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The authors have been climbing and trekking in the mountains of North Africa and the Middle East for well over 30 years. They were responsible for the discovery, in 1984, of Wadi Rum in south Jordan as a climbing and trekking area and wrote the guidebooks to that area. Since then they have returned to Jordan every year, always managing to find some time to explore other parts of the country between world famous sites of antiquity such as Petra, Pella, Ajlun and Kerak. They were also invited to document the superlative routes to be found in Jordan's recently formed Nature Reserves, in particular the mountains and canyons of Dana and Mujib and, once again, in their favorite desert area of Wadi Rum which was declared a National Park in 1998, a status they had long fought for, in support of the local Bedouin people.
It is rare for a book of this nature to describe such a wealth of previously unknown and varied terrain, but their discoveries reveal an unexpected land of forested hills, beautiful dales carpeted in flowers, huge canyons sometimes with fast-flowing rivers, recently discovered caves, perfect limestone cliffs in wooded valleys and high mountains with lunar landscapes. This book not only gives descriptions to well over 100 routes, almost all previously unknown, but also indicates many still unexplored areas for those who wish to make their own discoveries. It gives information on how to get there, when to go, what to take and everything you need to know about the routes. In so doing, it offers you an opportunity to see and experience a country of great antiquity and previously unsuspected remarkable beauty, making a plea to respect the land and its people, both largely unspoilt by tourism.
Foreword by HM Queen Noor al Hussein of Jordan; Preface to the second edition; Thanks to all concerned; Permissions; Introduction; History; The people and places that inspired the book; Environmental and Cultural Awareness; Culture clash; Whos who? Cultural tips for travellers; The environment a plea from the authors; Environmental tips for the traveller; The Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature; Visitor code; How to make a booking; Wildlife in Jordan; What sort of birds might you see? What animals might you see? The Lie of the Land; Geographic and historical boundaries; North Jordan; The Dead Sea Hills; The Dana Area; The Petra Area; Wadi Rum and the Aqaba Mountains; On the Move; Going to Jordan; Getting in; Where to go; When to go; On the road; Accommodation; Other Things Worth Knowing; Holidays and holy days; Language and communication; Money matters; Food and drink; Water; Clothing and equipment; Mountain biking; Guides; Maps; Maps and topos in this guide; GPS; Be prepared! In an emergency; Using this Guide; Route descriptions; Grading of walks and treks; Grading of canyons; Caving in Jordan; Grading of caves; Rock climbing in Jordan; Grading of scrambles and rock climbs; North Jordan; The Jordan Valley Hills; The Ajloun Area; The RSCN Ajloun Woodland Reserve; The Yabis and Pella Area; The Yarmuk Area; The North Eastern Desert; RSCN Nature Reserves in the Northeast; Around Azraq; The Capital Area; RSCN Dibeen Forest Reserve; The King Talal Dam Area; Around Amman; The Northern Dead Sea; The Dead Sea Hills; The Madaba Area; The RSCN Mujib Nature Reserve; The Karak Area; The Dana Area; The Northern Dana Area; The RSCN Dana Nature Reserve; Shaubak Area; The Petra Area; Petra; The Northern Approaches to Petra; The Western Approaches to Petra; Jebel Harun and the Southern Petra Area; Humeimah; Wadi Rum and the Aqaba Mountains; Wadi Rum; The People of Rum; The Rum Protected Area; The Rest House Area; Jebel Rum, 1754m; Jebel um Ishrin, 1753m; Eastern Rum; Burdah, Khazali and the South; North of Rum; The Aqaba Mountains; Caving in Jordan; Climbing in Jordan; The Saqeb Area; The Ajloun Area; The Karak and Shaubak Areas; The Petra Area; The Wadi Rum Area; The Aqaba Mountains; Appendices; 1 Guides and Adventure Tourism Operators in Jordan; 2 Relevant Reading; 3 Some Useful Arabic/English Words; 4 Climbers Glossary; 5 Index of Routes; 6 Place-name Index; 7 Index of Maps in the Guide; 8 Animals and flowers of Jordan
Tony Howard started climbing in 1953 and was very active in the Peak District in 1950s and 60s, writing guides to gritstone and limestone. In the early 1960s he worked as an outdoors instructor in Wales and the Lake District, qualifying as a British Mountaineering Council guide in 1965, the year he was on the first ascent of Norway's 1000m Troll Wall, "the biggest unclimbed rock wall in Europe". He then worked as a Mountain Guide in Romsdal from 1965 to '70. Elsewhere, he has climbed in most north African and Middle Eastern countries from 1963 onwards, and climbed and/or trekked in Greenland, Canada, America, South Georgia, India, Nepal, Thailand, Madagascar and Iran.He was a founding partner of Troll climbing equipment in1965. In 1984 together with Di Taylor he founded the adventure travel consultancy N.O.M.A.D.S. (New Opportunities for Mountaineering, Adventure and Desert Sports), when they discovered the climbing potential of Wadi Rum in Jordan. Tony has worked with Austrian and BBC TV, filming in the mountains of Jordan and is a regular contributor to outdoor magazines and travel guides. He wrote 'Walks and Climbs in Romsdal, Norway', 'Treks and Climbs in Wadi Rum, Jordan' and, together with Di Taylor, 'Jordan - Walks, Treks, Caves, Climbs and Canyons' and 'Walks in Palestine with the Nativity Trail'. They return to the Middle East every spring to enjoy the hot rock, great trekking and the companionship of their many Bedouin friends.
