“The Dana Nature Preserve in Jordan as viewed from the edge of town”
The Dana Nature Preserve was a highlight of my recent trip to Jordan with the Wandering Trader, courtesy of the Day Trading Academy, and I am excited to now share an area overshadowed by iconic attractions such as the lowest point on earth or massive Nabatean tombs in the Petra Valley.
“Our Hotel at the Dana Nature Reserve”
Outside of Petra, Dana Biosphere and Preserve is considered to contain some of Jordan’s most important archeological discoveries and the town we had the pleasure of staying in has uncovered artifacts dating back 6,000 years.
“Another view from the guest house”
A city walk will put you in touch with the history of the town and the local flare who will make you feel welcomed while photographing the alleys and rooftops.
Incredible in detail down to reuse local material the care taken in rebuilding this city will make this area a ‘must see’ attraction for photographers and a comfortable retreat for nature enthusiasts alike
“Our great rustic hotel: The Tower Dana Hotel”
Just the kind of place i needed for my curiosity to allow me to get lost in my thoughts as I explored the historic ruins and reflected on how far off my initial impression was of the rubble in the mountains that truly is a diamond in the rough.
View from the guest house at the Dana Nature Reserve
With many locally threatened plants and animals being protected in the reserve the tourism is also rebuilding a city that was once nearly abandoned because of the lack of basic amenities and employment.
On the bluffs above the preserve sits the quaint village of Dana complete with a few operating hotels that were reconstructed out of the rubble
“The Tower and Dana Hotel as seen from the Dana Guest House”
Conservation efforts have protected an astounding variety of plant and animals over the preserve to include hyena, wolves, and ibex in a safeguarded area that encompasses sand dunes to forested areas at high altitude.
“A rather scenic drive up from the lowest point on earth off the Kings Highway to the highlands of the preserve”
While I have visited some remote places during my expeditions around the world, the charm and enthusiasm of this town’s populace which contributes to it’s prosperity as a destination in Jordan.
“A pit stop on our Jordan Road Trip to Dana Nature Reserve”
Tourism offering encampments, hiking trails, and wildlife viewing has reached high enough levels that sightseers to the area are funding the preserves socio-economic development and maintenance.
“With a little international help Dana is now a self-sustaining eco-tourism attraction”
My stay offered quite a remarkable insight into the preservation of an area whose inhabitants and tourist industry is as resilient as it was rustic.
“The Al Borj rest stop and home to some of the finest Arabic Coffee ever sampled”
There is something about getting to know locals in countries that we travel to and Solomon was no exception. Joking around with us how he is as “old as the dinosaurs” yet still insisted we take a picture and put him on Facebook and over breakfast the following morning could not believe the 600 likes and all the comments from the wonderful followers on Wandering Trader.
The final view from our hotel room….
Feel free to peruse our Jordan Picture Gallery for more travel photos from around the world
I hiked in the Dana Nature Reserve! What an adventure! I also hiked around Petra twice. Very enjoyable.
I’ve never seen a boring picture of Jordan. The place looks unreal
Great photo essay of this fascinating area, you did an excellent job presenting it. I love the image of The Tower Dana Hotel, it looks intriguing!
Great photos. That hotel looks like a real experience. One thing I found really interesting about the images of Jordan when I was there were how the ancient or natural worlds were always sharply juxtaposed with the industrialized world. A tomb and a hundred plastic bags. A desert road and a line of orange soda bottles. A Bedouin outpost and a nice Jeep. And somehow, it was all very beautiful.
Really great photos. I did the hike in Dana Reserve as well. A great spot and it was a very pleasant surprise for me as I hadn’t read too much about it. Dana village is really nice as well as the little hotel and the view the next morning. We didn’t see too much of the wildlife but that was probably down to our untrained eyes