My husband
and I love nature and hiking but don’t love crowds or tourist traps. For this reason, we weren’t sure how much we
would like Petra. However, we had a
fantastic experience! Because we weren’t
able to find many resources on hiking trails in or around Petra, we want to
share some information to help others plan their Petra trips. The goal of our itinerary was to enjoy as
much of the natural and historical beauty of Petra as possible while minimizing
the busy/stressful/touristy feel. So if
that’s the kind of trip you’re look for, read on!
The first
thing we did right was planning our trip during Petra’s off season. We went in early January and felt that this
was perfect. It was chilly (40 degrees
in the morning with highs around 55) but still sunny and nice. And because it was winter, it really
wasn’t crowded at all. The only problem
with this time of year is the possibility of rain. Our drive up the night before was quite nasty
due to fog and rain, and it would have been tricky if we’d planned our trip for
a day earlier.
Anyway, we
arrived in Wadi Musa the night before and stayed at the Cleopetra Hotel. It was a budget hotel, for sure, but we had a
good experience there. We had a clean room
with hot water, heat, and breakfast included for a great price. Plus, the people running it were very helpful
and nice.
Part 1: Petra through the Main Entrance
The next
morning, we bought our tickets from the Visitor’s Center at 6:30am, right as
the sun was coming up. I highly
recommend this! Personally, we find that
crowds of tourists detract from the overall experience, so having many of the
trails to ourselves between 7 and 10 was totally worth the early morning! Our one mistake in buying tickets was
forgetting to ask the man to use JD on our credit card. He charged it in dollars, which added a hefty
fee to our already expensive tickets.
Anyway, the
walk from the entrance of Petra to the first major site, the Treasury, was very
straightforward. We passed the stalls of
horses (which we had been warned about; though they are advertised as free, a
large tip is required afterwards) and then came to the entrance of the
Siq. The Siq is a narrow gorge and is
very interesting to look at due to the interesting rock coloration, carvings,
and ancient drainage systems. At the end
of the Siq, about 1.7miles from the entrance to Petra, is the Treasury, which
is totally amazing, but also swarming with Bedouins trying to sell things and
tourists trying to take pictures (especially later in the day- another reason
to go early!).
After
enjoying the Treasury for a few minutes, we turned right and went past a few
tombs and vendor stalls. Shortly after
(about 1000ft), we turned left at the sign pointing up the stairs to the High
Place of Sacrifice. This trail was one
of the highlights of our trip! The
stairs going up are beautiful and offer great views of the rocks below. There are quite a few stairs and switchbacks
and also some trinket stands which become more frequent as you climb.
When we did
this trail, we only passed two other tourists and it was early enough that
people were not out at their stands yet.
This made it so peaceful and enjoyable!
The only disturbance was a number of cats that were very persistent in
following us and meowing loudly for food.
After 0.7miles, we reached a fork with a sign for the High Place of
Sacrifice. We took the right turn for a
short climb to an area with large rocks and outstanding panoramic views of the
region as well as the actual High Place of Sacrifice.
Next, we
returned to the fork and went the other direction to continue on the High Place
of Sacrifice Trail. The next mile or so
was stunning. The trail zigzagged down
the mountain passing beautiful rock formations, carved tombs, caves, and
amazing viewpoints. Because there were
virtually no people on this trail, we felt a lot of freedom to explore (though
we always stayed on the trail). We went
inside many of the tombs and even discovered a cave full of puppies!
Eventually,
we reached another fork. The path to the
right looked like it cut directly towards the Collonaded Street. Despite the cool buildings in the distance on
that path, we stayed left towards Qasr al Bint.
This ended up being a good call because we were able to see some carved
buildings to our left that weren’t even labeled on the map. Following the signs to Qasr al Bint, we
eventually connected with the main path.
When we reached Qasr al Bint (an actual building as opposed to a carved
rockface), we turned left to take the path up to the Monastery.
The
Monastery Trail was 0.8miles each way and almost entirely steps. Although it was still early (around 9am),
there were many vendors on this trail, as well as Bedouins selling donkey rides
up the steps. The 730 steps were tough
for sure, but definitely manageable. Several
people invited us to take a look at their souvenir tables, but we continued
walking and didn’t find anyone to be overly persistent. At the top
of the stairs was the Monastery, which was similar to the Treasury,
AMAZING. There was a shop selling tea
and snacks that also had several benches for people to enjoy the view while
sipping tea or coffee. Not wanting to
buy anything, we sat on a rock instead to munch on a snack and rest for a
while.
After a
short break, we headed back down the stairs.
But instead of turning back towards the HighPlace of Sacrifice, we went
straight on the main trail. After
looking at some temple ruins on the right, we turned left to go up the hill and
check out the Byzantine church. The
church had a mosaic floor and some other things to look at, but we didn’t stay
long.
The trail
in this area was less clear, so we took a random path that seemed to connect
directly to the buildings on the Colonnaded Street. We walked straight towards the most prominent
buildings, which we couldn’t find on the map but later realized were the Royal
Tombs. After a bit of confusion about
where we were, we followed the sign pointing left towards the Al-Khubtha
Trail. This trail is 1.1 miles each way
and another steep climb. After a lot of
steps, we passed a little Bedouin rest area and a few signs indicating that a
great view was ahead.
