Feynan Ecolodge Review: One of the Top Eco-Hotels in the World
Nestled 350 meters above Sea-Level in Jordan, you will find one of the TOP Eco-Hotels in the World, Feynan Ecolodge. Although a small country in size and population, Jordan is years ahead of other countries when it comes to offering Eco-Tourism adventures, activities and experiences for the conscious traveller.
FEYNAN ECOLODGE REVIEW
A welcome drink, wets the mouth of hikers who enter Feynan Ecologe in Jordan”™s Dana Biosphere Reserve. Made of 9 herbs and spices, it is a unique taste that you will only find in Feynan. Named one of the best 25 ecolodges in the world by National Geographic Traveller Magazine, I was excited to experience Feynan and everything it had to offer. I was not disappointed and only wish i had more time in this beautiful place.
Feynan has an ethos developed around unique and authentic guest experience, contribution to conservation, local community benefits and minimal environmental impart. Constructed in 2005 and the first of its kind in Jordan, its unique design is based on ancient inns on the ancient silk road where a central courtyard
For those who do not hike in, locals with trucks, are hired to bring guests from the visitors centre, along the bumpy dirt road to Feynan Ecolodge. The cost is 12 JD and is not included with your rome rate, but the money goes into the pockets of the locals. as one of the ethos above, Feynan prides itself on supporting the community who make the surrounding region, their home.
One of the Central Courtyards at Feynan EcoLodge
Clay Water Bottle in the Rooms and Candle Niche
Feynan Ecolodge has 26 rooms and is run completely off the grid. Solar panels provide electricity, which is stored in batteries, and water is heated from the sun to provide hot showers and hot water through the lodge. At night, candles, light the lodge and hallways and there are in niches on the walls in every room. (Make sure you put the matches out of reach before the kids find them and hide them, Yes that was my mistake). There is a light in the bathroom, so do not worry if you need to get up in the night. You do not need to be looking for the matches.
Hallway Candle Niches Outside Guest Rooms
Feynan EcoLodge Roof Access, Recycling and Guest Room
Feynan is one of the few places that I saw recycling options. The recyclables are taken to Amman to be sorted and recycled. Although there are not many recycling initiatives in Jordan yet, it is nice to see them.
Beds are adorned with mosquito netting and a clay pot provides fresh filtered water in the room. The clay pots are made locally by a women”™s cooperative. This eliminates the waste of over 10 000 plastic water bottles per year and can be refilled in the lobby at any time. As there is no electricity, the amenities are simple. You will not find a TV in Feynan, but you can charge electronics in the lobby. There is wifi in the lobby, but because Feynan is so remote, the connection is often very slow. There are some 3G spots as well as cell service, but again it is spotty.
Feynan Eco-Lodge King Room (With Extra Pull Out Bed).
Activities Around Feynan Eco-Lodge for Everyone
- Nature Lovers can see Birds, Plants and Animals
- Geology: mountains, canyons, copper deposits, 1500m above sea level to below sea level all in Dana Reserve
- History: inhabited in the neolithic and bronze age, Romans and Byzantines,
- Bedouin Culture
Activity sign up sheets provide the daily activities offered at the lodge. They range from sunrise hikes, to cooking classes, to visiting the local women or spending a day with a shepherd.
Markus enjoying cooking class at Feynan Eco-Lodge
The Finished Product
Time to Eat
For those who want to stay close by here are some of the Things to do at Feynan Eco Lodge
Things to do at Feynan Eco Lodge include… enjoying the view from the rooftop terrace, or your balcony. Visit the gift shop or the leather shop, partake in candle lighting before sunset, relax in one of the outdoor seating areas. Every evening they offer a sunset walk and bedouin tea brewed on a fire. Our guide, Suilemann was excellent, taking time to talk to guests, answer any questions about bedouin life and share his culture and neighbourhood, showing us the mosque, the local school and talking about daily bedouin life, its challenges and its rewards. He is also the guy with the solar powered cell phone charger, so some of the shepards seek him out, as the modern bedouin these days, carries a cell phone, even in remote places like Dana.
Watching the Sunset on our walk from Feynan Eco Lodge
Some Information about Dana Biosphere Reserve
- covers 320 square kilometres
- largest reserve in Jordan
- variety in terms of wildlife, geology and landscapes,
- 4 bio-geographical zones – medeteranian, irano-turanain, Saharo-Arabian, and Sudanian
- ranges from 1500m love sea level, Feynan is 350m above, to 100m below in Wadi Arabia
- over 800 plant species
- over 400 animal species
Sunset Walk we found a young bedouin boy named Yusef and his donkey
Things to Bring to Feynan Eco Lodge:
- Sunscreen
- Bug Spray (I didn’t really have a need for it, but had it just in case)
- Comfortable Shoes
- Hat
- Snacks if you need something between meals
Feynan Ecolodge is run by Eco-Hotels, but owned by the Royal Society for the Conservancy of Nature, often known as Wild Jordan. Wild Jordan also runs Dana Guest House in the Historic Dana Village inside the Reserve.
For Booking information, visit Eco-Hotels.
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Lindsay Nieminen hails from Vancouver, Canada and shares her love of travel on this website. She is passionate about showing others that they should not put off traveling the world just because they have young children or are single parents. She aims to encourage them to seek out adventure, whether it is at home or abroad by providing information on how just about everywhere can be a destination to explore as a family.