Jordan highlights luxury tour

Planet

Jordan's Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature is for the benefit of the local community, and is an important source of employment and education in the local region. This tour includes 5 of the protected Reserves, Azraq Wetlands Reserve, Ajloun Forest Reerve, Mujib Nature Reserve, Dana Biosphere Reserve and the Wadi Rum. The RSCN also operates a handicraft centre and locally produced goods as well as organically grown herbs and preserves are available in local shop.

Wadi Rum
Preserving the pristine wilderness, there are no hotels in Wadi Rum itself but many local Bedouins offer tourists an overnight stay in their tents in the middle of the desert. Relatively few of Jordan's Bedouin still follow the ways of their ancestors. Most have settled in cities and towns and are found in every walk of life. Yet low-slung black tents and pack camels have not vanished from the landscape, and many travellers find a shared meal or coffee with traditional desert Bedouin to be their most memorable experience. Naturalists will be drawn to the desert in springtime, when rains bring the greening of the hills and an explosion of hundreds of species of wild flowers. Red anemones, poppies and the striking Black Iris, Jordan's national flower, grow at will by the roadside and in more quiet reaches.

Stay in a genuine Bedouin camp in the desert, with traditional food, accommodation in tents and entertainment around a well lit bonfire. You can also hire a local Bedouin guide who will offer you either a 4WD vehicle, or for the more adventurous a camel ride, to explore the area.


Eco Resort, Petra
Located 10 kilometres from Petra, the village of Taybet has been converted to a 5 star resort with the support of the local community. The old village was almost deserted as the community had moved away during the 1960s, and in the early 1990s the mayor proposed turning the old village houses into a tourist resort, rebuilt and owned by the local community. The end result was a recycled village, owned, rebuilt, and run by the locals, keeping the community and its heritage alive and spurring growth. There is a Turkish bath and a restaurant serving traditional Arabic meals as well as a small market area which sells locally produced pottery and textiles to keep alive old crafts skills and bringing employment and money to revitalise the villagers.

People

Local Guides
As a company we have a policy of staying in locally owned accommodation wherever possible and our ground agents employ local guides using transport owned and operated by local people. Lunches are eaten in locally owned and managed restaurants thus supporting the community financially. This provides valuable employment to the region and keeps the money you spend in the country which helps to maintain and develop the infrastructure.
In Jordan we support the Jordan River Foundation which is a wonderful charity helping vulnerable women and children in Jordan. During this tour you will have an evening at ‘The Petra Kitchen;’ a truly Jordanian experience with local women and authentic furnishings, all crafted by the Women’s Co-operative and Jordan River Foundation.
The Jordan River Foundation is a non-profit organisation which was established with a vision to ensure the wellbeing of children by engaging Jordanians to overcome social challenges, namely child abuse.

Established in 1995 by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, since its launch, the foundation has initiated women’s projects to provide employment and enhance their livelihoods making women empowered. This project was much needed in Jordan which continues to generate income for vulnerable families, of which there are many in Jordan.

Projects include:
? The Jordan River Child Safety Program
? The Jordan River Community Empowerment Program.