Petra is known for its iconic tombs cut into the rose-colored rock of the mountains in Jordan’s southern desert valley. What people may not know is that Petra is strewn with spectacular hiking trails that make this ancient archaeological site a hiker’s paradise! In this hiking guide to Petra, I will outline a hiking route that will take you on a combination of trails allowing you to see the most of what the rose-colored city has to offer. These trails will not only take you to all of the iconic sites but will get you off of the beaten path to discover the quieter and lesser known areas of Petra.
The best way to explore and appreciate the natural and man-made wonders of this site is to put on good walking shoes and explore the amazing network of hiking trails on foot!
Petra is an ancient city complex complete with Nabataean tombs and Roman ruins covering a vast space of barren desert. If you are wondering where to start when planning a trip to Petra, check out our Essential Guide to Visiting Petra outlining everything you need to know including when to go, how to get there, where to stay and details about each of the main sites. In this post I will focus on navigating you through the trail network so make sure you check out our Essential Guide to get all of the details about each of the sites along the way!
Hiking Guide to Petra Day 1: The Main Trail and The High Place of Sacrifice Trail (11km)
On day one you will see the Treasury, the Street of Facades, the High Place of Sacrifice, the ancient Roman city as well as get off the beaten path to hike Wadi al Farasa with its lesser known tombs and monuments.
The Main Trail
Every trip to Petra begins at the Visitors Center. Once inside the gates you will begin your walk along the Main Trail towards the Siq and the Treasury. The Siq is a deep canyon formed by a split in the rock that winds its way towards the Treasury, and acts as an entrance into the vast city of Petra. This portion of the trail from the Visitors Center to the Treasury is approximately 2km long and is an easy walk.
There is a lot of history within these canyon walls. There are sites along the way that hold spiritual significance as well as evidence left behind of the original water channels carved into the sides to bring water into the city. Whether you rush your way through this natural wonder or whether you savour the walk as it was done by Nabataean pilgrims on their way to the holy city, this is a wonder in its own right and you literally can’t miss it!
After you reach the Treasury, the Main Trail continues to the right through a second smaller siq that leads to the Street of Facades and the Roman Theatre passing other smaller tombs along the way. This portion of the trail is short and sweet at only 500m and is easy.
High Place of Sacrifice Trail
Once you have reached the Street of Facades you will see a tea stand and cafe against the rock face. This is the point where we leave the Main Trail and head upwards to start climbing the High Place of Sacrifice Trail.
The trail steeply winds its way up through the crevices and folds of the mountain until it reaches a set of obelisks. The path is made mostly of stairs cut into the rock but some basic scrambling is still required to reach The High Place of Sacrifice at the top. Once you reach the obelisks, keep right to reach the alter area. The trail to the High Place of Sacrifice viewpoint is approximately 1.5 km long, but due to its steepness is difficult and took us approximately 30 min.
The High Place of Sacrifice sits atop a plateau with sweeping views of the Royal Tombs and the Main Trail below. If you walk past the sacrificial alter and descend down the shelves of rock to a broad rim, there is a tea stall as well as multiple viewing points that look down into the valley below. It is the perfect place for a quick rest and a snack!
High Place of Sacrifice Trail: Wadi al Farasa
Once you are refueled and ready to go, head back towards the obelisks and look for a signpost indicating Wadi al Farasa. This is a continuation of the High Place of Sacrifice Trail that winds its way through Wadi Farasa passing many lesser known and not frequently visited tombs and monuments. Here is where you are really going to get off the beaten path and escape the crowds! The trail begins with steep steps leading down the cliff face towards Wadi Farasa and culminates at Qasr al-Bint in the ancient Roman city. You will immediately be rewarded with breathtaking views of the wadi below and amazing rock formations! This portion of the trail is approximately 2.3 km and is moderately easy.
The first site you come across on the trail down the cliff edge is the Lion Monument where water was once channeled to pour out of the lions mouth. Those Nabataeans were engineering geniuses!
Further along the path you reach the base of the cliff face and the beginning of Wadi al Farasa. The path winds its way through the wadi passing beautiful tombs giving you a glimpse of what life was like living in Petra. As you begin your walk through the wadi you will first come to the Garden Tomb which was more likely used as a temple.
As you wind along the path you will pass the Roman Soldier’s Tomb and the Garden Triclinium opposite. The Garden Triclinium was a hall used for feasts held to honor the dead who were placed in the Soldier’s Tomb. The two were at one time connected by a colonnaded courtyard .
