Our Time in Petra: Exploring Jordan’s Ancient Marvel

People appear split on how much time you need to visit Petra; some say one day, while others say you need five days minimum. For me, it all depends on what you want to get out of your visit.

When we purchased our Jordan Passes, we opted for ‘Jordan Explorer’ which included two consecutive days in Petra.

The host at our accommodation in Wadi Musa kindly left behind a map of Petra and so we planned out the trails we wanted to do over our two days: the Al-Khubtha trail, the High Place of Sacrifice trail, and the Ad-Deir (Monastery) trail.

We arrived at the visitors centre at about 8am on our first day, not super early, which meant that there were already a number of tour groups exploring the Main Trail. Due to this, we decided to power through the Main Trail and get away from the crowds.

I feel like I’ve talked a lot about the Main Trail in my Petra Paradox post, so to keep it brief, it was hot, a tad crowded, and by the end, I was sick of diving out of the way of golf carts.

The anticipation for the first sight of the Treasury was a thrilling experience. We had a few false alarms, mistaking people taking photos around the corner for the Treasury, but that only heightened the excitement.

Seeing such beautiful architecture and contemplating the sheer amount of time and effort that would have gone into creating it without the machinery we have available today was awe-inspiring.

The Al-Khubtha trail is marked on the pocket map, copies of which are available at the entry gate where you collect your tickets. You follow the Main Trail past the Treasury, walk down the Street of Facades, and then, once you’ve passed the Theatre on your left, you’ll see stalls either side of you; at the end of the stalls, the path will be to your right.

While on this trail, you can take the opportunity to explore the Royal Tombs and the Sextius Florentinus Tomb (although, we missed out on the latter, as the steps leading up the trail and towards the viewpoint are located between the Palace Tomb and the Sextius Florentinus Tomb).

We headed on up the steps, stopping for plenty of breaks to catch our breath and drink some water. Just as I was thinking that I would kill for a can of pop (that’s soda for those of you across the pond), a Bedouin tent appeared promising shade and cold drinks.

We took some time to rest up, the man in the tent was more than happy for us to sit with no obligation to buy anything, but I had been craving a cold Fanta Orange! It was such a lovely experience resting on cushions, taking in the view around us.

As we recovered, we noticed a mountain goat on the rock face below us. To our horror, our host leaned over the edge to shoo the goat away. When he was safely back in the tent, he explained that the goat could startle and fall, so it’s best to shoo them to safer ground.

Feeling refreshed and ready to move on, we thanked our host, and continued up the Al-Khubtha trail.

At the summit, there was a signpost, with directions for:
– Panoramic view of Wadi Musa City Centre
– Panoramic view of the Theatre
– Panoramic view of the Treasury

The panoramic view of the Theatre was pretty busy, but there wasn’t much to look at, we much preferred sitting in the Bedouin tent we had just vacated which offers you near enough the same view.

We then followed the sign for the panoramic view of the Treasury, this led us down quite a rocky route. Towards the end, it almost felt like we were back in the Siq, waiting for that view of the Treasury.

When we came to the end of the trail, we could see the Treasury, just about, but there was a tent in prime position promising “the most beautiful view in the world”. Of course, we opted to go in; there were cushioned seats all around, although there was only space for about 6 people right at the front with the view. Not wanting to hog the view, I took some quick videos before we settled at the back with yet another cold can of Fanta. While not required, I think it’s polite to buy a drink from the owner, as a small token of thanks.

We did wind up sitting at the front again, taking our time to truly appreciate the view before us as many others had done. At viewpoints such as these, there’s a chance you’ll have to wait at least 10 minutes for those Insta-worthy pics.

We headed back out the tent and back along the trail until we came back down the steps, finding ourselves next to the Palace Tomb again. We decided to head along a little trail towards the “city centre” so we could get some food.

On our way, we passed the Byzantine Church, so we decided we may as well head in and have a look, as our guidebook mentioned mosaics. These are fantastically preserved and so beautiful.

We walked from the church to the Basin Restaurant, where we had a buffet for 17 JOD each. It was a bit overpriced for what it was, but it fuelled us up for the next part of our day.

After lunch, we set off walking up the Ad-Deir (Monastery) trail, which starts just outside of the Basin Restaurant (strategic placement there!).

I started off trying to count the steps, but I quickly gave up around the 40 mark. It’s a tough slog, and at times it feels like the trail is never-ending. It honestly took so much perseverance.

When we finally reached the top, it was fantastic. The Monastery towered over us and was a fantastic reward for the challenging walk.

There are a few tents set up at the top of the trail, so you can have a rest and enjoy a cold drink while taking in the sight of the beautiful Monastery.

We set off walking back down, and stopped in at a rest point along the way for a quick drink and to rest our legs a bit. Hayden wound up making friends with a kitten! There are so many cats in Petra (a nightmare for someone allergic to them like I am).

We continued on our way once again, and made our way back through the Siq.

Disclaimer: We did not go! But read on for what we learned.

Petra by Night runs every Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday and involves a candlelit walk through the Siq, you then sit in front of the Treasury, which is lit up with more candles. There’s music and stories as entertainment while you take in the sight before you.

Our first day in Petra was a Thursday, meaning that we could only go that night. After a full day of exploring the Nabataean capital, I was near tears with tiredness. We had an early dinner in Wadi Musa and then climbed the steep hill back to our accommodation. In hindsight, doing those two trails in one day wasn’t the smartest move. I couldn’t fathom walking back into Petra and back again, and so we stayed in, while I looked up bad reviews of Petra by Night to make myself feel better about missing it!

On our second day, it was hot and our legs were aching, so we began our day in the Petra Museum.

Admission to the Petra Museum is free and it is filled with a wealth of artefacts and information. It’s also a nice way to cool off! A favourite part for me was seeing how underfloor heating worked back in the day, which is demonstrated by the photo on the right below.

Once we’d explored the museum, we entered Petra for the second time (we stopped by the “I ❤ Petra sign” on the way in). On tired legs and blistered feet, we walked down the Siq towards the Treasury once again. Despite having planned to walk the High Place of Sacrifice Trail, we decided that we just weren’t up for it, so we ended up just wandering and found a little trail opposite the Street of Facades.

This was obviously much quieter than the trails advertised on the maps, and provided some nice views. There was even a Jordan flag, which I naturally had to pose with!

We honestly couldn’t handle much more than that, so we bid farewell to Petra and went for a late lunch in Wadi Musa.

You definitely can get away with two days in Petra if you only want to try two or three trails, but if you want to go more in depth, you will need longer.

In looking back through my notes I made during this trip, I found this:

There is so much in Petra that smaller things get overlooked. If they were found in isolation anywhere else, they would have more attention.

I think if you start looking in any depth at any one part of Petra, you could spend forever on it. Even now, looking back at my photos of the Treasury, I’m noticing details that I didn’t see before, and didn’t fully appreciate while I was standing in front of it.

So, in answer to the grand question “how long should I spend in Petra?” it all comes down to you, what it is you want to see, how physically able you are to traverse the site, even the time of year you are going.