Featured Destination
Jordan
Jordan
Visit Jordan with an open mind, and you’ll leave a richer human.
Jordan, recently named one of the top 9 destinations to visit in 2018 by National Geographic, is a place that should chart your bucket list. Offering an array of unique experiences for an adventurer, such as the 400 mile country-length thru-trek aptly named The Jordan Trail, this Near East nation is full of surprises. From being mesmerized by the carved city of Petra to taking in the dip in the Dead Sea to crossing the Mars-like Wadi Rum Desert to meeting the Bedouin tribe of desert nomads, Jordan will make you stop in your tracks and awe you. We invite you to learn more about Jordan, its people and its adventures.
Quick Facts about Jordan
- Capital: Amman
- Currency: Jordanian Dinar (JOD)
- Language: Arabic
- Population: 9.45 million
- National Dish: Mansaf
- National Flower: Black Iris
Hiking The Jordan Trail
Tony Howard and Di Taylor, two mountaineers and explorers, envisioned the Jordan Trail back in the 1990s on their early explorations. Now they take you on a journey along the full-length of the Jordan Trail recounting the 2017 inaugural trek, from Greco-Roman Um Qais to the Dead Sea. Read their account.
Jordan
Interesting Facts
- There are 7 nature reserves in Jordan managed by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature.
- Mujib Nature Reserve on the eastern shore of the Dead Sea is the lowest nature reserve in the world.
- The Jordan Trail, stretching 650 km in length, starts in the forested north in Umm Qais, and as you wander down traversing the desert passing the city of Petra, you end the trek at the shores of the Dead Sea.
- The Dead Sea is 9.6 times saltier than an ocean, allowing you to stay afloat naturally.
- The King’s Highway, an ancient trade route running through Jordan has been in use since the 1st century. It served an important function of connecting Africa with Mesopotamia in the early ages.
- Jordan bears a rich theological heritage, and you can find important Islamic, biblical, and Jewish sites here.
- Jordan shares its border with six countries: Iraq, Israel, Palestine, Saudi Arabia and Syria.
- Black Iris is the national flower of Jordan, native to Jordan, and it grows in the Wadi Rum desert in springtime.
- The city of Petra, one of the New Seven Wonders of The World, was carved in the 5th and 6th AD. Though the most popular tombs to visit are Petra Treasury and Petra Sanctuary, you can find over 800 tombs carved in stone here. It’s a sight to marvel at.
- In Jordan, it is considered polite to refuse a meal three times before accepting it.
- You can scuba dive in the Red Sea to explore the 25 km long reef, housing 130 species of Coral and 160 species of fish.
