I’ve been waiting a year for October and November to arrive. Autumn is my favorite season in Jordan. Though it’s not the glowing orange, red, and yellow colors of Fall I’m familiar with, it does bring cooler temperatures and the Jordan olive harvest.
I was able to experience the olive harvest firsthand last year with my family. We offered a day tour that allowed people to get their hands dirty and help a local farmer in the Al Ayoun region of Northern Jordan. It was such a great experience that we are offering the experience again every Saturday for a month beginning October 20th.
Why the Jordan Olive Harvest is a great experience:
- It’s Authentic: Real people and real interactions; nothing is staged. Some of these farms have never had foreigners on them, let alone picking olives.
- It’s Refreshing: Bad news comes out of the Middle East everyday. This day is purely, East meets West, Muslims and non-Muslims working and eating together. That’s good news.
- It’s Sustainable: This day is a help to local farmers. We as a travel company make conscious decisions to preserve and protect local farms. We also consciously choose to learn from the host family; often an element of sustainability that is lost in tourism.
- It’s Fun: Many of us have memories of Grandpa’s farm. The olive harvest brings back these great memories for me. Instead of Grandpa George it’s Uncle Isa and Uncle Mohammad. Every photo from last year shows a person smiling; young and old, Arabs and foreigners.
My family is going again this year and can’t wait.
If you live in Jordan or traveling through during the month of October and November please contact us here or check out our Trip Page (Olive Harvest Day Trip Experience) for more information.
If you want to travel deeper, ask us about our home-stay experience in Al Ayoun after your day of fun in the olive groves.
Help us tell others of this fun day in Jordan by clicking here to tweet this post (you can preview your tweet before you send it).
