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DANA
This
enchanting small village nestles at the
foot of a cliff overlooking a magnificent
view of Wadi Dana. The Royal Society for
the Conservation of Nature (RSCN)
has set up a nature reserve in the area
of Dana to study and preserve local flora
and fauna. Field guides are available.
Hiking trails are open, and field guides
will lead tours in the early morning and
in the evening.
Recent
surveys of the Dana area have produced
some very exciting results: 72 different
families of plants adding up to a total
of 703 species; 38 species of mammals;
258 invertebrate; 2 amphibians; 42 reptiles
and more than 215 species of birds have
been identified - some of them never before
recorded in Jordan. Of the species found,
several are considered to be in serious
global decline or threatened with extinction.
This alone confirms that the reserves
importance in helping conserve the world's
dwindling wildlife populations.
Among
the most interesting animals the surveys
have uncovered is the Blandford's fox,
a tiny and beautiful creature hitherto
unknown in Jordan. Many rare birds have
been recorded, including the magnificent
black Verreux's Eagle, normally found
only in Africa; and the Syrian Serin,
a finch native to the Middle East. Dana
is thought to have more than 90 percent
of the known breeding population of Serin.
DANA
NATURE RESERVE
The
Dana Nature Reserve has three access points,
two are above Wadi Dana and the other
at its lower end: the village of Dana
where you have the Dana Guesthouse
of the RSCN including the local
handicraft shop; the Tower Centre
with the Rummana Campsite not far from
Dana; and the Feinan Campsite
down at the foot of the mountain.
WHERE
TO EAT & STAY
The Visitors' Centre,
the Reserve administration
and the Guesthouse are
in the same building in the village of
Dana, tel. (03) 2270497/8 fax (03) 2270499.
Dana Guesthouse, offers a breathtaking
view of the reserve. It contains nine
comfortable furnished bedrooms with private
terraces, and good facilities for food,
meeting and conferences. (Reservations
are strongly advised).
There are two campsites in Dana: the Rummana
Campsite can accommodate 60 persons
per night and 75 persons for a daytime
visit. It is open for overnight visitors
from 1st March to 31st October. Feinan
Campsite is under reconstruction
- a lodge will be opened end of 2003.
Until then visitors can pitch their own
tents inside the defined camping area.
To
make a reservation, contact the Royal
Society for the Conservation of Nature
(RSCN), tel. (06) 5337931/2 fax
(06) 5347411.
HOW
TO GET THERE
Take the King's Highway from Amman and
pass by Karak and Tafila. Over 20 km from
Tafila, between the villages of Rashadiyya
and Qadisiyya, there are two signposted
roads, one to Rummana Campsite
and one to Dana village.
You can reach Feinan Campsite
either by foot from Dana, or from the
west: take the Dead Sea Highway from Amman,
and then a side road to the village of
Greigra. From there you can hire a 4WD
vehicle with a driver/guide up the mountain
to Feinan.
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