You might not be surprised by an oasis in the middle of the desert, but you surely wouldn’t expect to find marshes and reed-fringed bodies of open water. However, that’s what’s waiting at Azraq Wetland Reserve, located on the outskirts of a town by the same name. The wetland is just a fraction of the size it was only decades ago, as many of its aquifers were diverted to Amman, but it still serves as an important stopover point on bird migration routes and offers the unique opportunity to see waterfowl in the desert (especially during the wetter months of December to April). Thanks to the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature, which has worked to preserve what’s left of the area, Azraq also features a marsh trail through high banks of reeds and paths trod flat by water buffalo that makes for lovely hikes.
