When people think about Petra, the image of a rose-colored rock-cut temple tucked away in the mountains of the desert of Jordan often comes to mind. However, what they may not know is that Petra is so much more than the Treasury. Petra is an archaeological city that covers a vast expanse of barren desert. The city consists of a Roman theater, tombs carved on the side of a mountain, and temples cut from a cliff face. In order to see all the beautiful architecture the place has to offer, we must go on foot and start hiking.
Due to the size of the ancient city, it can be quite overwhelming for newcomers to choose which route to explore first. Petra has several trails where hikers and outdoor lovers can explore on foot, and within this guide, I will recommend a combination of trails that will allow you to see the most the rose city has to offer, all in one full epic hiking day.
Petra Hiking Map
| 🌤️ Best time: | March-May |
| 🚘 Get around: | Hiking |
| 🏛️ Ticket: | 50-60 JD |
| 🕓 Time to spend: | 1 day |
| 🚶♂️ Difficulty: | easy to moderate |
6 Best Petra Hiking Trails
1. The Main Trail
Length: 30 minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Every trail begins at the Visitor Center, where you can buy an entry ticket for Petra. Depending on how many days you want to explore Petra, you will have to pay 50 JD, 55 JD, or 60 JD for a 1, 2, or 3-day pass, respectively. For this guide, you only need a 1-day pass, but I would recommend getting more if you have more days there.
Since you are combining several trails into one, it will be a long day for you. So, I would recommend waking up as early as 8 AM and beginning the hike at 8:30 AM. The sun in the desert is no joke, so by starting early, you are saving yourself from the extreme heat, severe dehydration, and leaving yourself enough energy to complete the hike in good shape.
The Main Trail is the first trail you will take, which begins from the Visitor Center and goes all the way to the rest stop. However, you will only be hiking halfway of the Main Trail, at which point you will branch out to a different trail. The Main trail consists of a simple, flat path that will take you through the Siq, a narrow slot canyon that serves as a passageway to the Treasury. This trail involves almost no climbing and can be done in less than an hour.
- Petra Gate Hostel and Hotel (Budget)
- Petra Plaza Hotel (Mid-Range) 👍 Top Pick
- Petra Marriott Hotel (High-End)
- Little Petra Bedouin Camp (High-End)
- From Petra to Wadi Rum Back to Amman or Airport (5 to 9 hours)
- 3-hour Private Guided Tour In Petra with hotel pick up. (2 to 3 hours)
- Private Petra Back Entrance Tour with Guide . (5 to 7 hours)
No matter how early you are, the Treasury will always be crowded. So, spend a few minutes there before heading to our second trail that will take us to the Treasury Viewpoint - the best view you can get of the Treasury, away from the crowds.
2. The Treasury Viewpoint Trail
Length: 1.5 hours (round trip)
Difficulty: Hard
After the Treasury, you will have to walk a little further to the right toward an opening, but stick to the right side of the mountain and follow the path. On your way to your second trailhead, you will pass a few tombs before you find steps going up the mountain. That is the beginning of the Treasury Viewpoint trail, which will take you up a mountain before arriving at the viewing point where you can see the Treasury from above.
It will take around 45 minutes to hike all the way up to the top, but there are several photo stops where you can rest along the way. Up at the top, you will have a great view of the Treasury, which, in my opinion, is the best view you can see. There are also a few small tea tents where you can take a break and enjoy the stunning view of the Treasury in front of you.
This is a one-way trail, so you will have to make your way back to the main trail before starting the third trail.
3. The High Place of Sacrifice Trail
Length: 30 minutes (one way)
Difficulty: Hard
As you make your way back down, backtrack your way past the Nabatean Theatre on your right and along the street of Facades. Across the Tomb of Unayshu, you will find another trail on your right, leading up the mountain. This is the trailhead for the third trail we are doing, the High Place of Sacrifice trail.
The trail is uphill from the beginning for around 45 minutes before you arrive at the High Place of Sacrifice, where you can have a stunning vantage point of the Royal Tombs. This is the perfect place to rest and have some snacks while enjoying the solitude and light breeze of the desert. You will start to feel more like an explorer and less like a tourist on this trail, as there will be significantly fewer tourists here.
From the High Place of Sacrifice, do not go back the way you came. There is another path that will take you to the next trail.
4. The Wadi Farasa Trail
Length: 1 hour (one way)
Difficulty: Easy
The Wadi Farasa trail is connected with the High Place of Sacrifice trail, and it will take you through the Wadi Farasa valley, passing the Soldier's tomb, the Lion Fountain, the Garden Temple, and several other beautiful tombs along the way.
This is an easy trail that will take you no more than an hour to arrive at the Rest Stop. You will only have to go down the mountain from the High Place of Sacrifice into the valley, and once you are in the valley, it will be a simple stroll along a flat path until you arrive at the rest stop where you can buy more water if needed.
