Petra, Jordan: What You Need to Know Before You Go

From history to travel tips, here’s everything you should know before visiting Petra, Jordan’s Rose City.

Before the war in Israel, I spent some time in Eilat, close to the border of Jordan. Our vacation was filled with sun, snorkling and exploring the country, but I really wanted to visit the ancient city of Petra in Jordan side.

It is one of the most famous archaeological sites in the world and also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The ruins are also one of the New Seven Wonders of the World which were announced in 2007. They are quite magnificent and unique, and definitely worth visiting!

My friend didn’t feel like going on this tour, but I decided to go with a bus load of other travellers. Here is how it went, and everything you should know about visiting Petra:

Things to know before visiting the Ancient City of Petra

What is Petra?

Petra Archaeological Park is an ancient city and an archaeological site in southwestern Jordan. It has become known for its beautiful rock-cut architecture that shines red on its sandstone walls when the sun hits it. Therefore it has also gotten a nick name “Rose City”.

The colours really reminded me of Utah in the United States. Places like Bryce Canyon, Cedar Breaks and Arches National Park are shaped by nature, not human like in Petra, but you will have the same red sandstone around you.

The closest town to Petra is called Wadi Musa.

Petra is located in a Wadi Musa Valley surrounded by the mountains. When you look down from high up it is almost impossible to even see this ancient city. It has been the most excellent hiding place for so many during the years.

The first known inhabitants in Petra were the Nabataeans, who most likely lived there in 500 BC. However, there are signs of residents already from 7000 BC. Then the Romans took over the area in AD 106, and at it’s best, there were 20 000-30 000 inhabitants.

At that time people living there were mostly pagans but they started to turn into Christianity in 423. Unfortunately earthquakes did damage the city and it started loose its appeal. And it is believed that it finally got fully abandoned in year 600. Until it was discovered again by the Swiss explorer Johan Ludvig Burchardt.

It is believed that there might be some references about Petra in the Bible. Also some factors of Koran’s Holy City match with the details of Petra, so some theories suggest that Petra was in-fact the Holy City that they mention.

Today, Petra is a very popular tourist destination and still an active archaeological site. About 5% of the city is still uncovered. Approximately million people visit Petra every year.

Getting to Petra

Most people come to Jordan by plane. The main airports are Queen Alia International Airport (AMM) near the capital city, Amman and King Hussein International Airport (AQJ) in Aqaba.

Petra is about 143 miles (230 km) from Amman, so it takes about three hours to drive there. I recommend hiring a driver for your trip but it is also possible to rent a car. Just be aware that Amman is a challenging place to drive, and there are checkpoints throughout the country, so you need to have your passport always with you.

You can also use the local bus service called Jet Bus to get to Petra, or a taxi.

Our journey from Israel towards to the ancient city of Petra started in the morning. People in the bus were excited as none of us had been in Jordan before. The drive from Eilat to Petra is about over 90 miles (140 kilometres), but to get to the border it only takes half an hour.

When we arrived to the border our guide took the passports and got us visas while we waited in the buss. It was very easy. Then we went thru the passport control one by one and walked over the border. And after that, back to the road it was. 

I knew that Jordan would be a completely different kind of country than Israel where we were coming from. But I was still surprised how drastically different even the views were. There was not very much to see on our drive.

The road goes thru a desert, and every once in a while we passed some mountains. In the middle of no where in the hot desert, we saw a lady in her burka and sandals herding sheep. It looked very dry out there.

Our only stop before Wadi Musa was at a small gas station for a restroom break. The bathroom was very modest, only a hole in the floor. Foreign credit cards are not always accepted in smaller places like this, so it is good exchange at least a small amount of currency even for a day trip.

We stopped right before Petra in Wadi Musa to enjoy a local lunch buffet. It had some salads, tahini, fried potatoes, rice, grilled chicken and meat. And everything was very tasty! Wadi Musa has several restaurants to choose from, so I recommend eating over there.

Visiting Petra

When you reach Petra entrance you should make a quick stop at the Visitor Center. That is where you will get the tickets (if you don’t have the Jordan Pass) and all the information for the area.

Right at the beginning, you will have to walk thru over 1 mile (about 2 km) long slot canyon called Al Siq. Some of the path may be quite rocky and at its narrowest the gorge is only less than ten feet (three meters) wide.

