"Petra, Jordan" a Petra Travel Page by SWFC_Fan

The surreal town of Petra (“The Rose City”) in southern Jordan has to be seen to be believed!

Built by the Nabataeans over 2000 years ago, the cty was “rediscovered” by Swiss explorer, Burckhardt, in the early 1800s.

Much of Petra is still undiscovered even today and much of its past is unknown. That such structures could have been built, with no tools, and so long ago, defies belief.

Today, Petra is a rapidly growing tourist site. It is fair to say that Petra would already be a major, world-renowned tourist destination if it wasn’t located in a region that is perceived by many to be dangerous to visit. The sad fact is, when I told people at home that I was visiting Petra, the majority had never heard of it. When I told them it was located in Jordan, the majority thought I was heading to a war-zone! Oh well, it’s their loss!

My friend and I arrived at Petra on a February afternoon following a 3 hour bus journey from the Jordanian capital, Amman. We booked into the Hotel Edom in Wadi Musa (the town that lies at the entrance to Petra) and immediately made our way to the Petra visitor centre.

Entrance to Petra is relatively costly – but still represents value for money. You can purchase either a 1, 2 or 3-day entrance ticket. In fact, a 3 day ticket is not significantly more expensive than a 1 day ticket, so if you’re there for a few days the actual daily cost isn’t so expensive. We purchased 2-day tickets, spending an afternoon there and then a full day before moving on to Aqaba.

On the first afternoon, we only really had time to walk as far as the Treasury – probably Petra’s most famous sight. From the entrance, it is a 30 minute walk, via the narrow Siq gorge, to the Treasury. Thankfully, it’s all downhill. However, that of course means that the return to the exit is all uphill. For those that don’t fancy an uphill struggle, there are horse-drawn carriages and donkeys to transport you back. You won’t have any trouble finding such transport – the local Bedouin people will offer their services almost constantly throughout Petra!

Following a big breakfast at the Edom Hotel (including excellent pancakes), we set out to see more of Petra on our second day. Such is the layout of Petra, that it was necessary to first retrace the route that we had taken the previous day towards the Treasury. Even having seen it the previous day, it was still a breathtaking sight to emerge from the Siq and suddenly encounter the bright façade of the Treasury.

We continued beyond the Treasury, passing a small ampitheatre and hundreds of impressive tombs. Up until this point, there is only one path to follow but here Petra opens up and you can roam wherever you please. We ventured off the beaten track in the direction of the mountainside tombs. After about 20 minutes, we were beckoned by a Bedouin lady who invited us to visit her cave for a cup of tea. Not wanting to offend the locals’ hospitality, we accepted. (Unfortunately, previous travelling experiences have led me to be a little cynical when local people offer their hospitality – so I naturally assumed that this would end up costing us money! In fairness, I was ultimately correct!)

So, following a further trek into the mountains, we found ourselves perched in a precariously located cave while the local Bedouin folk put blankets down for us to sit on and set about making a fire. Next, an old burned kettle appeared and the tea-making process began. In truth, as the tea was being made I was dreading how awful it was going to taste. As the tea leaves were added to the boiling water, it looked truly vile. However, it was freezing cold at this altitude and the chance to drink hot tea while sitting by an open fire was very appealing. When the tea was poured into glasses and a few spoonfuls of sugar were added it didn’t look too bad – and, I’m happy to say, it tasted great!

At this point, the hard sell started. We were offered a guide to show us around the site for the rest of the day. We were shown a vast collection of Nabataean coins which the locals had collected in the area (apparently, following heavy rain the coins can be found in puddles). And then we were directed to the souvenir stall that had been set up outside the cave. Out of politeness, we purchased a few small trinkets and, following plenty of haggling, the money that we spent was a fair trade for the experience of drinking tea with the local Bedouin people. (In fact, we’d paid prices that were 5 or 10 times greater than the prices of goods in the souvenir shops in Wadi Mousa – but I don’t begrudge them that!).

Feeling a little warmer, we left the cave and braved the windchill as we set out to experience more of this amazing place. We were told that the hike up to the Monastery would take several hours on foot – but we could cover the journey in a fraction of the time if we hired a donkey for the ride. Of course, this was an exaggeration and in the event we hiked up to the Monastery in little over an hour.

The Monastery, along with the Treasury, is one of Petra’s most famous and best-preserved buildings – and it’s well worth making the tiring uphill trek to witness its splendour. Further up from the Monastery, there are several viewpoints that provide spectacular views over Petra.

After a few more hours exploring various caves and monuments, we made a long journey back to the exit, knowing that we had covered only a fraction of what Petra has to offer….and knowing that even if we’d spent the next month exploring the site, we’d still only have seen a small fraction!

Following a dinner of shwarma meat in pitta breads in one of Wadi Mousa’s many unremarkable small restaurants, we took a taxi south to Aqaba on the southern coast. Remarkably, as we travelled on the high roads out of Petra it was snowing – but the following morning, when we awoke in Aqaba, the sun was shining and it was 70 degrees plus. Amazing!

So, if you’ve never thought about visiting Petra (or never even heard of it!), be sure to bear it in mind. It’s a great place to visit – especially before it’s discovered by mass tourism!