Line © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), checked by Global Adventurer.
The walk
From the Petra Visitor Centre follow the wide track past the Djinn Blocks and the Obelisk Tomb into the Siq, a winding cleft more than a kilometre long that opens suddenly in front of the Treasury. Carry on past the Street of Façades, the Theatre and the Royal Tombs, then along the Colonnaded Street to Qasr al-Bint. Behind the temple the Ad-Deir Trail climbs a gorge on worn rock-cut steps, past the Lion Triclinium, to a high plateau and the great façade of the Monastery (الدير). Come back the same way.
It is 11.6 km there and back with 376 m of ascent; allow about 4 hours, more with stops. The grade is Moderate: an easy track and paved street to Qasr al-Bint, then a steep, sustained climb on uneven steps, polished and slippery in places.
Start early: there is little shade on the climb. Carry at least 3 litres of water each; stalls on the way sell drinks. The Siq is a flood channel, and the Petra authority closes the site when floods threaten. From October to March it closes at 17:00, and you must be out by then.
A one-day ticket is 50 JD if you spend at least a night in Jordan and 90 JD on a day trip; the Jordan Pass includes it. JETT buses run from Amman to Petra and back each day.
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
- Petra was the capital of the Nabataeans, Arab traders who grew rich on the incense and spice routes between Arabia and the Mediterranean from about the 4th century BC
- The Siq, the main way in, is a natural cleft about 1.2 km long and in places only a few metres wide, with Nabataean water channels cut into its walls
- Ad Deir, the Monastery, is a façade about 47 m wide and 48 m high carved in the 1st century AD; it takes its name from crosses cut inside it in Byzantine times
- Petra has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1985
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.
