Hiking Across Jordan (part 1)
The 'Jordan Trail' is a hiking footpath that traverses the country north to south. The northern terminus starts at Um Qais which is a village near the borders with Syria and Israel. The route is 650 kilometres to connect with the Red Sea. I hiked southbound over 22 days in October 2019.
Hopefully this trip report helps plan or inspire a long distance hiking trip. Information and pictures from the northern half of the country (the first 11 days) are found on this page. Then if you can tolerate more of my bad jokes and poor photography skills I'll post a link to the next page which includes the southern half. I broke up this blog post into 2 parts to speed up loading times with all the photos.
Here is the link for part 2 if you want to 🐻 with me for the entire journey!
https://www.ascendandwander.ca/2019/09/thru-hiking-jordan-trail-part-2.html
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| The GPX track across Jordan |
Day 1
We took a bus from Amman early in the morning and started hiking before noon, leaving the northern terminus at Roman Ruins in the village of Um Qais. It was Autumn this time of year with temperatures upwards of 35 degrees during the day and the coldest overnight lows were hovering around 10 degrees for the duration of the trip.
The trail started with a downhill, descending towards Wadi al-Arab Reservoir before climbing hills to rich agriculture land outside the town of Zabda. We took a break in the shade of a large oak tree, and while shouldering my pack back on, an insect we couldn't identify got in my shirt and stung me. Just my luck, a few hours into the hike and I was already pulling out the antihistamine cream from my first aid kit. It wasn't the introduction I was hoping for, but fortunately as the day progressed I was able to focus more on which of the many chocolate bars to eat rather than the pain and inflammation. Stay tuned for more stinging stories later...
We passed Bedouin tents and had good views overlooking the Sea of Galilee throughout the day. Wadi Darraba and Wadi Quseiba were long exposed sections in a riverbed. The sun started to set as we approached the remote northern towns of Taybe, Menda, and Makhraba.
A young Shepard approached me and introduced himself using formal arabic language in case I was learning the language, but I had to unfortunately communicate that I only spoke English. This encounter was the kind of introduction I was hoping for and revealed how welcoming the people are in this region... more on this later also.
We slept at an Eco-Park near the Wadi Zigab Reservoir which provides lodging in cabins after devouring copious amounts of tea and amazing food.
One of the few signs way marking the trail
Wadi al-Arab Reservoir
Sea of Galilee coming into view across the rich agriculture plains outside Zabda
Fun fact: the National Tree of Jordan is the Oak
Tents of the Bedouin Tribe
A long exposed dry section through Wadi Darraba
Pleasant hiking through the remote northern towns at dusk
Day 2
A suitable title for today could be "A Long Uphill Day on the Jordan Trail" since we covered 40km and over 2000m elevation gain to reach our destination in the town of Rasoun. We were starting below sea level and our first ascent was into the hills of the Jordan Rift Valley.
Part of me was really glad we had a large portion of the uphill early in the morning with cool temperatures. The novelty soon wore off though when the trail passed bee farms and I got stung 2 more times!
A nice surprise was finding fresh pomegranates and guavas along the trail which I now consider to be 'the best and most underrated' fruits. Maybe that comment is partially biased by 'trail hunger' kicking in, but you really can't beat fresh fruit while hiking.
The route joins a road that brings you to Greco-Roman ruins just outside the town of Pella. There's another uphill section out of the Wadi el Jirim valley onto upland meadows in Wadi Sir. There are more ruins of a Byzantine church and nearby is an attraction called the 'Jesus Cave' which we skipped. Continuing on through the town of Beit Idis you hike through some parks and a forest protected area.
Unfortunately trash is a huge problem in this country. Maybe the root cause is a lack of education or the feeling of being house proud. While it didn't seem to bother any of the locals, I found it upsetting to see the trash scattered everywhere.
It rained on us during the forest section and we were also running out of daylight hours. The sun was setting during the road section leading up to the Rasoun cliffs and I put my headlamp on for a fast steep descent down the mountain into the town. We slept at a homestay with a family and were treated again to copious amounts of tea and amazing food.
Watch out for bee farms
Fresh pomegranates
Greco-Roman ruins outside Pella
Uphill through the riverbed
The unfortunate view of garbage everywhere
Approaching the Rasoun cliffs at dusk
Day 3
The morning had lots of road walking through the rural villages of Al Ayoun. At the high point there are ruins of Mar Elyas ancient church. As the day continues you start to see a dominating hilltop in the area which strategically houses the Ajloun Islamic castle.
