Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
stores, supplement your rations with freshly picked fruit from the many roadside fruit
stands, and head into the surrounding hills for a picnic.
Information
Just south of the main roundabout in Ajloun, the Housing Bank changes money and has
an ATM. The
tourist office
Offline map
Google map
( /fax 6420115)
was not func-
tioning at the time of writing.
Getting There & Away
Ajloun is approximately 75km northwest of Amman and 30km northwest of Jerash. The
castle can be clearly seen from most places in the area. If you're driving or walking, take
the signposted road (Al-Qala'a St) heading west at the main roundabout in the centre of
Ajloun.
From the centre of town, minibuses travel regularly to Jerash (600 fils, 30 minutes
along a scenic road) and Irbid (JD1, 45 minutes). From Amman (900 fils, two hours),
minibuses leave half-hourly from the North Bus Station.
LOVING THE LAND
It's easy to spot a guide at one of the six flagship nature reserves run by the Royal Society for the Conservation of
Nature (RSCN) - they exude such a passion for their place of work. This is hardly surprising when you consider
that, as part of the RSCN's far-sighted policy to involve local people, the rangers are almost all born and raised
nearby.
Take Majid, a ranger at Ajloun. He loves the evergreen oak forests because he played in them when he was
young; he remembers village grandfathers harvesting the strong strawberry-tree timber to build houses and local
grandmothers using the fruit to settle stomach ailments. There were also hunts for roe deer and wild boar - the same
species Majid is now helping to reintroduce and protect today.
Hunting may be banned within the parks, but local communities are still given a vested interest in the land they
call their own. At Ajloun, six of the surrounding villages are involved in the maintenance of the reserve: 'Our famil-
ies want to protect their sons' employment,' says Majid, 'so they are keen to support the reserve and make it work
for the benefit of the whole community.'
Naturally, not everyone is equally committed and the reserve faces problems such as illegal cutting of firewood
for valuable oils and the odd attempt at poaching. The clever part of the RSCN philosophy, however, is that villagers
