Location is everything. Which is why Jordan鈥攍ong a hub for hiking, mountain biking, and exploring historical ruins and Bedouin culture鈥攈as seen a 22 percent drop in tourism since the tumult in neighboring Egypt and Syria began. But the Middle East has been rife with conflict for decades, and Jordan has remained calm. The Global Peace Index ranks Jordan above France and Argentina in key areas like security and the 颅potential for violence. The upshot of the surrounding unrest is that you can have the sprawling, multicolored canyonlands of the 鈥攃loser to Israel and Saudi Arabia than to Syria or Egypt鈥攁ll to yourself. Explore it from the Feynan Ecolodge, a 26-room hotel that鈥檚 totally off-grid.
The lodge generates hot water through solar panels and is lit almost exclusively by candles. And because it has next to no light pollution, its outdoor patio and rooftop (the latter equipped with a ten-inch telescope) are perfect stargazing spots. Plus, Feynan offers daily, complimentary sunset hikes, and guests can book a guide for full-day excursions into the Dana鈥檚 slot canyons and Neolithic archaeological sites ($26). The guides are local Bedouins who know the area, and when you鈥檙e done they鈥檒l cook up platters of makloubeh that are so rich, you won鈥檛 even notice they鈥檙e vegetarian.
ACCESS
Book your flight to Amman and reserve a ride in one of the lodge鈥檚 4×4 pickups for the three-hour drive to . Deluxe rooms, $140.
JANUARY CLIMATE
68掳 high
48掳 low
DETOUR
Set out on foot or by truck for Petra, the famed city of ornate tombs carved into red sandstone canyons. The guided 41-mile, four-night trek traverses the Sharah Mountains on Bedouin shepherd trails. From $1,700.
FEAST
Crib the secrets of making falafel and manakish, a type of flatbread, and stirring the right spices into lentil soup and tabbouleh with a Bedouin cooking class. $42.