From here the trail winds upwards above the wadi floor past other small tombs and caves once used as dwellings, towards the ancient city center and the end of this portion of the trail. The trail will eventually end at Qasr al-Bint.
Back to the Main Trail
Once you reach Qasr al-Bint, you will be back on the Main Trail. Follow the Main Trail back to the Visitors Center through the ancient Roman city and along the Colonnaded Street towards the Treasury and the Siq. We chose to explore the ancient city on our way back with stops at the Great Temple and market area as well as Petra Church. This portion of the trail is approximately 4km and is considered easy.
At this point in the day, our feet were tired and we were ready to head back to our hotel for some R&R so that we would be ready to tackle day two!!
Hiking Guide to Petra Day 2: The Monastery Trail and Al-Khubtha Trail (14km)
On day two you will see the Monastery, the Royal Tombs and get a chance to see the Treasury from what many call “The Best Viewpoint in Petra.”
The Monastery Trail
There is no getting around the fact that the only way to get to the Monastery Trail is to walk the Main Trail from the Visitor’s Center all the way to the end past Qasr al-Bint. The Monastery trail-head is to the right past the cafe in what is called The Basin. We opted to get an early morning start and high-tailed it straight to the trail-head in order to beat the crowds. I am glad we did, as we managed to have the Monastery almost all to ourselves when we got there! This portion of the Main Trail is 4km and is considered easy.
The Monastery Trail is all uphill and is mostly steps carved into the stone. This trail is approximately 2.5km return and is difficult due to its steepness.
The trail is dotted with tea stalls selling snacks as well as souvenirs and trinkets. There are lots of places to stop and take a break or just pause to look back and enjoy the view down into the valley. It is truly stunning!!
Once you reach the top, the mountain has a natural plateau and the Monastery in all of its glory appears cut into the rock face. It is magnificent and in my opinion is even more impressive than the famed Treasury!
There is a tea stand and cafe directly across from the Monastery but we didn’t linger here as we were too excited to explore the trails around the area! There are no marked trails leading from the Monastery but there are many small rises and look out points that you can freely walk to and explore. We chose to head west of the Monastery to see the vistas across the mountains towards Israel. The views were off the charts and we wandered for a long time just enjoying the different vantage points.
I can honestly say that this was our favorite part of visiting Petra. The Monastery was jaw-droppingly beautiful, the trails around the area were so much fun to explore, the views were incredible and there were no crowds! All of that combined to make this place a total highlight of our visit to Petra!
Al-Khubtha Trail
Once you have gotten your fill of the awesomeness that is the Monastery, start making your way back down the trail to The Basin. From here you will head back along the Colonnaded Street towards the Royal Tombs. There are a couple of different access points from the Main Trail that lead to the series of tombs that make up the Royal Tombs. Choose the path that suits your fancy and start exploring the magnificent and awe-inspiring Royal Tombs!
Once you have visited the Urn Tomb, the Silk Tomb, the Corinthian Tomb and the Palace Tomb keep heading out along the cliff face on the Al-Khubtha Trail until it leads up and above the Royal Tombs. This portion of the trail is 3.5km and due to its steepness is considered hard.
The Treasury Viewpoint Trail is at the very end of the trail and offers a high vantage point of the Treasury and the crowds below.
Since this is a one-way trail, you will need to walk back to the Royal Tombs in order to return to the Main Trail and eventually the exit at the Visitors Center. Once you reach the Main Trail you can decide if your tired feet are ready to call it a day or if you want to keep exploring! Whatever you decide, this completes the hiking guide and an epic two day hiking adventure in the rose-colored city of Petra!
For more detailed information about the main sites of Petra and to get all of the logistical details of planning a visit to the site, check out our Essential Guide to Petra.
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This is a great guide for this two day hike!! What a beautiful and unique place Petra is! 🙂
It is such a beautiful place to visit!! The hiking is definitely some of the most unique we have done!
You know Petra is at the top of my bucket list! This guide is fantastic, I had no idea how many hikes and places there are to explore besides the iconic Treasury. Gorgeous photos, definitely pinning this for later!
We were so surprised by how much hiking there was to do in the area!! It makes it even more desirable to go in our books!
Beautiful place and beautiful photos. I need to go back there.
It is definitely worth a second trip! We didn’t see everything this time around so we need to go back too!
How much will it cost, and when it will be?
This is a self guided tour so it can be done on any visit to Petra! The cost would just be your entry ticket to the site. For more details on visiting petra we have a post https://driftwoodsfamily.com/2019/02/02/petra-guide-everything-you-need-to-know/ That you can check out too!