Dana Biosphere Reserve

Perched on the rim of a vast canyon midway between the Dead Sea and Petra, the Dana Biosphere Reserve is Jordan’s largest protected area and its finest hiking country. Managed by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) through its Wild Jordan initiative, the reserve tumbles from cool, juniper-dotted highlands down to the sands of Wadi Araba, packing several climate zones into one tremendous valley.

The gateway is Dana village, a 15th-century huddle of stone houses clinging to the canyon edge. Once nearly abandoned, it has been carefully revived around low-key guesthouses and conservation work, and watching the light change over the gorge from a village terrace is an experience in itself. From here, trails of every length fan out along the rim and into the depths.

The classic route is the Wadi Dana trail: a full-day, mostly downhill walk of around 14 kilometres that descends a vertical kilometre through changing rock and vegetation to Feynan Ecolodge, the RSCN’s solar-powered, candle-lit lodge on the desert floor. Dana also forms part of the long-distance Jordan Trail, whose multi-day Dana-to-Petra section is often called the country’s best walk. Birdwatchers rate the reserve highly too, as raptors and migrants funnel along the Great Rift Valley overhead.

Entry involves a modest RSCN conservation fee, and guides are required on some routes — fees change, and the reserve is generally not covered by the Jordan Pass, so check jordanpass.jo and confirm arrangements with the visitor centre when booking. Dana slots naturally into a King’s Highway itinerary between the Dead Sea and Petra, about an hour to the south.