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- Basalt Plateau and Lava Fields — The whole trail runs over a black, jagged lava landscape you don’t see on most hikes. Walking on basalt slabs, fissures and little plateaus feels almost lunar; the textures, sound underfoot and stark contrast with the sky make for unusual photos and a different kind of trail rhythm.
- Rock-cut Villages and Cave Dwellings — Ancient homes and shelters hewn straight into the basalt are scattered across the plateau. Crawling through doorways and narrow alleys carved from stone gives a real sense of continuous habitation across millennia — my personal favorite, because it feels like archaeology you can walk through rather than just look at.
- Byzantine and Roman Ruins — Small ruined churches, stone arches and old cisterns pop up between the rocks; you’ll find remnants
- Basalt Plateau and Lava Fields — The whole trail runs over a black, jagged lava landscape you don’t see on most hikes. Walking on basalt slabs, fissures and little plateaus feels almost lunar; the textures, sound underfoot and stark contrast with the sky make for unusual photos and a different kind of trail rhythm.
- Rock-cut Villages and Cave Dwellings — Ancient homes and shelters hewn straight into the basalt are scattered across the plateau. Crawling through doorways and narrow alleys carved from stone gives a real sense of continuous habitation across millennia — my personal favorite, because it feels like archaeology you can walk through rather than just look at.
- Byzantine and Roman Ruins — Small ruined churches, stone arches and old cisterns pop up between the rocks; you’ll find remnants of masonry and carved details tucked into corners of the plateau. They’re intimate, low-key ruins rather than big tourist sites, so you can linger and imagine daily life centuries ago without crowds.
- Wide Panoramas over the Hauran and Jabal al-Druze — From higher points the plateau opens onto sweeping views of the Hauran plains and the silhouette of Jabal al-Druze. Sunsets here throw long shadows across the black rock and are worth the uphill for the light show alone.
- Spring Wildflowers, Steppe Birds and Night Skies — In season the basalt cracks light up with carpets of wildflowers and singing birds; you’ll also spot lizards and other desert life. Far from city lights, the place is excellent for starry nights — quiet, cold air and constellations spread like a roof over the lava fields.
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Hi, I’m Johan (Netherlands 🇳🇱), the creator of TakeYourBackpack. Over the past decade, I’ve backpacked through 80+ countries across six continents, gaining extensive experience with independent travel, long-term trips, and overland routes.