Can you go inside petra treasury

Duh, Petra is the gorgeous hand-hewn building from Indiana Jones. The one on the picture above. Well, not exactly. Petra is an ancient city full of myths and wonders. A honeycomb labyrinth of archaic marvels covering the ground of over sq km. Well-preserved tombs, temples, and Roman ruins blended with dazzling natural sites and colorful Bedouin culture to create this one-of-a-kind wonder that deserves a top place on your bucket list.

Petra was created by a western Arabian nomadic tribe called Nabataeans. The Nabataeans were prominent traders, and when they arrived in the area, they used their knowledge and skills to accumulate vast wealth. Over the next years, the former nomadic tribe built one of the most advanced cities on the planet. It was located in the middle of the perfect trade route, connecting Asia with Greece, the Roman Empire, and Egypt, but the location was far away from perfect.

The city occupied a natural canyon in the middle of the desert, hardly a pleasant environment to live in. Since Nabataeans were not the average BC people, though, Petra was way ahead of its time. The ancient tribe invented their own cursive script the forerunner of Arabic and trained skillful engineers.

They built dams, water channels, and a complete hydraulic system that was enough to supply 30, people in the middle of the desert. Absolutely incredible! Petra is located in Jordan. To explore Petra the right way, you need a few days, so Wadi Musa would be the perfect place to stay in.

Jordan offers a visa on arrival for plenty of countries check the list here. Your visa is free, Petra is free, Wadi Rum is free, and over 30 other touristic attractions are also free. Castaway Tip This one is very important. I like to research and prebook all my transports before I arrive, but in Jordan, that turned out to be quite the challenge. Once there, it turned out arranging transport was as easy as Sunday morning. You just ask in your hotel or check with your Bedouin host, and they will get you all the info you need.

Amman is located around km miles from Petra, and your trip will be a little bit more expensive than the Aqaba one. Your options are:. The desert of Wadi Rum is the other top highlight of Jordan. If you decide to start with some desert camping first, you have limited options to get to Petra. Eliat and Tel Aviv are another popular starting points for exploring Petra. Jordan may be a Muslim country, but their relationship with Israel is excellent.

Having said that, crossing borders is always an annoyance. It requires time and money, so I tend to avoid it. The best way to see Petra from Israel is via tour. No doubt here. Those guys would help you cross the border as fast as possible and would provide an English speaking guide to show you around Petra.

If you find yourself in Jerusalem, I recommend this 3-day Jordan Highlights tour. The icing on the cake is Spending the night in a bedouin camp at Wadi Rum and trying a typical Bedouin dinner cooked in the desert sands. Same tour is offered from Tel Aviv too. Advantages of doing things on your own — you have way more time to explore what you find interesting, disadvantages — a lot of hassle crossing the border, finding transportation, and accommodation. Wadi Musa has only one income stream — Petra.

Everything in the village is centered around tourists. The prices are no exception. The most important thing to check, when booking a place to stay, is the distance to Petra.

You want something as close as possible so you can get early and get ahead of the crowds. Nothing else in town is worth your time, so focus only on Petra. If you want to explore Petra in style, this high-end hotel is the best one for you.

The hotel also has a cave-bar, set in a 1st-century Nabataean house. How cool is that? See the latest price. Less than 15 minutes of walking would get you there. They also have various room types and plenty of dinner options.

A very accommodating host who is ready to help with everything you need is the icing on the cake. This budget Airbnb is probably the best in the area. I think a lot of people who spend days in Petra are not up for heavy walking so they spread out what an energetic person could do in a day.

I will be there in early November when the weather is easy and I am expecting to spend a long day walking and exploring. Do you think I will feel I have missed out by just spending one day, or to put it another way, will I enjoy two days of heavy walking?

Thanks and best wishes. Let me ask you this: are you a photographer? Photography always takes more time, for instance, I had to wait for a while at the top of the Treasury for the good light to show up, but I saw other tourists moving on.

However, I consider myself a fast walker. Thanks for your quick reply. I am not a photographer. I can see from your web page that you have taken a lot of trouble to take beautiful photographs. I am more the type who clicks a few times on the phone and then has a look later to see if anything good comes up. Also the type who walks to the bottom of the Grand Canyon and back in a day. My girlfriend has been before and is convinced we can pack everything into one day and spend an extra day doing more hikes elsewhere.

Then you should be fine I think. Is it possible to use a mobility scooter on the tourist route? If not, are the carriages a viable option? You can however hire a golf cart or horse carriage to the Treasury but not further. Unfortunately, these are not wheelchair accessible and some of people will need to be carried on to them and have their wheelchairs stowed in the back of the cart.

