🇯🇴 Natural wonders of Jordan
A desert kingdom of dramatic contrasts — from the red sandstone wilderness of Wadi Rum to the shores of the Dead Sea, the lowest point on the surface of the Earth.
🗓️ Best time for nature: Spring (March–May) and autumn (September–November) for comfortable temperatures across the desert and rift valley; summers are very hot.
The lay of the land
Jordan is largely desert, cut by the great Jordan Rift Valley — part of the same tectonic rift running down into Africa. In the south, Wadi Rum is a wilderness of towering sandstone and granite mountains rising from red sand, carved by wind into arches and canyons and rich in ancient rock art. To the west, the rift plunges to the Dead Sea, a hypersaline lake some 430 metres below sea level — the lowest exposed land on the planet — where swimmers float on water almost too salty for life. Dark desert skies make Jordan superb for stargazing.
Where to begin
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Wadi Rum
The 'Valley of the Moon' — red desert and towering sandstone mountains.
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The Dead Sea
The lowest point on Earth's land surface, where you float effortlessly.
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Wadi Mujib
A river canyon you climb by wading upstream — the lowest nature reserve on Earth.
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Dana Biosphere Reserve
Jordan's largest reserve, tumbling from highland to desert across several climate zones.
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Ma'in Hot Springs
Hot mineral waterfalls cascading through a desert canyon near the Dead Sea.
A taste of the place
Jordanian food centres on mansaf (lamb in dried-yoghurt sauce over rice), generous mezze of hummus and falafel, Bedouin sand-oven feasts (zarb), and sweet sage tea — the hospitality of the desert.
Traveling responsibly
- Visit in spring or autumn to avoid extreme desert heat.
- Stay overnight in a Wadi Rum Bedouin camp for sunset and stars.
- At the Dead Sea, keep the water from your eyes and rinse off after floating.
Jordan is a land of desert and rift. In the south, Wadi Rum spreads its red sands beneath towering sandstone and granite mountains, a wilderness so otherworldly it doubles for Mars on screen. To the west, the Jordan Rift Valley drops to the Dead Sea — at roughly 430 metres below sea level, the lowest exposed land on Earth, and so salty that bathers simply float. This atlas begins Jordan’s chapter with those two extremes: a sea of sand and a sea you cannot sink in.
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All wonders in Jordan
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