Beware that this trail is mostly exposed, so you will be in direct sunlight with no shade to hide in for almost the entire hour of the trail. Therefore, keep yourself hydrated.
5. The Monastery Trail
Length: 45 minutes (one way)
Difficulty: Hard
Last but not least, the Monastery Trail, which, in my opinion, is the most impressive out of all the 5 trails I covered here. From the rest stop, you will have to follow a path east of the restaurant that is heading towards a valley, and from there, you will find a path going up the mountain.
The climb is steep but not too long, as it can be done in an hour or so. Along the way, you will find several huts where the Bedouin people sell their handicrafts, so you can slowly make your way up while browsing through their catalog of items or just politely ask them to rest in their shades.
After an hour of hiking up the stone steps, you will arrive at the Monastery, one of the most beautiful pieces of architecture in Petra, second only to the Treasury. There is also a café right in front of the Monastery, where you can sit, relax, and enjoy the architectural wonder in front of you. Since you will be here in the late afternoon, the crowds of people should have already subsided. But if not, do not worry, there is more to this hike.
If it is still too crowded at the monastery, you can go even further up the mountain behind the cafe, where there is a trail leading to a few more viewpoints from an even higher ground.
From up there, you will be able to avoid the crowd, witness the incredible view of the monastery in solitude, and get to see the rolling valleys on the other side of the mountain. There is also a tea tent up at the viewpoint, so you can enjoy Petra in its full glory in peace.
6. Taking the Main Trail Back
Length: 1.5 hours (one way)
Difficulty: Easy
In order to get back from the Monastery, you will have to backtrack your way to the rest stop. Instead of going back through the Wadi Farasa trail again, you can go straight back to the Visitor Center through the Main Trail west from the rest stop. It should take you around an hour and a half through a mostly flat path. You will pass the Theater, the Treasury, the Siq, and then you will arrive back at the entrance.
P.S. If you want to read more about my experience in Petra, here are my Photos from the Hikes in Petra.
More Petra Activities
If you are looking for more activities to do here, be sure to check out some of the available tours and day trips:
- From Petra to Wadi Rum Back to Amman or Airport (5 to 9 hours)
- 3-hour Private Guided Tour In Petra with hotel pick up. (2 to 3 hours)
- Private Petra Back Entrance Tour with Guide . (5 to 7 hours)
Where to Stay in Petra?
When to Visit Petra?
The best time to hike in Petra is from March to May, when the temperature, though quite warm, is not as bad as in the summer. During summer, the temperature can go up as high as 40°C, so if you are planning to go hiking all day, you will need all the cool desert breeze you can get.
How to Get to Petra?
If you are looking to fly into Jordan, you will have to go through the Amman International Airport. Emirates Airline, one of the most comfortable flight experiences you can get, provides a pretty good connecting flight to Amman through Dubai. You can also browse for deals before booking your flight here.
From Amman, you can take a JETT bus from their office in the city, which should take no more than 4 hours before you arrive at the gate of Petra.
What to Pack before Hiking Petra?
With any hiking trail, good preparation is required for an amazing experience. Since Petra is a desert with rugged terrain, uneven ground, and many trails to choose from, it is essential that you prepare the items listed below before you start the hike:
- Hiking Maps: Get a hiking map at the visitor center and study the trails you are taking carefully. The trail map I have here is a good guideline, but by no means official or super detailed, so do carry the official map with you at all times.
- Water and Food Supply: Prepare lots and lots of water. It is a desert after all. I would suggest at least 4 liters of water if you are planning to combine all the trails into one day like I did. In my map, you can find a rest stop where you can buy more water in case you run out, but it is very expensive (5 USD for a bottle), so it is better for you to come prepared. I always carry my 2-liter hydration pack, which I recommend so you don't have to stop to stay hydrated.
- Dress for the Desert: Make sure you dress for the weather. The desert climate can be extreme. It can get scorching hot in the summer and surprisingly chilly in winter.
- Sturdy Hiking Shoes: Sturdy shoes are a must, as there is lots of uneven ground in Petra and some surfaces are sandy and prone to being slippery. These Timberland Shoes are my go-to hiking boots in most situations.
- A Daypack: You will need a daypack to carry all your gear with you when you are out and about. During this trip, I use the classic Herschel Supply's Little America Backpack to carry everything with me. It is light with good capacity and stylish as hell.
This post is created in collaboration with Wego.co.ae.
Now that we have all the information we need, it's time to start planning your trip! Here are some resources to help you get going:
Are you planning to travel independently? Be sure to check out my guide on How To Plan A Backpacking Trip here.
