Joining the Jordan Trail Association on a day hike
When I left the house in Amman at 5.45 AM, it was freezing cold. About six degrees, and I just hoped it will change over the day. Leaving from Abdoun, about 50 hikers left in two busses towards Khirbet Al-Souq in order to walk towards King Talal Dam. About 1.5 hours later we reached the start point. There we joined some of the Thruh-hikers and Weekend-hikers of the Jordan Trail. Donkeys were set up with water and Wi-Fi. After a short introduction about the trail and awareness raising for the environment, we were set to go. Still a bit cloudy and cold, I thought it is a good day for hiking but not so much for taking pictures. But this was about to change.
Starting our hike from Khirbet Al-Souq to King Talal Dam
We started in a very green area with lots of trees. We walked most of the time off-road or on gravel trails. Just a few short sections were asphalt roads, so it was a good track to experience nature. The spots for short breaks and the lunch break were selected very well. Not only this gave the chance to talk to interesting people from all over the world. It was a very mixed audience. Both non-experienced hikers to professionals who joined the 2018 Thruh-Hike of the Jordan Trail or are doing something like five or six of the eight regions. Participants came from Jordan or other Arab countries as well as from all over the world, be it Canada, Holland, or England.
Hiking the Jordan Trail 
The changes in the environment we walked through were really interesting. Around the little village Burma, it smelled like France with many pine trees. We climbed some hills, and descended down later. Sometimes we walked through open grass, sometimes over stones or even on smaller paths through avenues. Truly different surroundings than anything I have seen so far in Jordan.
Reaching King Talal Dam
The track was indicated as easy in the brochure but as moderate on the website. Compared to another track from Fuheis to Iraq Al-Amir I think it was more moderate than easy as sometimes slopes were steep both up and down. However, even some smaller children joined the group and managed until the final goal, King Talal Dam. It offered an excellent view despite the huge collection of rubbish in the water. Water levels were relatively low and the gates of the dam were closed. The green mountains were nice and after the last steep climb, we reached the campsite for the ones who were staying overnight. A wonderful stop to rest and enjoy an amazing sunrise the next day.
King Talal Dam Lake 
King Talal Dam Lake 
View from the Dam 
King Talal Dam 
Sunset
Hiking in Jordan
If you are interested in hiking at all or just want to get outside of the city, I can only recommend joining at least one of the day trips, which this year you can do until 19th of March, or even a weekend trip or a whole region if you have the time. Some of the walks are intense however and you should be well prepared and have the right gear with you. If you don’t want to do an organized trip, this is possible as well but needs some preparation on your own.
I’d like to thank the JTA who invited me on this trip and I can highly recommend them as they were responding quickly, immediately fixed some errors on the website, left punctual, and made sure we had a safe and wonderful time that day. For more information on the track and beyond, click here. For other Jordan Trail Adventures, see my hike from Dana to Petra.
Nice hike, thanks Bastian. If you would like to have also information on how to discover the lake with your family, see my post about the history of the dam and its lake on https://familyinjordan.com/en/2018/03/21/hiking-memo-king-talal-dam-and-its-lake/