Petra



Petra (Arabic: البتراء, Al-Batrāʾ), the fabled "rose red city, half as old as time", is a well known ancient Nabataean city in the south of Jordan. Due to its breathtaking grandeur and fabulous ruins, Petra was recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985.

Understand
Petra was the impressive capital of the Nabataean kingdom from around the 6th century BC. The kingdom was absorbed into the Roman Empire in AD 106 and the Romans continued to expand the city. An important center for trade and commerce, Petra continued to flourish until a catastrophic earthquake destroyed buildings and crippled vital water management systems around AD 663. After Saladin's conquest of the Middle East in 1189, Petra was abandoned and the memory of it was lost to the West.

The ruins remained hidden to most of the world until the Swiss explorer, Johann Ludwig Burckhardt, disguised as an Arab scholar, infiltrated the Bedouin-occupied city in 1812. Burckhardt's accounts of his travels inspired other Western explorers and historians to discover the ancient city further. The most famous of these was David Roberts, a Scottish artist who created a number of accurate and detailed illustrations of the city in 1839.

The first real excavations of the site were in 1929 after the forming of Trans-Jordan. Since that time, Petra has become by far Jordan's largest tourist attraction, partially due to the exposure by the Steven Spielberg movie, Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, in 1989. Due to the fantastic engineering accomplishments and the fact of its being well-preserved, the archaeological site was chosen in July 2007 as one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

Petra is the archaeological site and Wadi Musa is the city nearby.

Hours
Petra is open to visits 06:00-17:00 in winter, and 06:00-18:00 in summer, daily throughout the year.

Entry ticket
What may be one of the most expensive admissions to any archaeological site in the world. The entry ticket to Petra costs 90 JD for one day visitors to Jordan (i.e., those that have arrived in Jordan from some other country, e.g. Israel, on the day of the visit and will be returning there for the night). Tourists that overnight in the country or on a cruise ship pay 50 JD for 1 day, 55 JD for 2 days or 60 JD for 3 days. Bring your passport to prove you entered Jordan at least one day before. If entered the same day, your room key will be asked by the ticket seller. Students have to pay the full price, except those who enroll in a Jordanian university, for whom the admission price drops sharply to 1 JD.

Do not attempt to purchase tickets from dubious scalpers around town! Time permitting, the two-day pass is recommended, as there is much to see and do in Petra. For more than one day, the ticket office can ask for your passport as the ticket has your first name on it.

The Jordan Pass (purchased online before coming to Jordan) gives you access to over 30 sights and attractions in Jordan, including Petra, Wadi Rum Protected Area and Jerash. And the fee on the regular 40 JD visa is waived when entering Jordan, if you stay at least four days in the country. (If you leave before, you will have to pay the 40 JD at the border when exiting.) There are three different types available, depending on the length of your stay in Petra: 70, 75, or 80 JD for one, two, or three days in Petra. Also read Jordan.

Children under 12 years can enter the touristic sites for free when accompanied by their parents.

By bus
JETT buses, both ordinary and all-inclusive guided tour, connect to Amman and Aqaba via the fast (but boring) Desert Highway. Other tourists come with organized groups, including daily trips from Eilat, Israel. Tours to Petra from the Egyptian cities of Taba, Sinai and Sharm el Sheikh are also gaining popularity with charter tourism.

It is easy to take the bus from Amman to Petra. It leaves from the JETT bus office close to Abdali station (departs at 06:30, runs daily) and in 3½ hours you'll get to the bus station not even 5 minutes from the entrance of Petra. At 17:00 the JETT bus takes off again to go back to Amman. The price is 10 JD for one way (as of March 2023),

See the JETT time table.

By minibus
The is next to the mosque.

Public minibus from Wadi Musa (Petra) to Ma'an (or vis versa) is 0.55 JD and from there to Aqaba (or vis versa) is 1.50 JD. The main route from Wadi Musa to Aqaba or Amman (or vice versa) is overpriced for tourists! Going through Ma'an, you should be able to pay the local price for the public minibus.

There is a direct minibus going from Aqaba for 5 JD, for those that cross from Eilat and don't want to pay the outrageous taxi fare. The problem is, there's no timetable - it leaves early in the morning (06:45) from Wadi Musa towards Aqaba, then returns from Aqaba when it fills up etc. Ask at the tourist information right at the border for information of departures.

