Off the King’s Highway about 25 miles north of Petra is the town of Dana. A stone village that dates back to the 15th century, Dana is perched on the edge of a vast valley. Despite the town’s beauty, the adjacent nature reserve, and the town’s proximity to other popular stops on Jordan’s tourist circuit, Dana is not a huge tourist draw in and of itself.

Dana’s prior inhabitants have mostly moved on; outside of a few tourist facilities, it’s a more or less deserted village. As such, Dana prompts thoughts of the alberghi diffusi of Italy; villages turned over to dispersed hotels, with uninhabited houses converted into individual hotel rooms. As many of the houses in Dana are in ruins, the realization of any such project would be time-intensive and no doubt very expensive. Given the role the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN) plays in Dana and its Nature Reserve, however, such a project is imaginable.

Below the town is the Reserve, Jordan’s largest, with dozens of archeological sites. One can overnight in the Reserve’s campgrounds ($68 for two; open mid-March through the end of October) and Feynan Lodge, a fancy bed and breakfast (doubles starting at $106; closed July and August). Bedouin tour guides lead tours of various lengths through the Reserve. The entire area has been reoriented towards tourism, with the RSCN partnering on a number of tourism-related initiatives with local Bedouins.

In the town of Dana itself, the RSCN operates Dana Guest House, a simple guesthouse with remarkable views over the valley. The guesthouse aesthetic merges modern architecture with traditional stylistic touches. Doubles begin at $88.

For those in transit between Petra and Amman, Dana is also worth a short visit. The best time to see Dana is in the hour or two before sunset, when light filters across the majestic valley, casting shadows and sunlight across the stone village.

– Alex Robertson Textor