Jordan Trail

The Jordan Trail runs some 675 kilometres from Umm Qais in the far north to the Red Sea at Aqaba, put together from existing paths, herding routes and wadis and waymarked from the mid 2010s. It takes around forty days to walk in full and is divided into eight sections that are commonly done separately, passing through Ajloun's oak forest, the Dana mountains, the back way into Petra and the desert of Wadi Rum.

What you actually see

• The full route - some 675 kilometres from the northern border to the Red Sea.
• The Dana to Petra section - generally rated the finest stretch of the trail.
• The back route into Petra - the approach from the north through the mountains.
• The village homestays - the accommodation the trail's economy is built on.

When to go

March to May and September to November are the walking seasons. Summer is dangerously hot in the south. Winter brings snow in the north and floods in the wadis.

Honest expectations

Water sources are unreliable and much of the route needs support or careful planning. Waymarking is inconsistent in stretches. Summer walking in the southern sections is genuinely dangerous.

Nearby

Umm Qais is the northern end, and Aqaba is the southern.