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Due to the central location of Jordan in the Middle East, it has suffered in recent years from declining numbers in tourism. This may be a blessing in disguise as there will be less tourists to content with when seeing Petra (though tourism numbers seem to be increasing again). And despite it’s proximity to world conflicts in neighboring countries, the country is incredibly safe (a large police presence and many checkpoints along the highways). You can find a Google map of the places I will discuss at the end of this post. And if you also have a lot of time in this part of the world, be sure to check out possible destinations like Egypt (see blog post) and the United Arab Emirates (see Blog Post).

There is nothing quite like Petra when it comes to mystique. The entire area is an archealologists’s dream. Archaeologist or not, Jordan not only boasts amazing sites like Petra, but the Wadi Rum desert, and the Dead Sea. 

All flights into Jordan usually go through Amman International Airport (AMM), so if you have a few days, check out the city and get to know the culture. We were on a tight schedule so we headed straight to Petra by Jettbus the day after we landed (more on that in a second).

If you have some time to kill around Amman, you can explore the city itself and take in the cuisine and culture. You can also take a day trip to see and experience the Dead Sea, the saltiest body of water in the world. Organisms here do not fluorish due to the extremely saline conditions (about 10x as salty as the ocean), nonetheless swimming here is akin to just floating due to the amount of dissolved salt. You can rent a car to get here as the drive takes about 45 minutes and you can stop at a number of areas along the coastline for photos and swimming (on map: Point de Vue, Amman Beach - Dead Sea). You can also take the JettBus from the 7th Circle station in Amman which takes you right to the beach as well, if you’re traveling on a budget. 

Petra

The Amman to Petra Jettbus leaves once daily at 6:30am (Petra bus schedule here) and takes four hours (bring something to read or bring cards to play with). I am not aware of a way to purchase tickets in advance online however upon arriving morning of our departure, we were able to purchase tickets, no problem. If you plan to spend a day or two in Amman first, buy your tickets in advance at the office just to be safe.

If you desire to see Petra for the day and return to Amman, the Petra to Amman Jettbus leaves at 4pm (one departure daily). The entrance fee is 50 Jordanian Dinars for the day (If you crossed the border into Jordan the day you arrive at Petra, the fee is 90 dinars). This larger fee is to try to encourage people to stay in Petra for more than just the day. If you stay another day and visit Petra again, you get 40 dinars refunded back (details here). 

The city of Petra is open from 6am-6pm during the summer and 6am-4pm in the winter (IMO the earlier you enter the better, to beat the heat and the crowds). It is recommended to spend a few days exploring the city so you’re not forced to rush through the entire area. You can also choose to have a tourist guide upon entering, but I recommend just walking through the entire site first to get a feel for the place, especially if you have multiple days on site. 

There is one main route through the rose city, as seen on this handy map. This route will take you to the most popular sites like The Siq, The Treasury (Al Khazna), and the Monastery. What you will realize however is that there are so many more landmarks to see like the Royal Tombs, the Street of Facades, and the Colonnated Street, to name a few.

You will start your walk by entering The Siq, a 1.2 km long gorge with 80 meter high cliffs on both sides. Most of the Siq was naturally formed, however the Nabataeans that lived there, carved a portion of it to create dams that would prevent the city from flooding. At night, there are columns of candles that line the Siq leading you towards the Treasury (more on this below).

As you exit the Siq, you are greeted with arguably the most recognizable part of Petra, which is the Treasury (Al-Khazna). The Treasury was first thought to be constructed in the 1st Century BC but it’s purpose is still under debate. Its elaborate facade has been featured in countless movies.

If you want an aerial shot of this area, take some time to hike the Al Kubtha trail, which will bring you to the top of the cliffs that look down on these ruins. The trail takes about 2 hours and is 1.6 miles long. To get to the start of this trail, venture towards the Royal Tombs. Pass the Palace Tomb and you should see the trail start just before you get to the Sextius Florentinus Tomb. You may see other tourists taking this route as well so just follow them. Also take this time to explore the Urn, Silk, and Corinthian Tombs as well.

Just down the way from there is The Street of Facades, located in a much wider part of Petra. It features a number of Nabataean tombs that were believed to be for senior officials of the city.

The Colonnated street can be seen as the main thoroughfare of Petra. Due to the large and expansive layout of this area, it was believed that all commercial activities took place here with archaeological evidence suggesting the presence of a market and various other buildings.

If you keep venturing further to nearly the end of the trail, you will finally get to Ad-Deir, or the Monastery. Being one of the larger landmarks in Petra, this was used as a chapel and dates back to 2nd century AD. You will find this area relatively empty if you come straight here in the morning and beat the crowds. There is also an excellent view of this area above the cafe that is opposite the Monastery. Stay awhile and relax from your walk.

More information of all of Petra’s attractions are summarized on their official website here.

The real treat of Petra is the night ceremony. Make sure you plan this trip so that you don’t miss this spectacle of the Treasury lit up. These ceremonies run on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays during the week and start at 8:30 pm. Note there is a separate ticket for this and is extra, on top of your Petra entrance ticket. 

For photographers, this is an absolute treat with hundreds of candles, illuminating the landscape against the massive columns of the Treasury. If you want photos unobstructed by people, try to line up early before Petra opens again in the evening, then sit in the front row right before the lanterns. The ceremony itself is traditional music and stories of the site (dress warmly since the desert is rather cold at night and bring a flashlight for the walk to the treasury). In my opinion, the views and photo opportunities are better than the show itself.

Through a series of fortunate events, the taxi driver we had become acquainted with, suggested we have dinner at a Bedouin camp that was run by his relative. Although we had our own accommodation, we were still able to enjoy the dinner that was provided by Seven Wonders Bedouin Camp. I usually find these places to be crammed with guests for maximum profit, but with just a handful of people in a large space, it was extremely comfortable. The food was fantastic as was the unlimited tea, not to mention there were several shisha/water pipe/hookahs around to enjoy, and the night sky was incredible (also great for astrophotography enthusiasts). 

If you desire to take in more of the Wadi Rum desert in addition to Petra, many tour operators have multi-day packages that allow you time to see Petra as well as camel riding, hiking, scrambling, transport by Jeep and a number of nights camping under the stars. You can find a tour operator in the small town of Wadi Rum (Wadi Rum Tours on Google Map). 

I find it unfortunate how geographical proximity to dangerous areas on the world overshadow certain destinations, Jordan very much included. If you do the research you will find that a lot of these countries have much to offer and are committed to the safety of foreign nationals.

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