Jordan’s Grand Canyon
Central Jordan, Jordan
The Wadi Mujib is an enormous gash in the earth some 1,300m deep. The winding King’s Highway twists its way down the side of the canyon and then up the other side heading on to Kerak, but the area deserves more than a pause for a photo; there is a nature reserve at the western end of the gorge with good canyoning for the adventurous and hiking for those that prefer less rigorous activity.
Background
A natural border the huge canyon was once the boundary of the Moabite and Amorite kingdoms. Wadi Mujib is a vast chasm plunging from 900metres above sea level to 400metres below sea level with the nature reserve being a surprisingly rich habitat for wildlife which includes jackal, wolf, mongoose, honey badger, hyena, caracal and ibex. There are some 400 recorded species of plants and 200 species of birds whose success in survival is largely down to the inaccessibility of the valley.