There are also direct minibuses from Amman - these leave when full, and tourists are charged 7 JD (March 2023) to get on. Do not allow the drivers to charge you for your luggage, as they might sometimes try to do. The ride is about three hours.

The minibus from Wadi Rum costs 10 JD. It takes around 2 hours to get to Petra. Have your tour operator or guide call the bus owner the day before to arrange an exact time for pick up. The bus usually leaves from Wadi Rum at 09:30 in the morning, but may be delayed due to weather or tour groups coming the other way.

There is a daily bus to Wadi Musa from Madaba that travels via the scenic (but slow) King's Highway. This minibus leaves from outside the Mariam Hotel in Madaba.

By taxi
Taxi is also a viable option. For 75 JD or less (depending on how much you haggle) you may be able to get a private taxi from Amman to Petra and back, including the driver waiting around for 6 hr.

A taxi from Aqaba to Petra should cost 55 JD one-way. Though, see the remark on the Aqaba border taxi Mafia under Aqaba.

Renting a minibus with a driver in the hotel at the Dead Sea would be around 140 JD one-way.

A taxi from Madaba to Petra arranged by a hotel costs 60-65 JD (Oct 2018). Arranging one directly may cost less.

By tour company
Many visitors to Petra come on day trips from Eilat, in Israel. Single day tours cost around US$220 per person, including park admission, but not including Israel border fees (2015). A bus driver picks you up at your hotel around 07:00 and takes you to the Yitzhak Rabin-Aqaba border crossing just outside of Eilat. Once you cross the border, a Jordanian tour guide drives you to Petra, where you spend about 4 hr before having a late lunch and returning to the border around 18:00. Day tours can sometimes be booked at your Eilat hotel after you arrive, but advance reservations are recommended, especially during peak travel times.

Sneak peek
In case you travel on a shoestring or really do not have the money for Petra, there is a way to see parts of Petra without having a ticket. From the highway south of Wadi Musa there leads a track to the top of the mountain that faces the Treasury. You can get some pretty good shots from there. Try OpenStreetMap, which many mobile Apps like OsmAnd or Mapy.cz, use to identify the track or look for an according GPX file for GPS navigation.

Wadi Musa to Petra
Many hotels organise free transport to and from the entrance to Petra. Otherwise you can either walk downhill along Tourist Rd. for about 15 minutes, or take a taxi for 1-2 JD.

Within Petra
The only modes of transport allowed within Petra are on two feet or four (camel, donkey, or horse). There are 4 segments within Petra with 4 possible types of transport: from the entrance to the Siq (by foot or horse), from the Siq to the Treasury (by foot or cart), from the Treasury to the stairs of the Monastery (by foot, donkey or camel), the 800 stairs of the monastery (by foot or donkey).

Animal transport
When entering Petra, there is a brief hike down towards the Siq. Horses will be available for travel to the entrance of the Siq. The prices for such rides are not set and are extremely negotiable, depending on one's bargaining abilities. Although the horse guides will tell you that riding a horse to the Siq entrance is included in the ticket price, they will try to sell you a longer tour, and argue aggressively for a 'tip'. As the walk down to the Siq entrance is only 15 min, it's not really worth it. The horses have been treated so badly in the past that a clinic to treat and heal them from the bad treatments they receive has been opened left to the entrance. It's not uncommon to see wounded animals, especially those pulling the carts, to be put to gallop under 37°C.

There are also horse-drawn carriages available to take you through the Siq (a distance of about 0.9 km) and down to the Treasury, but&mdash;as per the sign at the entrance of the park&mdash;these should only be used by those who are otherwise unable to walk due to health-related mobility issues.

Donkeys are exploited by small groups of Bedouin youths who use 75 cm electrical cable sections to strike them all the way up to the Monastery. So if you can walk, it's better to spare the animals.

The video in the Petra Museum (just past the security gate and the ticket sales booth) tells visitors not to ride the donkeys because:


 * 1) The donkeys have wounds under their saddles from carrying excessively heavy loads (overweight tourists).
 * 2) The donkeys are beaten by the owners (you'll see this; they do it in front of you).
 * 3) Many of the owners are children that would otherwise be in school if you didn't encourage them to be skipping education by giving them money.
 * 4) The donkeys walking up the steps carved directly out of the sandstone mountain damage the steps, harming the preservation of this remarkable World Heritage Site.

