Day 1-Dana Biosphere Reserve to Mansoura
The main reason we traveled to Jordan was to hike a 5 day section of the Jordan Trail, a long distance trail that covers the entire length of Jordan from north to south. We began at the Dana Biosphere Reserve, a beautiful place with an enormous variety of plants and animal.
Besides our incredible guide Lama, this was our main support team. Oudhiz was a quiet, hard-working man who led the way with his trusty donkey Mehzoun. We were told Mehzoun was like a 4-legged GPS system, he knew exactly where to lead us.
We arrived shortly after heavy rainfall in Jordan, which turned everything unusually green.
We were there during wildflower season, and everywhere we went there were beautiful flowers coloring the landscape.
Dana Biosphere Reserve was gorgeous, every turn we took the colors changed and there was something unique to look at.
Minerals in the rocks create wild patterns.
Lots of ups and downs on this trail. We stopped at the first main viewpoint for some lunch.
We didn't see a ton of wildlife, but there were several lizards and birds.
The lush green valleys of the Dana Biosphere gave way to a more arid section of the hike. Normally this side of the range would have very little plantlife, but because of the rain the ground was covered in green.
Descending into the riverbed.
The last section of day one was on a nice graded dirt road through rolling mountains. Very nice after the rocky and steep trails.
We crossed a river shortly before camp. The river helped the local olive farms thrive.
Day 2-Mansoura to Furon
Campsite for night number one.
Day two began with a steep climb into a drier section of trail. Perfect for finding scorpions.
It didn't take long, only a few rocks, before we found the scorpions we were hoping to see. We found one very flat mean looking one, and a fat, slow one a few rocks later.
Even in the dry areas the flowers were still in full blossom.
There were only a handful of hikers out on these trails. We mainly ran into local families tending to their sheep and goats.
The views never stopped impressing us.
Trekking with a herd of goats.
We could have spent all day searching for fossils. Like the scorpions, they weren't very hard to find.
Some areas were covered in flowers, such a surprise!
Donkeys are a fun addition to a trek. They aren't very affectionate, but they are eating machines and fun to watch in their neverending search for tasty food. Mezhoun was just as happy eating leftovers from our lunch as he was eating spiky, prickly plants dug up from the ground.
This was our whole team, including our amazing guide Lama. She's the first woman who has completed the entire Jordan trail, and she's even done it multiple times.
Another easy last couple of miles leading into camp for the night.
We had another member of our support team meet us each night at camp, and he prepared some delicious meals. Quite a luxury when you're in the middle of nowhere!
Sunset from camp number two. From here we could see into Palestine.
Day 3-Furon to Ghbour Whedat
Day three began with a short downhill section, then we would be climbing up to that enormous ridge off in the distance. This was the most remote day of our trek.
We found a hidden arch. This trail kept changing and reminding us of places like Utah and California.
More flowers on day three, so many varieties!
Millipedes were easy to spot scurrying along the rocky ledges.
Reaching the ridge, anticipating some incredible views.
Oudhiz was in interesting man. Very calm, quiet and humble, but when the camera came out he'd be up in a tree posing for an epic shot.
No other hikers today. This shot was taken by a local goat herder that had his flock grazing up on the mountain trails. We had tea with them and took some photos.
Descending from the mountaintops we came across another very unique landscape. Clouds were rolling in and we were hoping to get a little rain.
Nearing camp, we wandered past fava bean farms.
Starry skies with the glow of a town off in the distance.
Day 4-Ghbour Whedat to Little Petra
This was our favorite camp, with beautiful rounded mountains. We woke up every morning to Mehzoun braying as if he was a rooster.
Day three was less scenic but took us past several historic sights and through farmlands.
A canyon formerly used by the Nabataeans as a stop on the flourishing trade route that passed through the area.
Remnants of the Nabataeans scattered throughout this area. One of their impressive skills was water management, building vast channels and aquaducts.
Mehzoun taking a lunch break.
At this point, we had to say goodbye to Oudhiz and Mehzoun. We were descending into a canyon that was too treacherous for a donkey. He was surprisingly ready to take a selfie with us.
The canyon leading into Little Petra.
Little Petra is an area near Petra that is like the suburbs of Petra. Steep canyon walls were used to carve shops, homes and other useful structures by the Nabataeans.
We were able to climb inside and look at some of the interiors.
A well-preserved triclinium, or formal dining room used on the trade route to entertain clients.
Walking through Little Petra was exciting, but only made us more excited for the next day, where we would be hiking into Petra.
Our stay that night was at a Beduoin camp near Little Petra. Each night at 8:00 they light up the surround mountains.
Day 5-Little Petra to Petra
Day five, we were so excited to finally be hiking to Petra. We were entering through the back entrance which meant we still had a nice hike ahead of us that day before reaching Petra.
Funny to see an inch worm just hanging out in the desert.
After a few miles we reached the back entrance to Petra. At this point, the stairs began and the views got better and better.
This was the Jordan landscape we were expecting.
The trail clings to the cliffside.
The first and most impressive structure we came across was the monastery, or Ad Deir. It was gigantic and mostly unrestored. After several days of solitude, it was strange to be around crowds of people again.
Petra is enormous. We didn't realize that the majority of our hike for the day would actually be within the city of Petra.
The Lion Triclinium.
The Temple of Dushares.
Looking around from this viewpoint we could see the main road of Petra disappearing into canyons on both sides and we could see how enormous this city was. Because of the canyons, Petra was nearly impossible to find and was "discovered" by outsiders only recently.
Tombs carved into the mountains.
And finally, we reached the iconic Treasury. This is what people think of when they hear the word Petra. It was swarming with nicely dressed tourists fighting to get their nice Instagram pictures taken. We felt a little out of place having come from a five day trek through the wilderness.
This really was a magical place to finally see in person.
And that was it. Our five day journey was over. This was an incredible trek through some surprisingly diverse landscapes, ending at one of the most iconic wonders in the world. We have to thank our support team for making this such an enjoyable trip, and especially Lama (our guide) who was the perfect fit for our group. Friendly, smart, and a pure joy to be around.