Ajloun Castle & Forest Tour

About This Tour

Most visitors are surprised to find that northern Jordan is green — genuinely, deeply green, with hillsides of oak, carob and wild pistachio rolling toward the Jordan Valley. Crowning one of those hills stands Ajloun Castle (Qal'at Ar-Rabad), built in 1184 by Izz ad-Din Usama, a general of Saladin, to guard the iron mines and block Crusader expansion. Your guide leads you across the drawbridge and through a labyrinth of vaulted halls, arrow slits and spiral stairs to the tower roof, where the view stretches across the valley — on clear days as far as the Sea of Galilee.

After the castle we drive fifteen minutes to the Ajloun Forest Reserve, a protected pocket of Mediterranean woodland managed by the RSCN. An easy guided walk follows shaded trails past strawberry trees and orchid meadows, with stops at the local soap house and biscuit house, where village women run thriving cooperatives — your purchases directly support forest conservation. The half-day format leaves your afternoon free, or we can combine Ajloun with Jerash for the complete northern Jordan day. Spring visits are especially beautiful, when the hillsides bloom with black iris and wild cyclamen.

Tour Highlights

• 12th-century Arab castle
• Forest reserve hiking
• Jordan Valley views
• Medieval architecture
• Local olive groves

Frequently Asked Questions