You can also choose to travel by horseback ride or donkey. After the horses reached the end of the path, they are sent back alone as they know their way.

When visiting Petra, it is good to wear comfortable shoes, bring some water, sunscreen and sun hat. During summer months it can get quite toasty in Jordan.

But since it is mountain gorge and the wall are quite tall, in the mornings, and especially in winter months it can get pretty chilly in Petra. It is good to bring something warm with you. They can even get some snow from time to time.

Best times to visit Petra are spring and fall when the weather is mild.

On the walk you will see some carvings by the Nabataeans and a furrow which was used as an aqueduct. Since they were able to get plenty of water in Petra, people were able to grow vegetables and fruits, and farm food. 

We have seen similar slot canyons at Antelope Canyon and Valley of Fire State Park when we visited Arizona and Nevada. Slot canyons there are formed by water and erosion, and they sometimes can have dangerous flash flood warnings. Al Siq however, was formed when earthquakes moved the mountain walls further away from each others, so Petra is perfectly safe to visit.

Suddenly while walking on the Al Siq, you will come across an amazing site! Something red is at the end of the gorge. It is the Al Khazneh Treasury which looks beautiful in the sun. You will hear some “Oohs” and “Aahs”, and everyone wants to capture a perfect picture of it.

This is what people remember Petra from and this what they come there to see. Based on the rumours, the Treasury used to be where some of the valuables were hidden in the old days, but now it is just an empty room. Not so impressive from inside as it is from outside.

From there you can walk even further. The rock walls are full of tombs, and some of them you will be able to walk into. In the 1980’s there were still Beduins living in them, but the government built them a separate village near Petra so they could preserve this area.

Only a small portion of the caves and tombs have been researched, so the archeological work is still on going. Petra has also been seen in many movies such as Indiana Jones.

Where to stay in Petra?

Especially if you plan to explore Petra for multiple days, I recommend staying the night as close to it as possible. There few nice hotels right by the park close to the visitor center, like Petra Moon Luxury Hotel and Petra Guest House. They both have a complimentary breakfast.

If you want something more budget-friendly, all you have to do is go to couple blocks towards the downtown. Petra Icon Hotel and Petra Agora Hotel are both fine choices and not too far.

Wadi Musa has many great hotels but in my opinion, the location here is important, especially if you don’t have a car. Otherwise you will end up walking inside the city on its steep hills before even getting in to the park.

My experience at the Jordan Border

It was time to leave and our drive way back to the Israeli border went quickly. There is a passport check first at the border of Jordan and then again at the Israeli border.

When it was my turn to show my passport, the officer looked at it and then looked at me, and told me to follow him into a little room. I was left alone there and to wait for a very long time.

Finally a lady walks in and starts asking me questions; why am I going to Israel, where am I from, my parent’s information, my father’s name and address and so on. All this time she proceeds to type everything on her computer even though she must have no clue how to spell these Finnish names (I was born in Finland). My passport gets browsed through so many times and so hard, that I am worried it might break soon.

A full bus load of people is waiting for me outside, and I feel very guilty that my inspection is causing this delay for everyone else. People are already tired of the long day at Petra and they just want to get back to the hotel in Israel.

I’m not sure why I was chosen to this background. Some of the questions are so silly but laughing or panicking in this situation would not help in any way. I could totally see how this could scare some travellers. You are on your own without any help, and have no clue what is even going on.

Eventually they let me go. When I enter the bus people are applauding. They all are surprised and confused why I was taken out of the line but our guide says that it is most likely because I am a woman traveling alone. It is not very common in this culture for women to travel without a companion. And since neither; my husband or my dad was not there, they decided to ask more questions.

Oh well, we got back to Israel and I got to tell my dad that all his information is now written down at the Jordanian border control. I’m glad I had this group with me and I wasn’t totally alone there. Otherwise no one would have known where I was.

Other than this I have never heard that any tourists would have had problems in Jordan so don’t let this scare you from traveling there! I look at it as a great adventure and seeing Petra was definitely worth it!

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This was not the first one of the New Seven Wonders of the World I got to tick off from my list. I had already seen the Pyramids of Giza in Egypt and since then, we have also visited the Chichén Itzá in Mexico. But are still planning to go to Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu in Peru, Christ the Redeemer in Brazil, Colosseum in Italy and Taj Mahal in India.

Which ones have you seen already? Are you planning to visit Petra?

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