"A Hike in Ajloun, 8km of Views (and Hills)" by Rafe Sullivan
Hello! My name is Rafe, and I am a student at Amideast studying Arabic in Amman, Jordan. As of writing this, I’ve spent almost 4 months exploring this beautiful country, and one of my favorite activities thus far has been a hike I took with some of my friends in Ajloun. The trail we took is a small part of the larger Jordan Trail which goes from Um Qais in the north to Aqaba in the south, and it was amazing! Along with some unforgettable memories I took some nice pictures as well, so if you’re a nature lover like me and want to learn more about hiking in Ajloun, check them out!
Ajloun may be a big tourist destination for its beautiful castle, however the environment around the castle is something to behold as well. Ajloun Castle is located in a rural area with lots of trails and empty roads, making it perfect for a quick hike. The drive from Amman to Ajloun is only about an hour and 15 minutes to an hour and a half but be careful! Ubers and Careems will drive you to Ajloun, however you’ll need to ask them to stick around to take you back because neither of these services operate in Ajloun. The cost of the round trip with an Uber was about 50JD/70USD split between our group of 4. We arrived in Ajloun at about 11AM, and left at 2PM, so keep that timeframe in mind when negotiating with your driver!
Photo credit: Sullivan, 2023
This right here is a “Milk Thistle” (حليب الشوك / Haleeb Asshook in Arabic). It’s a common sight in Jordan, and you’ll see a lot of them here in Ajloun. Although the roads we walked on were clear of anything like this, if you want to stray off the road to get some good views and nice pictures make sure that you wear closed toed shoes, some nice socks, and watch where you’re stepping because these things hurt!
Photo credit: Sullivan, 2023.
The town in this picture is actually Kufranjah (كفرانجة) which is about 2.5km away from where we were standing. You’ll notice as well that faint cloud cover, which was definitely a lifesaver over the course of this hike. Picking good weather is extremely important for any outing, but especially ones like this where it’s not so easy to just turn around and leave. We picked a day that was just cloudy enough to shield us from the sun while also still letting us get these far of views. It’s important to remember as well that because of Ajloun’s elevation (which is almost the same as Amman’s) sunscreen and protective clothing are very important to avoid getting burnt to a crisp, regardless of cloud cover.
Photo credit: Sullivan, 2023.
Like I said earlier, Ajloun is a very rural area. Among the grass, trees, and hills are various farmers and ranchers making their living. In this picture you can see a herd of sheep grazing just off of our path. Not pictured are their shepherd dogs, who will definitely give you a hard time if you try to get close. Do not mess with the sheep or the dogs, but also don’t let them scare you too much. Yes, they will bark and growl at you, but they won’t chase you unless you really push your luck. Just ignore them and keep walking, if there is really a problem their owner will usually be nearby to intervene.
Photo credit: Sullivan, 2023.
We all know that “what goes up, must come down” however in Ajloun this is reversed. We started at Ajloun castle, walked down a large road, and looped back around walking towards the castle. As always, the nature around the path was beautiful, but the incline was S-H-A-R-P! Make sure you don’t overexert yourself on these hills by taking plenty of breaks when you need to and drinking water! All the Apple Watches and fitness trackers were very confused by the end of our journey; however, the consensus was that we had climbed at least 50 flights of stairs.
Photo credit: Sullivan, 2023.
We only saw locals a few times during the hike, but they were always very friendly. We apparently came just in time to receive lots of green beans (فول / Fool), which these farmers were more than happy to give away to us in handfuls. It was a very nice way to end our trip, as 8km of hills really does help you work up an appetite. Thanks to my friend Laura for taking this picture!
Photo credit: Laura G., 2023.
Rafe Sullivan is a student at George Washington University and studied abroad in Jordan on Amideast’s Area and Arabic Language Studies program during the Spring, 2023.
