In about 2 weeks this year’s Thru-hike of the Jordan Trail will kick-off. Only two years ago, the first thru-hike was completed. As of now the Jordan Trail has already gained worldwide publicity and manifested its place as one of the most interesting hikes on the planet. Certainly, it doesn’t lack diversity, challenge, extraordinary places, or beauty. Initially, it is advertised as a 650 km trail from the green North of Jordan over lush valleys, mountains, and desert passing by world wonder to finally reach the Red Sea at Aqaba in the South of Jordan.
2019 shall, however, be a premiere. Not only has the old Ottoman city of Salt been added to the trail. But the start on the 1st of March is at the Red Sea and will lead the hikers up North. They will eventually reach Umm Qais on April 13th. I think for many reasons this might be a good idea to go South to North. Usually weather will get hotter during these six weeks. Also you start with some challenging terrain in the beginning and will be rewarded with more green surroundings in the end.
I should mention that you can, of course, do daily hikes, weekend hikes, and region hikes as well. Some of the region hikes covering the most prominent sections of the trail around Wadi Rum, Petra, and Dana are already sold out. But you can still register for some weekend hikes or daily tours from Amman or sign up for the full hike. Complete information covering all the sections in detail can be found in the booklet.
How to hike the Jordan Trail
You can of course not only go with the Jordan Trail Association. The non-government, non-profit organization maintains the Trail. They publish all information, and provides GPS coordinates or maps of the trail. There are plenty of other organizations such as Hike with me, TREKS or Discover Jordan Tours. They cover parts of the trail and you also might even go self-organized. However, you should be well prepared and it might not be recommended for all sections of the trail if you are an inexperienced hiker! Most of the hikes in the Northern region are pretty easy to moderate also not too far from Amman so that you can do these as one-day hikes. One really beautiful day trip is for example from Khirbet Al-Souq to King Talal Dam.
More and more hikers join every year. People from more nationalities joined and more local families and communities got involved in the Jordan Trail enabling them to benefit from the tourism industry. I definitively intend to join some daily hikes if not more and can’t wait to get out of the city. If you want to see some amazing pictures and stories make sure to follow some professional hiking enthusiasts covering their impressions on Instagram as announced by the Jordan Trail Association.
@therealhikingviking
@sarah_ann_gracee/
Please follow me as well on Instagram.@livinginjordanasexpat
If you still haven’t seen enough, this video showing the part from Dana to Petra is an excellent teaser
