Travel to Petra is certainly of the most amazing thing you can do as a traveler. It’s like a dream travel but with a lot more tourists than you thought.
Petra is an incredible place for a lot of different reasons:
- The magic of the desert environment
- combined with the remarkable state of preservation of the tombs, temples, obelisks, amphitheaters, and all that the Nabataean civilization has produced
- The mysteriousness of the place that seems at the same time a religious site, an abandoned city, and the set of “Indiana Jones and the last crusade” (in the movie our heroes left the city of Alessandretta to reach the “gorge of the crescent moon”, that is Petra’s treasure).
All of this makes a visit to Petra something similar to a journey back in time to the Nabatean world. A civilization that is long extinct but, in a way, still with us.
Travel to Petra, once a global spot on the trade routes
In the Nabatean time, Petra was, in fact, the focal point of the caravan routes that passed through the desert, all the “silk roads” that connected the West, especially the Roman empire but not only, to Persia, India, and China. The Nabateans were good intermediaries, traders who enjoyed trade in an era when the word globalization was not known but still had a concrete application.
From the entrance, from the road carved in a gorge between two steep rocky walls, that takes you to the magnificent “treasure”, everything is illuminated (as Safran Foer put it), I have to admit it. From tombs to roads, from paths to graves, from landscape to camel guides, it feels not an archeological site but a place that is alive.
In particular, in addition to the very classic entrance path that opens up onto the famous treasure (El-Khazneh), I recommend the climb up to Al-Deir, one of the largest and best-preserved tombs (given the narrow and steep walk there will also be fewer tourists).
It is located in a part of Petra a little less frequented by tourists for the simple fact that it takes time and a bit of effort to reach it. The structure is even bigger and more imposing than the famous treasure.
The list of places to see is quite long and maybe you don’t even need me to make a list indicating things you already know. Anyway, for the list lovers I have somethign for you :
- El-Khazneh, the treasury, the thing Petra is most famous for.
- The Street of Facades with the Nabatean Amphitheater
- The Royal tombs
- The Great temple
- The colonnade road
- The monastery of Al Deir
Much more than with any other archeological site the point here is to wander. Pay attention to your surroundings (it’s still a desert and some narrow paths could be difficult to walk especially under the scorching sun) but walk around because there are wonders that you can discover and you can enjoy a literal journey back in time and maybe also avoid the crowds of tourists (a bit like in Angkor Wat).
Where everything is so beautiful, you can make your own choice. The amphitheater, the remains of the Byzantine church, the rock tombs of the Nabatean kings, all this is Petra and there is no right or wrong.
Because Petra is a kind of magic
Yet there is something else apart from the ancient ruins. And it is quite rare to be able to tell it about an archaeological site. An archaeological site is generally made from archaeological remains and little else. The reasons for the existence of the site are the remains and you go there just to see those.
In Petra, on the other hand, the story of the LP on “the less traveled path” is a cliché that has its share of truth. I believe that only when you are walking alone on a rocky path and you have some time to stop and appreciate the landscape that lies beneath you, only then will you have perceived something of Petra.
This something won’t be related to the very photogenic treasure, the amphitheater, or the tombs. Perhaps it’s the breath of history. A type of breath that seems very long but actually passes quickly enough. A breath that seems immortal but usually ends up, at best, in an archaeological park. And it’s not always that great.
Travel to Petra. Eco-sustainability?
Speaking of Petra, however, we cannot fail to mention the problems that plague the site and nearby Wadi Musa. The children who beg for alms are almost an army and the presence of many well-stocked tourists is too great an attraction for many of them. Especially compared to the love that children have for school.
The pressure, due to the high number of tourists in a relatively small city (6/7000 inhabitants) like Wadi Musa, means that there are serious problems related to the development of the sector of tourism/hotel/accommodation.
In particular, so far, attempts have not been made to ensure that this development does not further damage the surrounding environment and the delicate balance of a place that is, let us remember, substantially desert. Energy obtained through renewable sources, water supplies, and garbage collection. All ordinary things for a town of 7000 inhabitants, which however become very difficult to manage with the passage of almost a million tourists a year.
Hotel or Couchsurfing?
When we passed through Wadi Musa and Petra, in December 2013, the choice of medium-quality hotels at affordable prices was so low that we decided to use Couchsurfing. And it was a pleasant experience.
As of July 2022 if you plan 1 or 2 months in advance you can find rooms for 2 people from 60 euro to 230 more or less.
Some real Petra travel tips and info, so you can’t say I’m useless
Inside the site you can’t use motor vehicles, fortunately. You can rent poor mules, horses or, what I would suggest, walk.
Admission prices range from 70 to 85 euros for one or three days of visits. While you’re at it, I’ll choose three days of walking, so you don’t have to do everything fast.
The guides are recommended if you are really interested in the historical aspects, while if you want to go at your own pace and simply enjoy the city and the landscape, you can also do it yourself (official guides cost from 70 to 150 euros, depending on the route).
The post about my travel to Petra, Jordan, is now finished here I list a few other travel options :