Horse carriages can be booked upon arrival. What is an appropriate amount or percent to tip local guides? We only have one day as we are staying in Amman. We hope to stay as long as possible. What would you be sure to ask the private guide to include and what would you discard with limited time? For example, should we take the horse back ride in?

Is that more time efficient or is it better to walk in? You need JD dollars for everything, including paying for your visa at the airport. You can exchange the money at the airport or take our of ATM. Are you staying overnight though or driving from Amman in the morning?

You can start by going all the way to the Monastery and see how much time you have left. Hi Anna, great review of Petra and love seeing it being helpful for future travelers. I definitely recommend more than 1 day in Petra at least 2, maybe 3 if some one has the time and take it day by day slow travel to really the the feel and depth of the site.

Thanks for sharing your experience and keep sharing about such a magical place. Hi Anna! Love the pictures, absolutely stunning. Can I ask how long it took to walk back to the centre from the monastery?

Also is the walk very difficult? Thanks, Diana. Thank you Anne. This information is so helpful. My friend and I are planning a trip to Petra next spring. Thank you Anna. Great information, will be going in early March. Your experience and suggestions will help us make the most of a lifelong dream. Hey Anna, Nice reading your post. I am visiting from Nov Dec3rd. Do you think this is a good time? Many thanks, Anna Karsten for your info and perspectives. I am researching, since my second daughter and her husband are with a group of 40 choir members from a church in California touring Israel, with Petra and Amman among their itinerary.

Your inputs will add to my talking points with my daughter and son-in-law when they come visiting me this year. God bless you! Zonia Anne. Notify me of new posts by email. You can even ride on top of the car in Jordan….

How much does it cost to visit Petra? What are the top sights to see at Petra? Are there places to eat and drink in Petra? What should I bring to Petra? How safe is it to visit Petra? Will I be bothered by people trying to sell me things at Petra?

Petra is one of those attractions. You can buy your Jordan Pass here. This is a 10 km hike that starts in Little Petra and after 2 hours of stunning canyons and viewpoints will bring you to the Monastery of Petra, where most people usually finish their Petra tours. Enjoying the views on the hike from Little Petra to Petra.

I can highly recommend this experience for three main reasons. The first one is that the hike itself is incredible. There are some changes in elevation but the terrain is usually well paved and I would describe the overall difficulty level of the hike as moderate.

The natural landscapes of the rocks and canyons were to me almost as beautiful as the archaeological site of Petra itself. The second reason is that you will reach the Monastery early in the day, when most people are still making their way from the standard route from the Visitor Centre and you will get it mostly to yourself. Lastly the standard path that takes to the Monastery is composed by steps, which you will now get to walk down and not up! Mountain views on the hike from Little Petra to Petra.

I get it that not everyone wants to start a visit to a 60 square kilometres archaeological site with a 2-hour hike to reach the site itself. If you choose to go via the standard route, make sure to get there early! Up close to one of the Royal Tombs in Petra, Jordan. Before visiting Petra all I knew about it was the Treasury.

There is actually so much more to Petra than just the beautiful Treasury facade. So how do you know what you should go see in Petra?

This is a 1. Walking along the Siq; the entrance to Petra. The first glimpse of the Treasury from the Siq. This is the most famous attraction in Petra. In the past tomb raiders that were searching for treasures tried sacking also the Petra Treasury, without much luck.

If you look closely you can still see bullet holes in the rock where they attacked it with machine guns, trying to trigger traps before they entered. Admiring the beauty of the Treasury in Petra, Jordan. As you walk on from the Treasury the next main sight that will appear soon on your left is the theatre. These are just after the theatre on the right, and have elaborate facades carved into the rock similarly to the Treasury. There are four of them one next to the other, a sight that for me was almost as impressive as the Treasury!

There are steps that lead up to them and you can actually visit the inside of these tombs. Both in the area just below the Royal Tombs and even under some of the arches you will find souvenir stalls.

The four Royal Tombs in Petra seen from a distance. Inside one of the Royal Tombs in Petra, Jordan. The Colonnade is a street that runs through the centre of Petra, with columns on each side, as the name suggests.

The Colonnade street is mostly in ruins, due to the frequent flash floods that took place over the past thousands of years, and there are un-excavated sites on either side.

The Colonnade in Petra with the Royal Tombs in the background. The Monastery is the attraction furthest away from the Visitor Centre. The standard route to reach it from the Colonnade includes steps going up.

The Monastery is 50m high and has an extremely well preserved facade built into the rock, similar to that of the Treasury. Originally, it is thought to have been a temple. Just across from the Monastery there is a tea shop with tents where you can relax in the shade after the tough hike up.

The High Place of Sacrifice, as the name suggests, is the location in Petra where they used to carry out sacrifices.