Jordan: Mujib Reserve and Ajlun Castle

There were two other things that we did in Jordan that I feel I should mention:

The Mujib Biosphere Reserve


We went hiking in the Mujib canyon and it was a blast.  There are 4 main hikes to choose from, the Siq Trail, the Canyon Trail, the Malaqi Trail, and the Ibex Trail.  The Ibex trail takes you to an enclosure where you can see Ibex - this trail is available in winter only and is a dry trail.

The other three trails are wet trails, and I'd highly recommend one of them.  The main difference between them is that the Siq trail is just a short walk up the canyon through the river and back down again.  The Canyon trail starts out dry, rappels down a waterfall, and then takes you back down the canyon in the river.  The Malaqi trail takes a full day and also ends through the canyon.

We had signed up for the Canyon Trail but a few weeks before we left there were flash floods that caused some rocks to fall and block the trail so only the Siq trail was open when we went.  This trail was still a lot of fun - I actually think it might be better than any other trail because you get to hike through the canyon in the river in both directions instead of just in one direction.

The Siq Trail is ~1km long each way and you're constantly wading through the river, climbing up and over boulders, fighting the current, sometimes even swimming because the water is above your head.  You have to be in decent shape to do it; we saw several people turning around and heading back when they got to a really big rock they had to climb up.  Honestly, this was really fun and I can't recommend it enough.  Do it!!

We didn't take any pictures on this trail because we didn't have a waterproof camera or a waterproof bag.  I had thought they would be provided at the beginning of the trail but they weren't.  So bring a waterproof bag or waterproof camera if you want pictures or video while doing one of these hikes!

Here are a few youtube videos that show what the hike is like:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yKW4pGbJnuI

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wGgN7uqg6A



Ajlun Castle


This time I just took a picture of the sign describing Ajlun so I wouldn't have to type all about it in my blog:

The thing is, we visited Ajlun right after Jerash, and it's really anti-climactic to see a mere castle after the ruins of Jerash.  Also, coming from Germany, I just don't get super excited about castles anymore.

However, there was a small museum inside the castle with some really old things in it - dating from 6,000 BCE.  Well-preserved jugs and jars.  Just crazy how old things in Jordan are.

Anyway, pictures.  Here's the castle itself, at least as much as I could fit into the photo from where I was standing at the entrance:

Some views of the castle from afar, through the haze (it's on the left in the first picture, on top of a hill):

Some views from the top:

  

 

And a few pictures from the inside.  It's really big on the inside: