Wadi Mujib Biosphere Reserve, Jordan.

© Ondrej Prosicky/Getty Images/iStockphoto

Mujib Biosphere Reserve

Dead Sea Highway

LoginSave

This wonderful reserve, which ranges from an altitude of 900m above sea level to 400m below, was originally established by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) for the captive breeding of the Nubian ibex. In addition, it also supports a surprising variety of more than 400 species of plants, 186 species of birds and 250 animal species, including the Syrian wolf and striped hyena.

It’s also an important staging post for migratory birds travelling between Africa and Europe. The reserve faces the challenge of an increasingly drying region, but it’s encouraging to see parties of schoolchildren here, as the future of Jordan’s ecological heritage is in their hands.

Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

  • Jerusalem, Israel

    City of David

    29.13 MILES

    As teeming with controversy as it is with ancient history, the City of David is one of Jerusalem's most active archaeological sites. The oldest part of…

  • Israel, Jerusalem, Old Town, The Tower of David also known as the Jerusalem Citadel

    Tower of David

    29.53 MILES

    First things first: despite being referred to as the 'Tower of David', the citadel dominating views as you enter Jaffa Gate started life as a palace of…

  • Jerusalem, Israel - July 26, 2015: Panorama of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre - church in Christian Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem where Jesus was crucified, buried and resurrected.

    Church of the Holy Sepulchre

    29.58 MILES

    Four magnificent arches, their lintels richly decorated with Crusader crosses, herald the entrance to one of Christianity's most sacred sites. The church…

  • JERUSALEM, ISRAEL JUNE 10 2015: Israeli Temple Mount policeman greets the locals under the arches near the Dome of the Rock on the Temple Mount on June 10 2015 in the Old City of Jerusalem Israel.; Shutterstock ID 408810679; Your name (First / Last): Lauren Keith; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Middle East Online Highlights Update

    Temple Mount/Al Haram Ash Sharif

    29.29 MILES

    There are few patches of ground as holy – or as disputed – as this one. Known to Muslims as Al Haram Ash Sharif (The Noble Sanctuary) and to Jews as Har…

  • People prays and walk in front of the western wall, wailing wall or kotel.

    Western Wall

    29.31 MILES

    The air is electric at Judaism's holiest prayer site, where worshippers recite scriptures, lay their hands on 2000-year-old stone and utter impassioned…

  • Beautiful sunrise over Masada fortress. Ruins of King Herod's palace in Judaean Desert.; Shutterstock ID 360569009; Your name (First / Last): Lauren Keith; GL account no.: 65050; Netsuite department name: Online Editorial; Full Product or Project name including edition: Israel Update 2017

    Masada National Park

    16.63 MILES

    The plateau atop Masada, which measures about 550m by 270m, is some 60m above sea level – that is, about 490m above the surface of the Dead Sea. The…

  • Israel, Jerusalem. The Dome of the Rock. Unesco.

    Dome of the Rock

    29.37 MILES

    The jewel in the crown of Temple Mount/Al Haram Ash Sharif is the gold-plated Dome of the Rock, the enduring symbol of the city and one of the most…

  • Interior of Greek Orthodox Basilica of St George with the mosaic map of Holy Land in Madaba, Jordan.

    St George’s Church & Mosaic Map

    21.57 MILES

    This rather modest 19th-century Greek Orthodox church houses a treasure of early Christianity. Imagine the excitement in 1884 when Christian builders came…

View more attractions

Nearby Dead Sea Highway attractions

1. Castle of Herod the Great

7.53 MILES

Machaerus is known locally as Qala’at Al Meshneq (Castle of the Gallows), a fitting name given that it is renowned as the place where John the Baptist was…

2. Ein Gedi Nature Reserve

10.67 MILES

This reserve consists of two roughly parallel canyons, Wadi David and Wadi Arugot, each of which has its own entrance complex and ticket office. It is…

3. Wadi David

10.7 MILES

Ein Gedi Nature Reserve’s most accessible – and popular – pools and waterfalls are situated along Lower Wadi David (Nahal David Tachton), ie the area…

4. Ancient Synagogue

10.81 MILES

Situated about midway between the Wadi David and Wadi Arugot ticket offices, this 5th-century-CE synagogue sports a superb mosaic floor decorated with the…

5. Dead Sea Panoramic Complex Lookout

11.22 MILES

Walk among cacti to this lookout, high above the Dead Sea, and then watch raptors wheel in the wadis below, and you will have to pinch yourself to think…

6. Dead Sea Museum

11.23 MILES

For a solid introduction to the geology, history and environment of the Dead Sea, spare an hour for this museum.

7. Ein Gedi Botanical Garden

11.25 MILES

These famous botanic gardens, near the entrance to the kibbutz, are home to about a thousand species of indigenous and exotic plants, from near…

8. Wadi Arugot

11.34 MILES

Generally less crowded but no less lovely than Wadi David, Wadi Arugot has a couple of streamside trails, rich in vegetation, that afford hikers an…

  • placement: superzone
  • path: Destinations/POIs/superzone
  • possible size: [970, 250], [970, 90], [728, 90], [1, 1],
  • targeting: 
    {
  "url": "jordan/the-dead-sea-and-around/attractions/mujib-biosphere-reserve/a/poi-sig/1105916/361083",
  "destination": "Dead-Sea-Highway",
  "continent": "Middle-East",
  "country": "Jordan",
  "region": "Dead-Sea-Highway",
  "position": "superzone"
}