trail markers, but much of it is still navigated using a GPS device and waypoints. Water is the biggest logistical challenge and in some sections you need to hire someone to cache it for you. You go below sea level in the Rift Valley up north, and walk through the red sand deserts encompassing Wadi Rum in the south. You descend into the desolate Wadi Dana Biosphere Reserve and walk through the middle of Petra feeling a bit like a desert trader from a different time. You climb into and out of one wadi (valley) after another, exchanging lush valley floors with fruit trees and streams for exposed and windswept plateaus at the top. The desert stars are unparalleled, the views along the trail are amazing, and the terrain is very challenging. I was prepared for my usual routine of 6-7 days camping and then one night at a guesthouse to resupply, but in reality I was offered places to sleep almost half my nights in homes, shops, and tents, and offered a meal and tea nearly every day. I was invited to a wedding and taken on a motorcycle tour to the Dead Sea. I met people from all walks of life who wanted to be sure I had everything I needed and was safe. Someone stops driving to ask if I’m ok, I explain the trail and my hike, next thing you know I’ve been asked to have dinner with their family and a dance party with their kids. Or I stop at a house to ask if I can refill my water, then 20 minutes later I’m having tea and a google translate conversation with someone’s grandmother about her garden. You will never want to turn down tea and a chat, but if you don’t then your month long trip will take twice as long.”

“To reach the canyon, we climb 3,000 feet up from Wadi Hidan and then drop down the other side into Wadi Mujib. A dirt track at the bottom reaches Bedouin encampments, where we camp. The Bedouins set up tents for us and cook a fine meal of rice and lamb, which we enjoy under the stars. Our camp each night centers around a large Bedouin tent used for lounging and eating. We sleep in outlying small camp tents under heavy woolen blankets. The Bedouin communal tent is constructed of heavy woolen cloth erected on local stakes and tensioned with thick cords. Meals are cooked over a fire, which the Bedouins light on a moment’s notice using the scant nearby brush. The men who made our camp make it clear that even though we are paying them, in their tradition we are their guests in every sense of the word.”