This is a busy touristy area with coffee shops and a visitor centre nearby. Embrace the hiker look and stink since people are going to be giving you strange looks. Admission in the castle is included with the Jordan Pass.
Country lanes then continue past the old abandoned village of Sarabees. Hanish Spring is a reliable water source. More rolling hills lead down into pretty Wadi Mahmoud with its famous cliffs for sport climbs.
Somewhere along the road walking sections, we got our first taste of 'trail magic' when a driver passed us, only to return with a 2 litre bottle of chilled Pepsi! Overnight was camped just outside Khirbet Al Souq.
Ancient church of Mar Elyas
Ajloun Castle
Overlooking the valley where the trail meanders through
'Trail magic'
Day 4
A construction crew building a tower in the forest was really excited to meet hikers. They were really nice, shared tea with us, and fun to be around. My hiking partner got 99% of the attention while I stood awkwardly outside the frame of their cameras sipping tea.
We descended towards King Talal reservoir, crossed the bridge on the western side, then continued uphill to more agricultural land. A water irrigation channel creates a waterfall but it's runoff from the city and therefore not clean to drink or swim.
The town of Rmemeem soon after has churches, mosques, cafes, and restaurants. After crossing a highway near Al Ahliyya university, you are on the home stretch to a city that is full of history, Al Salt. We were checking into a hotel for the night which makes this city sound even more appealing.
Views over the hillside village of Burma
A steep descent into the town
King Talal Dam
Day 5
Break day! And it was my 26th birthday - wahoo! That's a good enough excuse to relax right? I went into town for lunch, local coffee shops, church tours, street markets, and suepr glue to repair the outsole of my running shoe.
Wear and tear wasn't a good sign to see this early in the trip, but my Altras were doing much better than my hiking partner's Brooks who had just walked one of the Caminos. Today marked kilometre 130. All in all, it was a good day to chill out, fatten up, wash clothes in a hotel sink, and get ready for the remaining 500+ kilometres.
Day 6
I don't remember much from today, but I definitely remember how great our overnight accommodation was at the Women’s Craft Cooperative. They have cabins and a sheltered outdoor patio.
However, there was an annoying puppy that would always run up to you and bite your ankles which I'll admit was cute at first then it just got annoying. You know those pets who always get in the way to the point you can't walk straight, that was this dog x 100000.
Low point in the valley
Poultry farm
We had a good chuckle from this "no shepard with goats" sign
Hellenistic site of Iraq Al-Amir
A cute but annoying puppy at the homestay
Day 7
The route goes through a pleasant pine forest, passing tombs, ruins, and rock formations to reach the town of Husban. There were two springs afterwards that were each flowing clear. The ascent to Mount Nebo was steep as you pass Bedouin tents.
Shepard dogs (unlike the cute little annoying puppy from yesterday) ran towards us from across the valley to notify us of their presence and communicate that we are not welcome around the sheep. I never felt uncomfortable this trip around the dogs, but they do pose a real threat as they are untrained and defend their pack and property. The trail passes private land all the time and it's guaranteed you will have close encounters with the dogs. Trekking poles add an extra sense of security here (especially if you have jousted before... jk... but seriously, they are a very handy tool to keep distance from the dogs). A more effective trick is to pick up rocks and if necessary throw them in the proximity of the dogs (no, not at them directly). That is how the shepards control the dogs and often the simple act of bending over to pick up a rock with keep them at bay.
Mount Nebo is another tourist hotspot. It was a great feeling climbing up the side of the mountain to reach the same staging area as over ten tour buses that drove there. By now you are probably already used to people giving you strange looks anyway. The Jordan Pass was not accepted and admission was 2 JD per person.
The descent from Nebo was steep and footing was loose. Like lots of the trail, you are not on established footpaths and instead using shepard trails. This area was a unique spot since it felt like a new introduction to desert terrain.
The next mountain has a road which made the ascend more efficient. We had an amazing sunset walk on the back side of that mountain with views of the Dead Sea. Those couple hours were one of my favourites memories from the trip.
We camped below sea level off a dirt road with views of the Dead Sea and Israel; although it was dark when we arrived and we left early the next morning so didn't see much of the campsite.
