Petra was on our bucket list for a very long time and on our last trip, we finally made it happen. We entered tourist hell and survived it.
As we’d expected nothing else than this, we even came out happily.
UNESCO World Heritage Petra
Petra is Jordan’s main tourist site, belongs to the UNESCO World Heritage and is one of the New 7 Wonders of the World. Therefore, Instagram is flooded with pictures of this beautiful place. Actually, you’ve seen Petra before you’ve seen Petra.
Crowds are smaller in the late afternoon and pictures become even prettier thanks to the amazing afternoon light.
Petra’s main attraction is the famous Treasury. Everyone is here and many don’t make the effort to see more of the area than just the Treasury. Though the rock city has much more to offer than just the latter. For example an amazing landscape, an old Nabatean theatre, and many more small sites. We made a mini hike up the stairs between the Treasury and the theatre (next to the toilets and kiosk) and had an amazing view over the whole valley.
Tips for Petra
Be careful with the horse-drawn carriages. We’d advise you not to use them. First of all, they’re expensive and secondly, it’s not going to be a comfy ride. You could see the pain in the faces of most people passing by with those carriages.
It might be an option for old people. Everyone else should walk and be careful. They pass by with a breakneck speed and are way too close to the pedestrians. Especially in the narrow curves, it’s a miracle how no one got injured.
There are several viewpoints for the Treasury to which you can make longer or shorter hiking trips. While no one cares about you on most of the premises (and most paths are way more dangerous than those close to the Treasury), locals warn you ‚it’s too dangerous to walk the way up alone‘ and ‚it’s only allowed with a guide‘. You can negotiate the price. One of those ‚guides‘ wanted 10$. Another one a little bit less. For a walk of not even 5 minutes which you could easily do on your own.
Nevertheless, everything is arranged with the local watchdog. We asked him if it’s true that the ‚hike‘ up is only allowed with a guide. He just grinned and said, the locals are trying to earn something. Thereupon we hired a nice little boy who just wanted two Euros (we added the tip later). Just as a tip for you: Give the money at least to the nice kids. Adults there appeared to us like the freaking mafia.
Just for your information!
By the way: I bought my photogenic headscarf outside the Petra walls for 3 JD. In general, I would recommend you to buy souvenirs and stuff outside as it is way cheaper. Within the Petra walls, the price was 10 JD.
Jordan Pass
We already told you about the Jordan Pass here. The entrance for Petra is included.
B&B Esperanza in Petra
The location of our B&B was perfect. It was just a 5-minute walk to the Petra main entrance. The price was quite cheap compared to prices in the area. The owner was super friendly and helpful.
We spare you the historical details of Petra, as Wikipedia knows much more than we do. Treat yourselves with the pictures and just copy our trip!