march-2011

FEATURES | AMMAN
unique fauna from water buffalo to tiny,
silver killifi sh. The RSCN has converted an
old British army fi eld hospital into tourist
lodgings, bringing in a local Chechen
family to prepare home-cooked meals for
overnight visitors from their repertoire
of folk recipes. Azraq’s traditional salt
industry has been decimated, and the
RSCN has been working against a
backdrop of economic depression to help
local women produce craft items for sale in
nature shops around Jordan, giving them
an alternative source of local income.
It’s a classic RSCN way of working –
conservation married with socio-economic
development. As conservationist Chris
Johnson explains: “This is how we try to
work – to make sure the people dependent
on the land are the main benefi ciaries of
alternative livelihood programmes. We
go in as equals, as partners.”
I SWUNG SOUTH towards the RSCN’s
fl agship scheme at Dana, a previously
overlooked village in the mountains
above Petra. For the past 15 years a project
to protect a tract of land centred on the
majestic Dana Valley has won international
acclaim, not least for its success in
pioneering responsible tourism.
54 | TRAVELLER | MARCH 11
Clockwise from here,
Dana village, one of its
residents, carved cave
façades at Petra
“THE PEOPLE
DEPENDENT
ON THE LAND
ARE THE MAIN
BENEFICIARIES”
Dana consistently takes your breath
away. From the low-key guesthouse at the
top of the valley (from JD59; tel: +962
(0)3 227 0497, rscn.org.jo), designed by
Jordanian architect Ammar Khammash in
the local style, to the solar-powered Feynan
eco-lodge (from JD67; tel: +962 (0)6 464
5580, feynan.com), with no electricity or
road access, guests are guaranteed a unique
experience. Virtually all of the tourismrelated
jobs, from tour guides and rangers
to managers, cooks, receptionists, cleaners
and shop staff are taken by local villagers,
so more than 800 people benefi t directly
from Dana’s success.
ONE OF THE most beautiful walks leads
up to the eloquently named Shag ar-Rish,
or “Canyon of the Feathers”. Setting off
with twinkle-eyed nature guide Abu
Yahya, we rambled amid fl ower-fi lled
meadows, surrounded by the rocky domes
that characterise the Dana heights. As we
reached a pass and began to climb into
the Canyon of the Feathers, Abu Yahya
explained why the place was so named:
not for the raptors that soared overhead,
but for the sharp pinnacles of rock that
fl ank the gorge, like feathers. The summit,
dotted with evidence of settlement by
the Nabateans – the people who built
Petra, just 40km to the south – offered
stupendous, silent vistas.
This is what Jordan does so well these
days: low-impact, sensitively developed,
sustainable tourism, referred to in the
trade as “soft adventure”, but always
with that sense of grass-roots inspiration.
Local tour operators are starting to cater
for this growing market – three of the
most noteworthy are Terhaal (terhaal.
com), Sarha (sarha.jo) and Petra Moon
(petramoon.com), all of whom offer
hiking, trekking, mountain biking and
various other exploratory trips into
Jordan’s wilderness areas.
As Ali Hasasseen, a local nature guide
based at Feynan, explained: “If you follow
the community’s way – their tradition and
religion – you can create opportunity while
preserving your culture. This is what we are
doing. I love my work!”
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