Visitors to take in Ajloun woodland scenery from zip line

AMMAN — The Ajloun Forest Reserve, which is home to a diverse array of wild plants and animals,  will  launch an initiative for a 330-metre zip line due to the increasing number  of local and foreign visitors.

The reserve, which has “preserved the woodlands and history of Ajloun over the years”, also has plans to build 20 huts to accommodate 150 guests, as part of its tourist programme, Ajloun Forest Reserve Manager Othman Tawalbeh told The Jordan Times on Wednesday.

These developments, he added, are to meet the tourism industry’s high demand.

“The zip line will be above the greenest area in Jordan, which is filled with oak, pine, wild pistachio trees, and wild strawberry bushes,” he said.

Tawalbeh said that the number of visitors this year reached 40,000. 70 per cent of them are Jordanian and the rest are foreigners, who were all “astonished” by the evergreen trees and the biodiversity that Ajloun contains.

This upgrade, he continued, will “benefit the guests who love to come to Ajloun”, especially families, as they will be provided with play areas that have been opened for almost two months now, in addition to expansions in the reserve’s restaurant, which will contribute to the employment of many people.

“The importance of Ajloun Forest Reserve is its strategic location that is home to 575 varieties of wild plants and 105 types of birds and wild animals over 12 square kilometres,” he said.