Dana Nature Reserve covers a system of wadis running down to Wadi Araba just north of Petra, and is home to wildlife, jawdropping landscapes, and thousands of years of history. Best explored on foot, there are a series of trails - some guided, some self-guided - which take in a variety of sights from canyon scenery to local villages and ancient copper mines.
The Reserve is managed by the excellent Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN). They protect and manage the nature reserve to encourage the proliferation of bird and animal species and with the added aim of providing both ecologically and financially sustainable jobs for people in the local communities. The nature reserve is a system of wadis and mountains which extends from the top of the rift valley down to the desert lowlands of Wadi Araba.
Dana village has been inhabited since around 4000 BC; there is evidence to suggest that Palaeolithic, Egyptian, Nabatean and Roman civilisations have all settled in the area, utilising the fertile soil, water springs and strategic location. Now a small agricultural community still lives here, concentrating on growing fruit and olives and on the small scale production of organic preserves.