Once you arrive at the Treasury and throughout Petra, there will be many camel and donkey owners jockeying for your business. Be prepared to do some bargaining and don't pay more than 15 JD per hour. Often there are times when the owner will drop his price in half simply by hearing a few phrases in Arabic.

Camel transport could be an option. Riding a camel is a unique experience along the Main Trail.

Much of Petra is literally covered in feces from all of the animals, and it has a near-perpetual smell&mdash;especially in narrow areas like the Siq and the tombs that are full of animal (and human) feces. Please don't fund the exploitation of animals that's destroying this World Heritage Site and making it an unpleasant visit for others.

"Free with ticket" scam: Even though it might state on your ticket that the horse/donkey transport from the entrance to the Siq is included in the price, it is a common way to scam people into paying unjustified amounts of money for the guides service. Some guides with horses and donkeys will offer you to carry you further, but many people ended up paying 50 JD for a two-hour ride, which is beyond fair and justified. Don't fall for any such lies and simply reject any offer. If you really want to use their service, agree on an all-inclusive price for animal, guide and any other services beforehand and only hand over the money at the finish. Do not get tricked into extra tracks, services or anything these scammers could charge you for.

On foot
However, if you are reasonably fit and the weather is good, walking the whole of Petra is quite nice. Prefer climbing the Monastery's path before 15:00, otherwise it will be mostly in the shadow. If you are a good hiker, Petra area including the Monastery climb, the climb up the tombs to see the Treasury from above and even the High Place of Sacrifice are possible on one day.

There is an unofficial section from the High Place of Sacrifice directly down to the Treasury, saving you some time, but finding it can be a little tricky. Try OpenStreetMap, which at least shows the official track to its very end. The other way around from the bottom of the Treasury is blocked by a sign and probably official personal. Not going down to the Treasury, you can even walk back to the highway.

"You need a guide" scam: On some trails (especially an ascent from the Treasury and a walk starting between the entrance and the Siq), touts may falsely tell you that a guide is mandatory and may pursue you (on foot or horseback) to try to force you to turn back. Some routes are officially designated as "dangerous without a guide" (though this very much depends on your mobility and the weather), but a guide is not mandatory. On the other hand, some other routes are indeed blocked off, but in that case having a local guide doesn't detract from the fact that you are trespassing. In any case, if hassled, the best thing to do is to try to ignore them. In busy hours, tourist police are often nearby, especially near the Treasury.

See


Guides can be hired from about 25 JD and up (depending on what you want to see) at the Visitors Center. Many of them were born and raised in Petra, and will gladly share their knowledge with you. Major hotels can rent you a portable Easyguide audio guide (10 JD/day) for commentary in English, Arabic, French and Spanish. Easyguide is also available as a mobile phone service on all Jordanian mobile phone networks; a map is needed to use this service.



Do
For the terminally energetic, there are a number of popular hikes around Petra. Most hikes last about 1-3 hr round-trip.


 * In order to understand what Petra is, it is better to spend there two days. The first day: Siq - Treasury - City - Monastery. The second day: another way to Petra through Wadi Muthlim - see the Treasury from above on Jebel Al -Khubtha - High Place of Sacrifice. If you enter Petra through Wadi Muthlim do not turn left immediately after the small Siq, first go right to see Aqueduct, Tunnel and Al-Wu'eira Fort and only after that return to Petra center. It may not be possible to go through this route due to excess water in it. It's not recommended doing this route without a guide.

Buy
Throughout Petra, vendors will offer bottles of decorative sand art (small ones about 1 JD bigger ones up to 6 JD). While they may appear similar to other such souvenirs found in other Jordanian locations, these are unique in that the sand used to create the art is naturally colored sand scraped from the rock walls of various Petra canyons and not artificially colored. The most common design displays a camel's silhouette against a desert background. Some artists can write a name inside the sand bottle in a surprisingly short amount of time.

Bracelets, necklaces and rings are sold frequently by vendors walking around and presenting their goods. Offers vary extremely in price and often salespersons claim that they are made out of silver, even though they are not (1-5 JD is a fair price for most of the offered goods).

There is a fruit and vegetable market next to the minibus station in Wadi Musa.

Souvenirs in Petra/Wadi Musa often cost twice or three times the price demanded in the rest of Jordan. So, if you are also going to visit the rest of Jordan, do your shopping there.