Further Reading for Jordan
I hope you found this travel guide useful. I have a ton more written about Jordan, and if you are interested in reading more, here are a few additional travel guides about Jordan:
- Amman is a great place to start your journey in Jordan. Here's a quick guide on how to spend 3 days in Amman and its surrounding tourist attractions.
- While in Amman, be sure to take a day trip and visit Jerash. Here’s a guide on how to travel to Jerash from Amman using public transportation.
- Petra is among the most popular attractions not just in Jordan but in the entire world, and for good reasons. Here’s how to spend 2 days in Petra.
- Looking for something to inspire you to visit Jordan? I’ve got you covered. Here are 22 photos that will inspire you to visit Jordan.
- You can also watch my Jordan travel video here: Adventure in Jordan.
- To see all articles about Jordan, visit the Jordan Travel Guide page.
- Looking for more travel guides for the Middle East? You can find more on my Middle East Travel Guide page.
- For more of my travel guides, visit my Destinations page.
Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links.
5 Comments
This post is fantastic. I have 2 questions. 1. The total time seems to be 8.5 hours. Does that include any stops for food etc. or will we need to be rushing. We are pretty strong hikers so I did not know if your times were based on people not used to hiking or super fit people. 2. What is the total distance of this hike including getting back to the entrance. Thank you for any information.
Hi Mary,
Sorry for the late replies. These are how much time it took me to walk each section of the trail, non-stop (no food or photo stops) but I was with some other travelers so I was not going very fast. I think you can use these as an average non-stop time for the entire trail.
I'm not sure the exact distance but from rough measurements, it would be around 15km roundtrip. I hope this helps!
In order to make the best of a one day hiking experience in Petra. You are best to take a Jeep through the back way leading to the trail that allows you to arrive directly at the Monastery. You are counter most of the tourists and arrive at the Monastery before anyone else. You also avoid the stair climb up and the necessity to go back on your steps. From the Monastery you go down the stairs, take the Wadi Farsa trail up to the High Place of sacrifice and down the main path, turn left pass the Theater then to the Roayl Tombs up Hofta Mountain with a view of the Treasure from above. Unfortunately you do need to use the same trail to go down. At this point you can choose to follow the Road Tombs as per accent or walk towards the Byzantine Church, down to the bridge onto the Main Roam Road up to the Treasury. You will arrive at the Treasury late in the day when most our groups have left and the Treasure is relatively quiet. Walk out the Siq. Saves you many KM of backtracking on the same paths and avoids the crowds as you are going counter to them.
Also to note, Umm Umbiara is a much nicer climb then the high place of sacrifice with 180° views of the site as well as the Wadi Araba Desert.
I also suggest looking up places to stay in the Bedouin Village as you get to have a much more local experience. We are the proprietors of Petra Bedouin B&B and would be happy to share more of our local knowledge and experience with any of our visitors.
Hi Pete
Having just done the incredible full 3 days hiking Petra, I wanted to contribute to your blog seeing it was THE only blog we found that gave us valuable details in prep for doing all the hikes.
The details that I can share us about us doing the full hike from Little Petra, to the Monastery, then to the Treasury (leading out to Petra town, Wadi Musa). Which is essentially starting at the end of the full trail (Little Petra), and ending at the start (Petra).
I will say very very few people do the full hike in this direction, because its long - took us about 7.5hours and would be moderate difficulty (if it was not in 40C heat).
So take the free shuttle bus from the Petra Visitors Centre (which is not widely promoted) to Little Petra. The shuttle leaves daily at 8am, so wait for it and dont be dissuaded by the taxi drivers who tell you there is no shuttle.
At the shuttle drop off point, you have the option of a 5JD safari ride to the next drop off point or hike it as we did. This first leg is flat and little longer than we thought at about 6km, but at sunrise its beautiful to walk - passing abandoned bedioun camps, just 2 people against the red rock sunrise formations, and nothing else.
Important to mention that whether you walk or take the safari ride along this 1st leg to the next stop - you still have a considerable hike to the Monastery from there.
It took us 2 hours to reach the Monastery, which was the most magnificent of all trails. The Monastery is a must if you are venturing to Petra. From the Monastery you follow the trails back to Petra, as you have highlighted in your map.
We were actually the only people on the route who did the first leg to the Monastery in this direction. We met quite a few people at the Monastery doing the hike in the other direction, not beyond to Little Petra.
Off course if you only have 1 day in Petra, you would only the walk from Petra to the Treasury, the street of facades and perhaps some of the trails to Royal Tombs and back to Petra town.
Hope this added contribution about the Little Petra hike offers some insight.
Thank you for reporting back Janine. This will be extremely helpful for those who want a more detailed take on the hikes in Petra. It did take me about the same duration to do all the hikes here. And I agree, the Monastery trail is definitely the highlight here. :) Glad you enjoyed it and thank you for your contribution!