In Jordan, a 50km pilgrimage trail follows the path of a 4th-Century nun who journeyed through the Holy Land – centuries before Spain's famed Camino de Santiago.

The hike begins early in the morning at Mount Nebo, a sacred mountain 610m above sea level in Jordan. On a clear day, panoramic views of the Dead Sea, Bethlehem and Jerusalem stretch across the horizon. According to the Bible, it is the last place Moses gazed upon before his death. Today, it's the first sight walkers see as they set out on their journey along the Camino de Egeria, a pilgrim route first taken by a 4th-Century nun.

The view is "magical", says Silvano Mezzenzana, who recently undertook the three-day hike. He recalls standing atop that peak on the Moab plateau, a dry Sun fanning out over the ridges and farmland beneath, noting that it is fascinating both in the morning when the Sun lights up the Palestinian bank and the city of Jericho, and in the afternoon when the sunset draws the silhouettes of the hills of Judah up to Jerusalem. Up there, "you do not realise that you are on a mountain", he adds.

Beginning on the eastern edge of the Great Rift Valley, the 50km route winds through farmland and rugged hills – a voyage that is far greener than its European equivalent, the 800km Camino de Santiago pilgrim trail undertaken by around 500,000 people each year. Following the January announcement from Jordan and Spain of a merger twinning the Camino de Egeria with the Camino de Santiago to boost their respective cultural heritage, locals hope that the newly-renovated Middle Eastern trail can become a similar phenomenon. The goal is to highlight the significance of the eponymous Egeria, the Spanish nun believed to have travelled by donkey from Jordan through Palestine, Egypt, Syria, Mesopotamia and Asia Minor to visit the holy places recounted in the Bible. She is thought to be the first woman to make the journey, which pre-dates the famed Camino de Santiago by five centuries.

The hike is typically split up into three days (though can be done as quickly as in two, or a leisurely five). The terrain is not particularly challenging, but the distance – of around 17km per day – makes the hike unsuitable for total novices. Last year, wide paths were fixed between the rocky valleys and hills along much of the route, ushering in what the Ministry of Tourism hopes will mark a new era for international interest in the country.

The effort is already seeing results. "Although I have lived in Jordan all my life, walking this trail has shown me parts of the country I've never experienced before," says Nadeen Dabbas. She recalls the flow of the water at the Moses Springs and the Jordan Valley, where she was surrounded by fields of bananas and corn, as moments that "made me feel alive".

The Best of 2025

Jordan was named one of BBC Travel's 25 best places to visit in 2025, a list highlighting destinations that are not only welcoming visitors, but using tourism as a force for good.

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