At the top
of the mountain, we reached a fork with a sign. To the right (just a minute past the sign)
was a view of the Theater and Main Road of Petra. To the left was a view of the Treasury from
above. This path was a little longer
(maybe 10 minutes) and involved navigating around some rocks and following the
Smiley Face signs for the view.
Eventually, we saw a Bedouin stall with a Jordan flag. When we got over there, we found a wooden
sign that said, “Best View” and “Get your Instagram here.” This spot truly was the best view. Though we walked a little past, there was
nothing of interest further down the trail.
The view from above was cool, but a little scary (due to the height),
and the Bedouins out there were very friendly and talked to us for a while,
explaining how they live in caves and never went to school but learned English
and other languages from all the tourists.
After chatting
with them for a while, we hiked back down the hill to the main road. By this time (around 12:30), the main trail
was more crowded with tourists and vendors.
We made our way past the Theater and eventually reached the place where
we’d turned onto the High Place of Sacrifice Trail. From here, we went straight, past the
Treasury, through the Siq, and up the hill to the Visitor’s Center. It was a perfect day!
Here’s the breakdown of our
hike in Petra (distances are approximate):
-Entry to the High Place of
Sacrifice Trail: 1.7miles
-High Place of Sacrifice
Trail: 1.9miles
-Connection to the main
trail via Qasr al Bint: very short
-Monastery Trail: 1.6miles
-Al-Khubtha Trail: 2.2 miles
-Main Trail Back: 2.5 miles
-Total: about 10miles, with
lots of stair climbing
(all of these trails are shown on the map you receive there, but here's a picture of it)
We definitely
recommend this itinerary if you like hiking and want to see all the best trails
in just one day. This whole route took
us from about 6:30-2:30, with a decent amount of short breaks for snacks and
pictures. Although we could have stayed
another 2 hours before dark, we decided to head back to the hotel and get some
good rest for another hike the next day.
Part 2: Petra through the Back Door: Little Petra to Petra
We had a
lot less information on what to expect for this part of our Petra
adventure. We knew we wanted to hike
into Petra through the back way, but we read mixed opinions online about where
or not this could be done without a guide.
We had a fantastic experience with this hike, but want to share some
information that would have been helpful to know beforehand.
We started
the day early again, leaving our hotel around 6:30. Little Petra is about 15 minutes past
Petra. We drove our rental car, but supposedly you can also get a taxi there for 5-6JD. When we arrived at Little Petra, we were immediately welcomed by a Bedouin who wanted to be our guide. We declined his offer to guide us but were
thankful that he pointed out the trail to us because there was no sign. If you are standing on the road in front of Little Petra facing the small area of shops, you take the road that goes directly left. At first, we had no clue if we were going the right way. There were quite a few barking dogs (that were honestly a little scary), and on our left was what seemed like a dried up creek. Shortly past Little Petra, though, we noticed that there were rocks painted neon orange along the road. When in doubt about which way to go, we followed the rocks.
The trail
stayed along the road for about 30minutes.
At one point, we reached a Y with orange rocks going in both
directions. At first, we tried going
right because that seemed to match the most with our Jordan Trail map (see end
of post). But the dogs in that direction
seemed pretty aggressive, so we doubled back and went left. This took us up the hill, and we were able to
see that the other path probably would have connected anyway.
We
continued following the orange rocks, which then led left to skirt around a large
ditch. This part had less rocks and was
more open and windy/desert-like. After a
few more minutes, we reached a metal sign indicating the path to the
Monastery. Relieved to finally be sure
we were on the right path, we followed the sign (and the orange rocks) up the
hill.
At this
point, we reached a Tourist Police booth. The man inside actually checked our Petra
tickets. Relieved that we had bought
2 day tickets, we drank the tea he gave us, and then continued on, now
following the metal signs for the Monastery.
Eventually, we came to a point where it looked like we had to skirt
around the edge of the mountain. But just
before we started climbing, we noticed that there were actually steps going
down and around.
From this
point on, the path was pretty clear.
There were many steps and stone walls going around the mountain, with
beautiful views to the right.
About 45
minutes from the tourist police booth, we reached a rocky hill with a sign
pointing left. We climbed up the hill
and could finally see the top of the Monastery in the distance. A few minutes later, we were there! Though we
had just been there the day before, it was still an incredible sight to behold
and perhaps even more gratifying, having come in the back way.
After a
break, we headed back the same way. We
saw a few more people going back (6 versus the 2 on the way in), but it still
felt like we had the trail to ourselves.
The hike was roughly 4.4 miles (7km) each way, and we loved it. It was a great way to enjoy the natural
beauty of Petra in a quieter, less touristy fashion.
Here are three different ways you could do
this hike:
- Park at Little
Petra, hike Little Petra to the Monastery and then hike back to car: about 8.8 miles, took us 2 hours each way
- Park at
Little Petra, hike Little Petra to the Monastery and then through Petra to the entrance. Then taxi back to Little Petra: about
7.7miles
- Park at
Petra Visitor’s Center, take a taxi to Little Petra, hike Little Petra to the
Monastery and then hike through Petra to your car at the entrance: about 7.7 miles
We did the out and back version since
we’d already done the main part of Petra the day before, but if you only have
one day to spend, one of the other options could be better!
Here’s the map we found helpful for
this trail! If it’s hard to see below,
you can download it here: http://jordantrail.org/route-stages-maps/4-little-petra-to-petra/
We hope this post helps you plan an awesome hiking adventure in Petra!
