Karak makes a workable base for the central King's Highway. The dramatic Wadi Mujib gorge — Jordan's grand canyon — is an hour to the north, with the Mujib Biosphere Reserve offering canyoning trips in summer. South towards Petra, the Dana Biosphere Reserve is a 90-minute drive and well worth at least one night for the hiking and the village of Dana itself perched above the wadi. The Dead Sea resorts are an hour west by the steep mountain road, though most travellers do the descent as part of a one-way journey rather than a round trip.