I remember the first time I saw a picture of Petra, I immediately added it to my travel bucket list. So when a flight deal for Jordan came up for under $700, I messaged a friend and off we went.

Prior to leaving we purchased a Jordan Pass, with two days at Petra for 75JD. Considering the Visa and Petra pass alone would cost about the same, and it gave us entry to over 40 attractions throughout Jordan, it was an obvious choice for us.

From the entrance, it is a 2 km walk from the entrance to the Treasury. You can opt to walk or take a “free” horse ride.  (It’s actually not free, but they try and tell tourists that and than charge them a tip afterwards) It’s a nice walk so I suggest you do the walk, and if you go early in the morning it’s pretty empty.

After you finally finish the hike, you will feel like Indiana Jones in the Holy Grail when you finally reach the treasury.

Petra itself has over 100 Tombs and more than a dozen trails ranging from 1 hour to 4, however my absolute favourite was the Al-Khubtha trail. The map can be seen here and once you reach the top you will have an overlooking view of the Treasury.

Although the map says 2.5-3 hours, and the difficulty is rated as hard, I found it to be a fairly easy and enjoyable hike. There are lots of stairs so be ready and make sure you bring lots of water, as there are literally no shops are anything at all on the hike.

We brought food up with us and had a picnic at the top, overlooking this amazing view.

Tips:

• Bring loads of water, everything is overpriced inside of Petra
• Many hotels and hostels will offer to pack a lunch for a low fee, much cheaper than anything being sold inside
• If you want to beat the crowds, go early in the day
• buy the two day pass, one day is not nearly enough to see Petra