Jordan Trail

The Jordan Trail is the country's flagship long-distance hiking route — 675 km from Umm Qais on the Sea of Galilee in the far north to Aqaba on the Red Sea in the south, threading 75 villages and traversing the full diversity of Jordanian landscape: Mediterranean hills, the Jordan Rift, biblical sites, the Dana wilderness, the back door into Petra, and the sandstone monoliths of Wadi Rum. Officially opened in 2017 by the Jordan Trail Association, it stitches together ancient pathways, Roman roads, and Bedouin tracks.

The trail divides into 8 regional sections and 40-odd daily stages. The northern hills (Umm Qais to Amman) cross gentle olive-grove and oak-forest country with Roman ruins around every corner. The central section (Amman to Dana) crosses biblical highlands — Madaba, Mount Nebo, the Dead Sea escarpment. The headline week is Dana to Petra — a 5-day desert canyon traverse arriving at Petra via the rear entrance, descending through the Monastery (Ad Deir) for a magical first view of the city. The final section south through Wadi Rum's red sandstone desert to Aqaba is the trail's most photographed landscape. Cumulative climb is around 22,000 m, much of it concentrated in the Dana-to-Petra wadi section.

Walking season is March–May and October–November — winter is rainy in the north, summer brutally hot in the south. The trail is well-marked with the Jordan Trail's red-and-white blazes; many sections also have ancient Roman milestones and Nabatean markers. Accommodation is a mix of village home-stays, Bedouin camps in the south, and small inns; food and water are arranged through local outfitters for most sections. Most thru-hikers go with a Jordan Trail Association-licensed operator ($2,500–5,000 for the full 40-day trip including food and guide). The most popular section is the 5-day Dana-to-Petra; many visitors do only that as a standalone trip.