Trekking and Canyoning in the Jordanian Dead Sea Rift

The Jordanian Dead Sea Rift includes some of the world's most ragged and colorful desert landscapes. Its dramatic canyons are only now beginning to be reveated, offering the trekker untamed desert wilderness. Year-round streams, waterfalls and lush vegetation are all here to be found, dotting the desert with numerous oases. Rising above the canyons are mazes of sandstone domes and isolated cliffs with spectacular vistas. Bedouin nomads roam through the region, herding their goats and often still living in goat-hair tents, not far from world-famous archeological sites such as the Nabataean city of Petra. It is amazing that a region as spectacular as the Jordanian Dead Sea Rift remained unknown to hikers for so many years. The guidebook is based on many months of through, day-to-day landscape survey of the Jordanian Rift, as well as on 6 years of leading trekking expeditions in Jordan. It is written from the perspective of an experienced hiker and guide who is also an environmentalist and geologist. The book describes 68 routes ranging from one to six days. Among the routes are easy walks for dayhikers as well as challenging treks. 12 canyoning routes demand abseiling skills. The book is 264 pages long including 41 detailed maps, 3 true-color satellite images and 24 color pages. Background information include geography, history, flora, fauna, people and culture, nature conservation and language as well as practical information about when to trek, how to get there, what to take etc.