Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), checked by Global Adventurer.
The walk
From the Petra Visitor Centre walk down through the Siq to the Treasury, then past the Street of Façades to the Royal Tombs, cut into the foot of Jebel Al-Khubtha (الخبثة). Walk along below the Urn, Silk and Corinthian tombs to the Palace Tomb, where the Al-Khubtha Trail begins. Rock-cut steps zigzag up the mountain and then run south along its top to a ledge high above the Treasury, the view made famous in countless photographs. Come back the same way.
It is 9.7 km there and back with 333 m of ascent; allow about 3½ hours, more with time at the viewpoint. The grade is Moderate: a wide track through the Siq, then a steep stairway with some uneven, eroded steps and long drops close to the path at the top.
Climb in the morning, while the west-facing steps are in shade, and carry at least 3 litres of water each. Keep back from the edges. The Siq floods after rain, and the Petra authority closes the site when floods threaten. From October to March it closes at 17:00.
A one-day ticket is 50 JD if you spend at least a night in Jordan and 90 JD on a day trip, with the Jordan Pass covering it. The authority also lists a 15 JD charge for the viewpoints opposite the Treasury.
Route drawn by Global Adventurer along OpenStreetMap paths (© OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL), with figures worked out from it. Check the forecast and the ground on the day: paths change.
Good to know
- Jebel al-Khubtha is the mountain on Petra's east side; the Royal Tombs, among them the Urn, Silk, Corinthian and Palace tombs, are cut into its western foot
- A Nabataean stairway climbs from the Royal Tombs over the mountain to a ledge looking straight down on the Treasury (Al-Khazneh)
- The Urn Tomb was made into a church in the Byzantine period, in the 5th century AD
Getting there
Start: Petra Visitor Centre car park, Wadi Musa. 30.32568, 35.46733
Directions to the start
Places to stay nearby
Rooms in and around Petra Visitor Centre car park: Booking.com → Expedia → Hotels.com →
Affiliate links: if you book, Global Adventurer earns a small commission at no cost to you.
Paths change, and the weather decides the day. The line and figures come from OpenStreetMap and our own checks; take a map, check the forecast, and turn back if it isn't right.