How to enjoy visiting Petra
Quite frankly: I don't know anyone who has gone to Jordan and not visited the notorious rock city of Petra on this occasion. I really don't. I even think that Petra is, on the contrary, one of the main reasons to travel to this country. It is, after all, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and has even become one of the modern wonders of the world, just like Chichen Itza, Machu Picchu, the Colosseum, the Great Wall of China, the Statue of Christ in Rio and the Taj Mahal. And as it is the case with these eco-tourist spots, you may feel a bit cramped... but you don't have to, just like us!
TIPS to make the most of your visit to Petra
1) have realistic expectations - yes, there will be tourists... lots of them. And yes, there will be vendors offering their wares. Also, where else would they sell it right?
2) Come in the morning - you don't have to come right away for the opening, but just don't leave it until noon, there will be a lot of people already swarming in.
3) spend as little time as possible on "main road " - pick a trek that avoids this crowded street, and where you're likely to see the bare minimum of tourists.
4) visit the neglected Mala Petra - if you're not pressed for time, go check this part out again, maybe the next day. You'll have it pretty quiet here, don't expect any crowds.
5) be equipped - first of all, don't forget your Jordan Pass (I wrote about it in the first article)! You don't need to book your entry in advance, but you do need to show your JP in exchange for tickets.
6) Choose appropriate clothing and footwear - just like anywhere else in Jordan, try to respect the locals and their culture. Shorts below the butt and crop tops are not exactly the best. Take some echt comfortable shoes, you'll be doing a lot of walking and on a dusty surface, especially if you want to do more walking among the rocks. Also, don't forget your sunscreen, sunglasses and a hat, scarf or head gear.
7) Pack a snack - you're bound to come across tea and other drinks on offer inside the resort, but the food here isn't glorious. I recommend taking some of your own supplies, or take advantage of the accommodation offers and have them make you a breakfast/lunch
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Where to stay?
The town where the visitor centre is located and from which you can go directly to Petra is called Wadi Musa. There are plenty of accommodations of all price ranges, but I would definitely not leave booking to the last minute. After all, tourists flock here by the hundreds or thousands, so make sure you have plenty to choose from. We spent two nights in Wadi Musa, the second one I took because of the rest after a full day in Petra + the possibility to check out Little Petra the next day. I chose the well rated Majido Hostel with private bathroom, breakfast and parking, and the night cost us about €34. My other tips are as follows:
- cheaper: Desert Moon - a nice, modern hostel with a great rating, priced at about €32/night with breakfast
- medium: Petra Plaza Hotel - probably the best price vs. performance ratio you can imagine, for €60 per night perfect service including excellent breakfast and parking
- luxury: Petra Canyon Hotel - very nice and not too expensive 4* hotel or right next to the entrance to Petra - Mövenpick Resort Petra
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How is the visit to Petra going?
First of all you have to reach the visitor centre - Petra Visitor Center. If you arrive by car, there is free parking, so you don't have to frantically figure out other modes of transportation to save on parking fees. A small plaza with a kitschy "Petra" sign concentrates everything you might need at that moment - counters to exchange JP for tickets or to buy tickets yourself, the Petra Museum + also refreshments and souvenir stalls. All info about tickets can be found on the official website here. What I would highlight from this: kids under 12 get in for free, which makes the Jordan Pass not worth it for kids this young. And the second FAQ - you don't need a guide to visit unless you specifically want one.
Once you have your tickets in hand, you can go through the control gate, which opens at 6am. For the record, in March we walked through a little before 7:30am and there was no question of any crowds, with only a smattering of tourists. Nina still gets breakfast from the security guard and we continue less than a kilometer to the beginning of the Siq gorge.
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Al-Siq is a 1,2 km long narrow canyon, in which we were knocking scythe this morning, it's quite busy. You may have read in older articles that you have to dodge horses and horse carts, which is not quite true anymore. Only golf carts are currently allowed through the course, but of course, caution is still in order. Nevertheless, it is a beautiful walk with an even more beautiful destination, as the Siq will lead you directly to the greatest wonder of Petra - the so-called Treasury.
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These are the places where the largest number of people are concentrated, most of them figuring out how to take a very original photo with the Treasury. I'm sure you'll read somewhere that you simply NEED a bird's eye view for the best photo. There is currently a toll road from here to the viewpoint, then some unmarked climbs on your own, which is really not recommended + the Al Khubtha trail, which takes you there via a detour through the royal tombs. I wasn't going to scratch with Nina for one photo accompanied by dozens of people, so we skip these viewpoints with a clear conscience.
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From the Treasury, the main trail continues on flat ground to a place called Qasr al-Bint, where I registered the only possibility of hot refreshment in Petra. In the other tents and stalls expect rather just drinks, biscuits and chips. To give an idea of distances: the main trail runs from the visitor centre to the aforementioned Qasr al-Bint, making a total of 4 km in one direction. Plus, of course, you can do any of the temples and tombs or take one of the official trails. The three most used are certainly these:
- Al Khubtha
- Monastery
- High Place of Sacrifice
They are all well recorded in mapy.cz, which will serve you much better than google maps. TIP: if you want to take a break and have a cold drink or a hot tea, wait until you are further away from the main street. Prices in more remote places are easily half the price.
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We choose High Place of Sacrifice and I have to say it was the best decision... and not only because it is the only one that works as a circuit and you don't have to go back and forth the same way :) The absolute minimum of people, breathtaking views and rock tombs carved into the sandstone without any crowds... just perfect. Plus the local landscape reminded us terribly of the national parks in the western US, so lovely nostalgia. For some, the only drawback might be the approximately one kilometer climb to the place ofsacrifice. Try to take it easy though, Nina walked there too :) yeah and then it's downhill again, so it makes up for it :)
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We return to the reality of one of the seven wonders of the world with the connection to the main trail, where it is really alive in the afternoon. On the way back, we visit a few more temples, royal tombs, several viewpoints and a monumental amphitheatre. All in all, we come back pretty battered...after more than 12 km it's not entirely surprising... but actually satisfied, because our expectations of visiting Petra were definitely met.
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Yes, and who would like to save some steps, it is possible to bridge the distances by alternative transport. As of 2023 it looks like this in Petra, there is no other way:
- visitor center - start of Siq: saddled horse
- visitor centre - Treasury: golf cart (15 JOD one way, 25 JOD return)
- Treasury - Qasr al-Bint: camel
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Little Petra
In the evening we massage our muscles and rest at Majido Hostel, and since the next day we are not in a hurry, we go to see Little Petra, which is only about 9 km from the center of Wadi Musa. It can also serve as a kind of "back entrance" to Petra, and you would have to walk about 6.5 km to get to the Monastery and then connect to the main trail. But it's definitely an interesting alternative. However, either way, the entrance fee is of course controlled exactly the same from this side as it is from Petra.
Even without a ticket you'll see a lot though, for me a super way to spend a morning. You get to the Siq al-Barid gorge, which is lined with carved tombs. As it gradually narrows, you can walk all the way to the end to Bedouin tents with souvenirs and tea. There we checked out the view and then followed the same route back. The other option is to descend down from the viewpoint and follow the beaten track to still enjoy the local reddish rock formations.
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