Nature on Picturing Jordan

Lose Yourself in Wadi Rum

Mon, 27 Mar 2017 10:30:42 +0300

Bedouin with camels in Wadi Rum

You could easily lose yourself — both literally and figuratively — in the endless red sand and towering rock skyscrapers of Wadi Rum. This majestic place, known to even the Greeks and the Romans, has been inhabited for thousands of years and is unlike any other place on Earth. The unique landscape has been featured in a handful of Hollywood movies, for example Lawrence of Arabia and The Martian.

Take a local Bedouin guide, sleep in a tent, and experience the beautiful tranquility of Jordan’s desert expanses.

Sleep in a Chalet at the Dead Sea

Wed, 15 Feb 2017 18:31:28 +0200

Enjoy the view from the comfort of your hammock

Jordan’s Dead Sea coast is the perfect place to get away from the hustle and bustle of Amman. If you’re looking for something a little more wholesome and minimalistic — not to mention cheaper — than an elegant five-star resort, look no further than Wild Jordan’s chalets at Wadi Mujib.

Wild Jordan staff are friendly and genuinely care about nature conservation. Trips to this and other reserves are part of an impressive government effort to preserve Jordan’s natural spaces.

Harvesting Olives in Ajloun

Fri, 18 Nov 2016 18:39:58 +0200

Freshly picked olives

Wild Jordan has an ingenious day trip where you pay them to take you to pick olives on a farm in Ajloun — the family who owns the farm even comes out to watch you and give you tips! Like I said: genius. Jokes aside, it was actually a lot of fun, and the point is to educate you about the olive harvest and its importance to people in the region.

The olive harvest usually starts around October or November. One of the major factors deciding when exactly to start the harvest is rain, as wet olives apparently produce more oil. In addition to olive oil itself, people in the community make a few food and beauty products from the olives and sell them through community owned and operated enterprises like the Soap House and the Biscuit House. You can find out more on the Wild Jordan website.

How many olives can ten amateurs pick in thirty minutes?

Azraq Wetland, a Disappearing Oasis

Sat, 24 Sep 2016 21:28:31 +0300

A one of a kind oasis is at risk of disappearing soon.

There’s a unique wetland nature preserve an hour and a half from Amman — in thirty minutes of walking around, I saw birds, snakes, crabs, fish, and even water buffaloes! For thousands of years Azraq was a massive, thriving oasis whose ecological diversity supported human settlements, but in recent decades it has come dangerously close to drying up due to increased water usage from surrounding cities.

Learn more about the wetlands on a trip with Wild Jordan or Experience Jordan, and turn off the water in your shower or sink when you don’t need it!

Camping in the Dana Biosphere Reserve

Mon, 19 Sep 2016 09:48:23 +0300

Just after sunrise at a camp in the Dana Biosphere

A few weeks ago I slept in a tent on the cusp of Jordan’s Rift Valley. Wild Jordan has regular hiking and camping trips to the reserve and they are very affordable. The staff are friendly and genuinely care about nature conservation. Trips to this and other national parks are part of an impressive government effort to preserve Jordan’s natural spaces.