Adventure trails in Jordan
(click on thumbnails to see a bigger image)
In Oktober 2002 i went with my girlfriend for two weeks to the lovely kingdom of Jordan. It wasn't going to be the standard quick tour along the sights. No, a trip with plenty of time for long walks and treks in Jordan's spectacular scenery.
We started in Madaba from where we visited mount Nebo and the dead sea. From there along the King's highway to Dana nature reserve where we spend 3 full days. Most tourists dont visit Dana on their visit to Jordan. Too bad, it is really a paradise for hikers and nature lovers.
pic 1 | Inside the Moses memorial Church on mount Nebo |
pic 2 | One of the hallways in Kerak castle |
pic 3 | View from near the Rummana campsite in Dana |
Pic 4 | Some sanddomes in late evening light |
Pic 5 | On the trail from the campsite to Dana village |
From the Rummana campsite in Dana we took
the trail to Dana Village. One of the few old villages in Jordan. A really
lovely place with great views over Wadi Dana, green terraces and friendly
people.
Pic 6 | View of Dana Village |
Pic 7 | A goatherder beckoning his goat |
Pic 8 | The shopkeeper in Dana being very busy |
pic 9 | On the plains near Shobak on the descent in Wadi Ghuweir |
pic 10 | The superb red sandstone siq of Wadi Ghuweir |
A bit of a downside of Dana nature reserve
is that the park authorities force you to hire expensive guides on rather
easy and straightforward hikes. For example: the easy 2 hour trail from Rummana
to Dana village will cost you about 12 Jordan Dinar (almost 20 Euro). A tip
for people who like to do it by themselves: go down the fantastic Wadi Ghuweir!!
This splendid gorge is mainly outside the park so the park authorities can't
force you to hire an official guide. The hike back up through Wadi Dana, which
was almost an anti climax after Wadi Ghuweir, can be self guided.
The previous 2 and the next 5 show the 8 hour hike down Wadu Ghuweir from Start to Finish.
pic 11 | Action pic on the narrowest part of the gorge |
pic 12 | when the gorge widens a bit you get this tropical paradise... |
pic 13 | ....with hanging gardens coming down the red sandstone. |
pic 14 | the last bit is dominated by black vulcanic rock... |
pic 15 | ....untill you reach the dry plains near feinnan. |
You think this was spectacular? Wait till you see part
2, Petra