OUR EPIC JORDAN ROAD TRIP II: TAKE THE SCENIC ROADS

Our road trip began on the Desert Highway, also known as Route 15, headed to our first stop to Wadi Bin Hammad (read the full story here). Once we got off the highway, the road became much more mountainy, but extremely green, with small villages scattered around.

The last couple of miles before reaching the Wadi’s Visitors Center, were actually more of a off-road experience, with the pathways Situated in Karak area, this breathtaking canyon is renowned for its Hot Springs, however surprisingly is not commonly featured in travel itineraries. Which is exactly the kind of experience we were going for by adding it to our road trip. With predominantly locals visiting on weekends to enjoy the Wadi Hot springs complex, we basically had the entire canyon just for ourselves, and spend couple of hours trekking through its streams and rock formations, accompanied by one of the Wadi keepers and its furry best friend, called Max.

Next, we took off to the Dead Sea, where we stayed at the unique Mujib Chalets, located just across the road from the infamous Wadi Al Mujib, west entrance. Driving through the Jordan Valley Highway, or route 65, was an unforgettable experience, with the most amazing views over the Dead Sea opening up as you drive down the Karak Valley.

The following day, we were headed to Petra, just on time to witness a Petra by Night show, which only happens few nights a week. Find out more details about the unique event in this blog post.

We took the road up to At-Tafilah, a town hidden up in the mountains, surrounded by natural springs, extensive green gardens with olives, figs and grape-vines, as well as phosphate and cement mines, which are one of the country’s main income resources Incredibly scenic road, that we definitely recommend passing by if on your way, especially around the golden hour before sunset, as the light is just so good and the landscape just leaves you in awe.

Taking the King’s Highway next, was also an amazing route to pass through, having the chance to drive through Dana Biosphere Reserve region, a national protected area covering over 300 sq.km of land, being the largest nature reserve in Jordan.

Another amazing discovery was Al-Karak Highway, with every single turn there to open up the most insane views of the multiple canyons and breathtaking valleys of south-central Jordan. Highly recommending this road if you are into experiencing scenic landscapes for your road trips, that creep around small local villages and jaw-dropping views.