Ancient coin, mister?
The Bedouin tradesmen around the area will display artificial "ancient" Roman or Nabatean coins which are rather large in size. If pressed further, they will generally have a hidden stash of small, authentic coins from various periods. However buying these coins encourages the illegal looting of archaeological sites. To supply you with a souvenir the local inhabitants destroy graves, tombs and buildings in searches for coins and other antiquities. The Antiquities Law of 1988 states that individuals who engage in illicit excavations and/or trading in antiquities are criminals.

Petra
There is only one restaurant in all of the Petra site - at the far end of the Roman Highway. It's operated by Crowne Plaza, and does a roaring trade despite steep pricing, and also has the valley's monopoly on beer (6.5 JD for a 300 ml can, Oct 2018).

For just snacks and hot & cold drinks however, there are small stores and vendors scattered throughout Petra.

Many of these shops are powered by petrol. If you follow the electrical cables, they go up the slope into the old tombs where the generator is running. Not only does this create sound and air pollution, but the top of these old cave tombs becomes thick with soot and desecrating their beauty. Please don't buy from these vendors.

Shade is sparse in Petra, and on a hot summer day you can expect to go through at least 4 l of water (and more if you can afford to carry it). The need for water in the winter months is much less. A 0.5-l bottles cost 1 JD, and 250 ml soft drinks cost 2 JD (Oct 2018).

There are several bathrooms along the Main Trail with running water.

Wadi Musa

 * Valentine Inn (see below) sells various alcoholic beverages and is famous for that with the locals.
 * Si Wan restaurant has some good local food with fair prices. Also, there's a good and cheap bakery near it.
 * Mountain Pub (at Hidab Hotel). Traditional wood bar with alcoholic beverages, hot and cold drinks, and snacks.
 * Valentine Inn (see below) sells various alcoholic beverages and is famous for that with the locals.
 * Si Wan restaurant has some good local food with fair prices. Also, there's a good and cheap bakery near it.
 * Mountain Pub (at Hidab Hotel). Traditional wood bar with alcoholic beverages, hot and cold drinks, and snacks.
 * Mountain Pub (at Hidab Hotel). Traditional wood bar with alcoholic beverages, hot and cold drinks, and snacks.

Sleep
The most authentic way to stay in Petra, and very budget and unique experience, is to stay in a cave with a local. When you walk around Petra you will be approached by many nice local people with camels or donkeys inviting you to have tea with them. When you talk to them for a bit, they will propose to stay in their cave with them, cook dinner for you and hang out with you in the evening. They can also help you get back to your hotel after dinner. It is a very basic accommodation, but they can give you blankets and mattresses. Of course they wouldn't do that if it were not for an appropriate donation, but something around the price of budget accommodations in town is reasonable. It is probably always best to stay in a group of friends, just in case. This way the "payoff" for the local is more worth the effort.

Budget
Most accommodation will be available through the common hotel websites. To get a good price, check out a places availability and location and just turn up and ask for the price referring to the website. But even walking around in the center of Wadi Musa will give you plenty of options. But in high season book ahead.



Stay healthy
The most cold and rainy months to visit Petra are December and January. In this time it is warm during the day and very cold in the evenings and at nights. That's why it is necessary to take coats, hats and gloves. And it could warm up your visit there if you take a thermos with hot tea with you. Avoid going if the forecast shows a lot of rain, as the guards may need to transport tourists out if the valley starts to flood. The hot, dry air sometimes results in nosebleeds. You might want to carry petroleum jelly, or petroleum jelly-based products like Vicks and apply liberally to the insides of the nostrils to avoid nosebleeds. Also, carry plenty of water and oral rehydration products if you are travelling to Petra in the hot summer months to avoid dehydration. A good cap and sunglasses will help you avoid getting a heat stroke and sunburn.

Stay safe
The park is populated by a significant number of Bedouins, living in caves, tents, and buildings off the main tourist trail. A handful undertake herding and agriculture and your interactions with them (if any) are likely to be brief and pleasant; however, the vast majority are focused on tourism within the park. The perceived wealth of tourists, together with a high visitor turnover and ineffective authorities, can make the (unavoidable) interactions with these touts unsavory at best, and occasionally quite intimidating.

