Jordan is a destination that insists on contradicting its stereotypes. For example, when you think you will only find an arid desert, you see incredible canyons where water flows everywhere from warm springs, palm groves, mosses, and climbing plants, where you can slide down water slides and bathe in natural pools—a trip from the desert to the tropics.
“Wadi Mukhaires, Wadi Jazara, Wadi Himara…” our guide recites the canyons we are passing along the roadside. We drive along the Jordanian side of the Dead Sea, between numerous luxury hotels, made for travelers worldwide to float in the highly salty waters. But that’s not why we came. We came to see why Jordan is the Wonderland of canyoning.
What is a Wadi? It is an Arabic term for a dry river or valley in desert areas, where water usually flows only during the rainy season. However, it also applies to ravines and mountain streams. The Dead Sea Valley offers multiple opportunities to explore canyons with deep cuts through mountains ranging from 1700 to 400 m below sea level.
“My hobby started when I was a child, thanks to the trips my mother used to take me on,” says Bader Abdel Jawad, one of eight certified canyoning guides in Jordan who accompanies us on our canyoning journey. Bader trained in Scotland, as well as in Jordan with the French Mountaineering School. “The best month for canyoneering in Jordan is April,” he tells us. “But in Jordan, you can do it all year round and without wetsuits!”.
“We’re lucky; it’s not crowded today,” Bader tells us. His statement surprised me since there were few cars in the parking lot. “Yes, but there are no buses.” We sign up at the welcome center, where we hear many languages being spoken. “There are times when you have to wait up to two hours in line to get in.”
Swimming trunks, dry bag, and water shoes. Ready for action. It’s time to check whether Wadi Mujib’s fame is deserved. We round the entrance wall and… wow! Love at first sight. After descending the metal stairs, we enter the water and gradually enter a high and impressive gorge. Do you want to take a selfie already? Wait, the best is yet to come.
“Who painted the rocks?” I ask aloud as I admire the artistic beauty of the large blocks of stone painted with colorful stripes. “Those fickle color combinations are the result of thousands of years of the action of water in combination with different minerals,” Bader tells me. “The yellow is from sulfuric origin, the red from iron, the purple from magnesium…” As on so many other occasions, nature is the best artist.
“This is beautiful!” Frits, the photographer, exclaims in awe at the scenery displayed before us at every turn. The canyon narrows increasingly, and the water runs powerful, so much so that at calf height, it already requires an effort to walk against the current. It is a miracle of nature to see so much water flowing in the bowels of the desert. Dozens of little fish swirl around my legs and give me little nips. “It’s like a free peeling; it’s included in the price,” Bader jokes.
We continue progressing up the canyon with the help of ropes and ladders in the most delicate steps. There are waterfalls where a powerful jet of fresh water hits us, there are fun slides to slide down, and there are faces of happiness and amazement all around us. A huge rock blocked between two walls anticipates the end, where everyone waits their turn to have their picture taken under the waterfall. “I’ve done this canyon probably over a hundred times.” I understand, but you know what? I have to remind you how stunning and unique it is.
“Wadi Al-Karak is my favorite canyon. It’s long, but it has a bit of the best of every canyon in Jordan,” Bader tells us about our mission for the day. However, fate has other plans for us. “There is a high risk of thunderstorms.” Bader says. It’s time to adapt.
“It’s decided: we’re going to Wadi Bin Hammad. It’s technical, beautiful, and can be done in four hours. This gives us time to do it before the storm arrives”. We set off, and the valley landscape becomes more dramatic as we descend the steep slope. Some goats cross the road quickly while shepherd children greet us from the arid fields where they walk their herds.
A family changes next to us in the parking lot. “It’s a perfect canyon to introduce people to technical canyoning: familiarize them with the equipment, make their first rappels ….. But it also has two options: Wadi Hora, which we will do, and another variant that can be done on foot,” Bader tells us.
We walk among palm trees through a rocky and increasingly cliffy environment. The landscape is raw and stark. Although the terrain is easy, you must look carefully at what rock you are stepping on. We haven’t even started the canyon yet, and my butt has already tasted the hardness of the desert rock. “Those walls up there are the real start of the canyon. Descending them requires six rappels, the longest being seventy meters. And from there, you access where we are right now.”, Bader points out. I’m just glad we “cheated” and started a little lower.
A small waterfall surrounded by green vegetation in the shade seems the perfect lunch spot. We gather dry firewood, light the fire, and prepare the meal of the day: fried onion and tomato over low heat, fried and crushed Fava beans, with a drizzle of green chili and lemon dressing. The country-style “foul” is ready. Delicious!
We resume the hike through a narrow, meandering water trail until we reach the rappel. Crabs dodge our footsteps as Bader sets about preparing everything. At these moments, you know how important it is to put your life in the hands of professional guides. “Is everything all right? Are you sure?” we go to it.
Several locals observe our movements: clumsy at first, agile later. Anyone who has rappelled before knows that the worst part is the first moment when your brain sends a clear signal of danger when your back is turned to the void. The first step is enough to relax the body and mind.
“It’s like being on another planet,” I tell Bader as we continue walking between high walls of black rock, green moss, and red sand. Showers of water fall from the sky, creating an atmosphere that looks like something out of a movie. “It’s like stepping into Narnia,” Bader tells me. We marvel at the water flowing through the bowels of the desert: A true miracle of nature.
“I’m still exploring for canyons. I’ve discovered a few,” Bader tells us proudly. We are driving to Wadi Mukhaires, among vineyards perched on improbable terraces in the middle of the arid environment, and locals who look strangely as our car passes by. “In Jordan, there must be hundreds, many of them unexplored. Just flowing into the Dead Sea alone, I have counted fourteen, but many secondary canyons feed the main ones, and sometimes they are even more beautiful.”
We hiked to the first rappel of the day for cooler water than in other canyons. “The spring in this canyon is next to Mount Nebo, from where Moses first beheld the Promised Land,” Bader tells us. Why did you choose this canyon to close our journey? “Apart from its beauty, it’s accessible, and you can choose where to enter or exit. There are three rappels: seven, ten, and twenty meters. The first two are optional, but doing the last means walking to the Dead Sea.”
We descend the first rappel without complications, enjoying each step into the void. Next to us, the waterfalls in a mighty cascade. We walk to the second rappel between rocks with organic shapes: small pipes cross them from side to side. They look like alien burrows. We had to make our way through dense bamboo and bushes vegetation for a few meters.
The excursion has been outstanding. Our journey comes to an end. “What do you like most about canyoning?” I ask Bader. “Making people happy. Their satisfied faces when the activity is over, and they tell you: ‘I didn’t know if I could do it’… and we did it! It’s a very nice feeling. Besides, it’s an activity that requires a lot of attention from me because my clients’ lives are in my hands and my decision-making. But that’s what it’s all about making people happy”.
Jordan is a land for adventurers. Discover all the options for touring the country on foot or by bike. Or its best scenery for climbing or canyoning. Whatever your tribe, you’ll find a kindred spirit here.
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