600km Jordan Trail to showcase Kingdom's 'diverse terrains'

AMMAN — Adventure lovers can now explore the Jordan Trail, a pathway spanning 600km of "beautiful hiking through the Kingdom's diverse terrains and landscapes, according to a USAID statement released on Sunday. 

"Starting from the forests of the north and continuing to the mountains, deserts and canyons of the south, the trail passes through 52 villages where hikers can enjoy local food, explore historical sites, and have an authentic Jordanian adventure," the agency said.

USAID is supporting the Jordan Trail Association (JTA) to develop and promote the national Jordan Trail over the next 12 months.

The USAID Building Economic Sustainability through Tourism Project (BEST) will provide a grant to ensure the sustainability of the JTA by developing the trail and a strategy that fosters adventure tourism, and enables service providers to run tours and trips along the trail, the statement said. 

USAID BEST and the JTA will create investment opportunities for local communities along the trail, focusing on two of its sections: Um Qais to Ajloun and Dana to Petra. 

In addition, USAID will support marketing and promotional activities, build the capacity of JTA staff and train 20 guides.

“The Jordan Trail offers visitors a diverse, unique and authentic experience. USAID support provided through this grant will ensure that the Jordan Trail is positioned as a new adventure tourism product," the statement quoted Tourism Minister Nayef Al Fayez as saying at the signing ceremony of the grant.

US Ambassador Alice G. Wells stated: “The Jordan Trail has the potential to support socio-economic opportunities for 52 villages along the trail. By developing the trail we can help create up to 200 jobs in five years.”

JTA President Muna Haddad said the Jordan Trail was mapped by "a group of passionate volunteers that walked the length of the country over the last three years to bring to us some of the most beautiful landscapes, diverse natural environments and rich cultural localities along this 600km path". 

"It is an open and free trail for hikers and first timers to explore a healthier lifestyle, to reconnect with nature and sit down for a traditional meal with a local family in a village after a long hike," she added, according to the statement.