Ajloun Forest Reserve, Forest reserve in Ajloun Governorate, Jordan

Ajloun Forest Reserve is a 13-square-kilometre protected area of rolling hills and valleys in north-west Jordan, near the village of Umm Al-Yanabi. It is covered by dense woodland of evergreen oak, carob, terebinth, strawberry tree and maple, and lies between 701 and 1,500 metres above sea level. Ten cabins sleep up to 40 visitors.

The reserve was founded in 1988 by the Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature to protect Jordan's woodlands and wildlife. This effort responded to the disappearance of natural forests across the country.

The reserve runs a handicrafts workshop that trains local residents and markets their products, part of its development programs for the area around Umm Al-Yanabi. The reserve also leads an educational initiative in which local youth measure soil quality, monitor tree renewal and classify plants and animals.

The reserve lies roughly 80 kilometers north of Amman and operates best between March and November when weather conditions are favorable. Visitors should wear comfortable hiking shoes since the terrain is hilly and sometimes rocky.

The reserve's roe deer were reintroduced from specimens taken in Turkey, and about 12 animals now live in the captive breeding programme. The species had been extinct locally for more than 100 years.