By DeadSea.com Editorial Team
The Greening the Desert Project is a permaculture demonstration and education site in Juwafat al-Kafrayn in Jordan’s lower Jordan Valley. Its current visitor program includes a 1-hour guided farm tour, longer day experiences, cultural activities, a cafe, and accommodation. Reserve the exact format before making the trip.
Use the Jordan tours and activities guide to compare this arranged experience with other options from a Dead Sea base.
Visit for the working systems and the questions they raise, not for a simple before-and-after desert story. A good tour connects food growing, soil, shade, water, animals, waste, energy, and community activity. The exact route and activities depend on the product confirmed for your date.
What is the Greening the Desert Project?
The current site is an education centre and demonstration farm established in the lower Jordan Valley. Its operator describes integrated work involving food production, water and waste management, soil improvement, renewable energy, and ecosystem diversity in a hot, dry setting.
That does not make every method universal or every outcome a scientific proof. The value for a visitor lies in seeing one project, asking how its systems interact, and understanding which choices respond to this particular climate, site, and community.
The Jordan Tourism Board also lists the project in its current eco-adventure inventory, including a permaculture day tour and bread or coffee experiences. This provides independent destination confirmation without replacing the operator’s booking terms.
Choose the right visit
| Visit format | What it may include | Best for | Confirm |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short farm tour | Guided introduction to the site | Curious visitors with limited time | Start time, language, route, price |
| Experience day | Farm tour, food, and cultural activity | Travelers wanting a participatory visit | Duration, meal, activity, group size |
| Bread, coffee, or cooking activity | One focused cultural session | Families and food-focused visitors | Host, ingredients, dietary fit |
| Course or internship | Multi-day structured learning | Serious permaculture students | Dates, syllabus, accommodation, terms |
Do not book a short tour and expect a full course. Do not book a cultural activity and assume that every farm system will be covered in depth.
The Visit Safi community guide is a useful comparison if you want a community experience farther south.
What you may see and discuss
A guided visit can move through growing areas, food-forest systems, animals, water management, and other practical features selected by the host. Seasonal conditions matter. A crop, demonstration, or shaded area visible in one month may not look the same on another date.
Ask the guide to explain the problem each feature is meant to address, the maintenance it requires, and what has not worked as expected. Those questions produce a more useful visit than treating every green patch as evidence of a simple solution.
Photography, harvesting, feeding animals, and entering working areas should follow the host’s instructions. This is an operating project, not an open public garden.
The project makes most sense when each feature is connected to a constraint: intense heat, limited water, soil condition, food production, or long-term maintenance. Ask what the team measures, what changes by season, and which practices depend on local knowledge or continued labour.
Location and transport
The project is in Juwafat al-Kafrayn, north of the main Sweimeh resort strip. It should not be described simply as “at the Dead Sea,” because that can make the transfer look shorter and less specific than it is.
Obtain the exact meeting pin from the project after booking. Confirm whether the final approach suits an ordinary car, where the driver waits, and whether transport is included. If using a private driver, put the waiting time and return destination in writing.
The Jordan Dead Sea hotel guide can help establish the actual starting point. Do not use a generic Dead Sea distance for a property located elsewhere along the shore.
Food, accessibility, and comfort
Ask whether the visit includes food or only provides the option to buy it. For a cooking or meal experience, disclose allergies and dietary requirements before paying. Confirm drinking water, toilets, shade, seating, and handwashing rather than assuming farm facilities match a conventional attraction.
The lower Jordan Valley can be hot and exposed. Wear closed, comfortable shoes that can handle dust and uneven ground. Carry water and sun protection, but follow the host’s guidance in working areas.
If anyone needs step-free access, limited walking, regular seating, or a cool indoor break, ask for the exact visitor route. A general statement that the project welcomes guests does not establish accessibility.
How to build the day
Make the project the main arranged activity for its time block. A short visit can fit with a northern Jordan Valley plan. A full experience day should not be squeezed between a beach booking and a distant southern stop.
For a managed float later, use the Jordan beach guide and confirm the beach closing time. For a different environmental day, compare Fifa Nature Reserve, noting that reserve access requires its own confirmation.
If the project visit ends near sunset, use the Dead Sea at night guide instead of improvising an unlit shore stop.
The Plan Jordan hub helps keep this northern valley visit separate from distant southern attractions.
Booking checklist
- Exact product name and date
- Meeting pin and transport arrangement
- Start time, finish time, and language
- Included tour, activity, food, and equipment
- Price, payment, cancellation, and minimum group
- Walking surface, shade, toilets, and accessibility
- Photography and participation rules
The tour-operator verification checklist helps when a separate driver or seller packages the visit.
Frequently asked questions
Can I visit Greening the Desert without booking?
Do not rely on an unannounced arrival. The project currently promotes several visit formats, but their start times, hosts, group requirements, and availability can differ. Select the exact tour or activity, receive the meeting instructions, and confirm the date before traveling to Juwafat al-Kafrayn.
Is the project in the Sweimeh hotel area?
No. It is in Juwafat al-Kafrayn in the lower Jordan Valley, north of the main Dead Sea resort strip. Calculate transport from your actual hotel and use the meeting pin supplied by the project. A generic “Dead Sea” location is not precise enough for pickup planning.
Is this suitable for children?
It can be, especially when the host confirms a short, participatory format. Ask about minimum age, heat, animals, uneven ground, toilets, food, and supervision. A long technical tour may not suit a young child as well as a focused bread or farm activity.
Is a tour the same as a permaculture course?
No. A visitor tour introduces selected features of the project. A course or internship is a longer educational product with its own dates, teaching plan, accommodation, and price. Choose according to the depth you want and confirm what the booked product actually includes.