An hour and a half northwest of Amman, the district of Al Ayoun (north of the famous Ajlun Castle) is quickly becoming one of my favorite places to visit. In a country that is 90% desert, Al Ayoun is a breath of fresh air with the Mediterranean climate, ancient olive groves, fig trees, fruit orchards, and forested valleys.
In addition to the unique visible greenery not found in Amman, personally there is a sense of calm and quietness that comes with the area. The honking horns and the variety of big city sounds that belong to a city of millions are absent. Even as I write this I hear a man on a loud speaker from his truck asking, at peak volume, for used furniture!
We have spent a lot of time there walking Abraham’s Path with locals, hiking the trails run by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), and helping local farmers harvest olives.
(See some Olive Harvest photos here)
From our time exploring the area with our guest, we’ve been able to experience a welcoming community and genuine hospitality. So much so, we are beginning to make it one of the main pockets of Jordan we take our travelers to experience the generous and welcoming people of Jordan.
Jon and I are actually heading up there this afternoon to break the Ramadan fast with some of our new friends we have made from our trips to the area.
We hope to highlight some of our experiences in Al Ayoun in the near future. In the meantime, we will keep you posted on our dinner tonight and our upcoming ‘Olive Harvest Experience’ being offered this Fall.