Some practices have already be mentioned in the according chapters before. Here are some more:


 * Animal mistreatment – You will not visit Petra without witnessing the kind of animal abuse that would lead to imprisonment in western countries. The touts who work with horses, donkeys, and camels think nothing of beating them, including with sticks or rocks. This is especially prevalent towards closing time, and might entirely sour one's visit. Despite animal protection being mentioned on a sign near the entrance, the authorities have not yet fixed this issue.
 * Fake park rangers – In addition to the tourist police, some park rangers work in the park. The park rangers' primary tasks are to ensure the preservation and scenic quality of the site, and to assist tourists in education and appreciation of the park. Therefore, if a difficult gentleman claims to be a park ranger and insists on inspecting your ticket, consider showing him, but do not physically hand over your ticket.
 * Changing money – One or two touts may ask you to exchange some foreign money (maybe a €10 note) to JD, complaining that there is no bank in Petra. It is not recommended.
 * Female travelers – The internet is awash with stories of female travelers who have experienced financial scams, uncomfortable situations, or worse. Western women are often assumed to be promiscuous and even a basic interaction might be construed as an advance. So accepting an invitation for a walk, an Arabic coffee, or an evening under the stars might be inadvisable. Likewise, in the adjoining town, if a woman sits in the front seat of a taxi (even in a group situation) this might be taken as an invitation.

While going off the main tourist path is a rewarding experience for the trails, scenery, and less-visited archaeological sites&mdash;the further you stray, the less likely you are to come across police or fellow tourists who could help if necessary&mdash;best to always go in a group.

Cope
While the main trail has proper bathrooms, you may not encounter one if you do some trekking. Be prepared with plenty of water and dig a cat hole. If you must use toilet paper (instead of a rock or water), be sure to dispose it properly.

Many of the tombs in Petra are literally full of feces and (worse) feces-smeared toilet paper. Don't contribute to the desecration of these beautiful sites. If you have to go, bury your excrement off the trail (not in a tomb!) and dispose your toilet paper in a decent and proper manner.

Go next

 * &mdash; a scaled down version of Petra, is accessible by taxi or from Petra. It is less traveled than the main site and is well worth the visit if you spend more than a day in Wadi Musa. Approximate cost for a cab ride to and from the site, including having the taxi wait for an hour or so, is 25 JD (Oct 2018). There is also at least one minibus leaving from the bus station (city center) around 12:00. Price: Free.
 * Wadi Rum &mdash; a stunning desert valley in southern Jordan, lies about an hour south of Petra. Buses leave in the morning (~06:30) and generally cost 5 JD. Make arrangements through your hotel. Taxis for 40 JD (Oct 2018).
 * Dana Nature Reserve &mdash; stay in a local village within the Nature Reserve, and enjoy unforgettable hiking in an offshoot of the Great Rift.
 * Kerak &mdash; site of a once-mighty Crusader castle.
 * &mdash; great nature reserve famous for its impressive canyons. Read more here. Limited access in winter.
 * Madaba &mdash; known as the 'City of Mosaics' for its Byzantine and Umayyad mosaics, especially a large Byzantine-era mosaic map of Palestine and the Nile delta at St. George Church.
 * Dead Sea &mdash; The lowest point on earth and the most saline sea, letting you float on top.
 * Buses to Aqaba also leave in the morning for 5 JD (price for tourists) (~07:00). From Aqaba, it is possible to cross the border to Eilat in Israel and from there to Taba in Egypt.
 * To get to Amman, you can take a minibus from the central bus station. There must be one every hour until 14:00 or 15:00. JETT also has a daily bus leaving at 17:00 from the parking close to the visitor center.
 * For a cheaper trip, a public minibus from Wadi Musa (Petra) to Ma'an is 0.55 JD and from there to Aqaba 1.5 JD. Also cheap buses to Amman from Aqaba pass by here.
 * For a cheaper trip, a public minibus from Wadi Musa (Petra) to Ma'an is 0.55 JD and from there to Aqaba 1.5 JD. Also cheap buses to Amman from Aqaba pass by here.

Most budget hotels have tours but the level of organization varies a lot and could prevent you from taking a tour. It is best to form a group yourself (at least 4 persons). An example tour could be Kings way trip: Shoubak Castle, Dana Nature Reserve, Tafilah, Karak Castle, Dead Sea, Mt. Nebo, Madaba & Churches, and Amman for about 30 JD at the Valentine Inn.