Petra in 3 days: Nabatean trails, back doors & desert ridges

Petra as a hiking trip. Day 1: the Main Trail at dawn via the Siq to the Treasury, Royal Tombs, and the Al-Khubtha viewpoint, with Petra by Night optional. Day 2: the back door in, Little Petra shuttle to the Monastery, then a one-way traverse of the whole site to the exit. Day 3: the High Place of Sacrifice loop via Wadi Farasa, then the Petra Museum. Best with a 2-3 day ticket (55-60 JD) or Jordan Pass; confirm closures at the Visitor Centre, carry water, wear real hiking shoes.

1. Day 16 am – 10:30 pm · 5 stops
2. 6 am1

   Walk the Siq to the Treasury at dawnWadi Musa

   Start at opening (6:00am summer, 6:30am winter) so the Siq is empty. Walk the 1.2km slot canyon, turn the last corner, and the Treasury appears. Stay ahead of the tour buses; the light is best before 8am. The horse ride down the Siq is included in your ticket if you ever want it (tip the handler).

   10 min walk · 700 m
3. 8 am2

   Street of Facades and the Royal TombsWadi Musa

   Follow the Street of Facades to the tombs carved into the East Cliff: the Obelisk Tomb, the Silk Tomb, the Urn Tomb, and the huge Palace Tomb with its 49-meter facade. Worth 90 minutes on foot; the facades glow in mid-morning light.

   3 min walk · 0 m
4. 10:30 am3

   Climb the Al-Khubtha Trail for the Treasury viewpointWadi Musa

   The steep rock-carved steps behind the Royal Tombs climb to the famous bird's-eye viewpoint over the Treasury. Hard going in the heat; bring water. Confirm at the Visitor Centre that the upper viewpoint is open, as it was closed in late 2025 and the official hike may now route via Al Madras instead.

   10 min walk · 750 m
5. 2 pm4

   Qasr al-Bint and the Great TempleWadi Musa

   The best-preserved freestanding Nabataean building in Petra, at the far end of the Colonnaded Street. From here walk to the Great Temple, one of the site's largest excavated complexes, then back along the Colonnaded Street in the afternoon shade.

   18 min walk · 1.4 km
6. 8 pm5

   Petra by Night at the Treasury (optional)Wadi Musa

   The candlelit night walk through the Siq to the Treasury, with Bedouin musicians. Runs Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings at 8:30pm, weather permitting; tickets are bought separately from the day ticket. 1200 tea candles, zero filters needed.

7. Day 27:30 am – 5:30 pm · 4 stops
8. 7:30 am6

   Shuttle to Little PetraWadi Musa

   Catch the free 7:30am minibus shuttle from the back of the Petra Visitor Centre (confirm the night before that the back route is open). Little Petra was the trading suburb: smaller facades, painted dining caves, fewer visitors. You need a 2-day Petra ticket already, as tickets are not sold here.

   10 min by train or taxi · 6.1 km
9. 8:30 am7

   Hike the back-door trail to the MonasteryWadi Musa

   The back-door route starts at Kharrubat al-Fajja, 50m west of the road to Beidha; a 4x4 shuttle from Little Petra costs about 5 JD cash. This was a Nabataean processional road, climbing through mountains past the Lion Triclinium to Ad-Deir, a 50-meter-wide facade bigger than the Treasury, with a cafe on the plateau. 6.2 miles, 4-5 hours, far fewer crowds than the 800-step route from the main trail.

   8 min by train or taxi · 3.2 km
10. 12:30 pm8

    Down the 800 steps to the BasinWadi Musa

    Descend the 800 rock-cut steps from the Monastery to the Basin, where two restaurants and shade wait. Rest, eat, refill water, and regroup before the walk out.

    8 min by train or taxi · 1.8 km
11. 2 pm9

    One-way traverse: Main Trail to the exitWadi Musa

    The payoff of the back-door plan: a one-way traverse of the whole site. Walk out via the Colonnaded Street, past the Street of Facades, the Theater, the Treasury at golden hour, and the Siq to the Visitor Centre. You never walk the same trail twice today.

12. Day 37 am – 1:30 pm · 2 stops
13. 7 am10

    High Place of Sacrifice and the Wadi Farasa loopWadi Musa

    Trailhead across from the Tomb of Unayshu, and the start is all stairs. At the top: two obelisks, an altar, and sweeping views over the valley. Loop back down via Wadi Farasa, a secluded canyon to the Lion Fountain, the Garden Temple, and the Renaissance Tomb, reaching the Basin area. 1.9 miles, 3.5-4 hours, hard.

    8 min by train or taxi · 2.4 km
14. 12:30 pm11

    Petra MuseumWadi Musa

    Small, modern museum just outside the Visitor Centre with artifacts excavated from the site. A cool, shaded hour that turns the three days of carving you just walked through into a story you can tell.