I got stung for the 3rd time without actually seeing the animal. My guess was a scorpion. The bite was painful, showed signs of perspiration, and made my foot itch. I knew to always watch my step, especially at night in the desert, but those things aren't exactly going through your head when waking up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Not going lie, I was a little paranoid and wrote down the details such as date/time/location/symptoms/etc in my notebook just in case it was venomous I was rushed to the hospital. I had cell service and ended up spending hours during the night googling what to do in the event of scorpion or other arachnid bites. I put on more antihistamine cream that same night and had forgotten about it by the next day. There's one more sting story still to come...
Ascending after our 'brunch' coffee break
Pine forests
The tourists hotspot of Mt Nebo
The terrain is feeling more like a desert
Ridgewalk above the Dead Sea
Day 8
I enjoyed looking at the statistics from our travels and seeing the magnitude of times we crossed sea level. One thing that surprised me about Jordan as a whole is how mountainous the north part of the country is. On your thru hike, literally just expect to be walking up and down up and down every day.
The first major wadi you cross is Wadi Zarqa Main. There are three other smaller wadis today also (Wadi Mukhaires, Wadi Dardur, Wadi Himara). The different season brings variable amount of water in the river and nearby waterfalls. When we crossed the wadis in early to mid October they were flowing at a decent rate but nothing severe.
Flash floods are another real danger (in addition to the doggies). The ground doesn't absorb water like other parts of the world. A consequential scenario would include being stuck in complex terrain without sufficient escape routes and bad weather. The Jordan Traill Association would be a good resource to inquire about the conditions if rain is in the forecast.
This area is dotted with Bedouin camps and the remnants of the old Roman road from Jerusalem to Mukawir. Starting below sea level, the day got hot really fast. We winded up a deactivated road that appeared to have been destroyed by water erosion and took a break in the shade of a large highway sign.
When the sound of the highway cars faded, the appearance of a massive rock wall dominated the view. I was wondering what the route across was going to be like but the travel was very manageable. Water had a decent flow below the knees. The next major wadi is Wadi Hidan and we camped nearby.
The colour contrast in the wadis
Ascending from below sea level
The prominent canyon wall of Wadi Zarqa
Supermarket ice cream detours
Bbbbaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Terrain east of the Dead Sea
Day 9
It's a wild descent into Wadi Mujib to say the least, followed by a 'type 2 fun' uphill afterwards. The maps say "Very steep / Be careful" in multiple sections and the route finding can be difficult. Eventually you will pass a spring with cool crisp clear water and the green foliage emerges to identify the bottom of the wadi. Expect to remove shoes for the river crossing unless you have mad hops.
There is flat ground on a large boulder very close to the river crossing which is a great place to break before the ascent. Wadi Mujib was my other highlight from the whole trip. Both the lying in the river part, and the brutal mid day 1200m climb that followed. Part of what kept me stoked to be hiking up the mountain in 30+ degree heat were the two people I hiked with - thanks for the companionship J & Z ❤️.
It was crazy looking back across the wadi after the climb and spotting the tiny watch tower where we breaked hours ago. The complex terrain doesn't look passable, but then again, shepards and goats do it all the time. A series of roads through fertile farming land and remote towns ended this section as we arrived at our camp spot near Majdaleen. Apparently there is a cafe in the small town of Faqua but darn we missed that.
Entering Wadi Mujib
Cool crisp spring water
Goats spending another day at the office
Crossing the Arnon Stream
Daily hummus cucumber meals
#uptracksdontmakethemselves
Day 10 & 11
The section had lots of road walking through the small towns of Al Yarout, Ar Rabba, and Rakin (which has shops and a cafe). The cars passing you were not used to seeing hikers and would always honk when passing. Then on your right there were tons of dogs that were constantly barking. Not the most pleasant series of sounds to be heard, so I threw in headphones and Joe Rogan's podcast during the road walk.
The track leaves the road and descends into Wadi Tawaheen as you see Karak castle to the southeast. Crossing the usually dry Wadi ez Zaiyatin leads to a track that goes uphill and steps leads into the old town where you can enter the castle from the main square area.
Today we experienced another random act of kindness when taking a break in the shade before the uphill. A young fellow on a donkey in the valley below comes trotting up to us (which was the opposite direction he was heading) to say "As-salāmu ʿalaykum" which translates to "Peace be with you" and asked if we needed anything.
Karak castle was another tourist hotspot. Historically it served more as a community space and living quarters as opposed to Ajloun castle (day 3) which was a defense fortress. The castles all had intricate ways of how water was gathered stored and transported.
Wadi Tawaheen
View from Karak Castle
From my hotel room with Karak castle on the right
https://www.ascendandwander.ca/2019/09/thru-hiking-jordan-trail-part-2.html