Hiking in the desert is one of life’s most meaningful experiences, serving up incomparable views you can’t see from your car, shared campfire meals with people you meet along the way, and silence and wide-open spaces for mindful reflection and late-night storytelling under the stars. Needless to say, hiking in Jordan – amongst fields of wildflowers, ancient sites, rugged mountains and out-of-this-world desert-scapes – takes things to the next level.

Whether you have your heart set on the timeless ruins of Petra or the Dune-like landscapes of Wadi Rum, here is our pick of the best hikes in Jordan, ordered from north to south.