Petra is not a building. It is a city, and it is roughly the size of a small town: about two kilometres from the gate to the Treasury, another four along the main valley, and eight hundred rock-cut steps up to the Monastery. A serious day here is fifteen to twenty kilometres on stone with almost no shade, and the single biggest mistake visitors make is packing for a monument.
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you buy through them, Roman Trail earns a small commission at no extra cost to you.
WHAT IT ACTUALLY IS: the capital of the NABATAEANS, an Arab trading people who controlled the incense and spice routes between southern Arabia and the Mediterranean from roughly the fourth century BC, and who cut their tombs, temples and a water system of dams and channels directly into rose-coloured sandstone. Rome absorbed it in 106 AD, earthquakes and the shift of trade routes emptied it, and it was effectively unknown to Europe until Johann Ludwig Burckhardt reached it in 1812. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the new seven wonders. Our Jordan travel guide for women covers the country.
THE BEDOUIN CONNECTION IS PART OF THE SITE RATHER THAN A SIDE NOTE. The BDOUL, who lived in the caves and tombs of Petra, were relocated to the purpose-built village of Umm Sayhoun in the 1980s when the site was inscribed, and they still work in and around it with the stalls, the animals and many of the guides. That history is worth knowing before you form an opinion about the hawkers.
WADI MUSA IS THE TOWN YOU STAY IN, built up the hillside above the entrance, with everything from hostels to five-star hotels and most restaurants within a steep walk of each other. TWO NIGHTS IS THE RIGHT MINIMUM: one full day inside is tiring and misses half of it, and a two-day ticket costs barely more than one.
The Siq, the Treasury and the Monastery
A 1.2km gorge, the facade everyone knows, 800 steps to the better one, and a high place most people never reach.
THE SIQ is the entrance and it is not a corridor to be hurried through: a 1.2 kilometre natural cleft, in places three metres wide with 80-metre walls, carrying the Nabataean water channels cut along both sides. It is about twenty to thirty minutes of easy downhill walking from the gate, and it does the job of concealing what is at the end of it.
AL KHAZNEH, THE TREASURY, is the facade in every photograph, roughly 40 metres high, cut out of the rock as the tomb of a Nabataean king. It is spectacular and it is also the most crowded square metre in Jordan. IT IS LIT BY DIRECT SUN FOR ONLY PART OF THE MORNING, which is the practical fact: arrive at opening and you see it in soft light with fewer people, arrive at eleven and you queue to stand in front of it.
AD DEIR, THE MONASTERY, is bigger than the Treasury, less ornate and in a far better setting, and reaching it takes eight hundred-odd rock-cut steps from the end of the main valley, around 45 minutes to an hour of climbing. MOST PEOPLE WHO REGRET SOMETHING AT PETRA REGRET NOT DOING THIS. There is a tea place at the top and a short walk beyond to viewpoints over Wadi Araba.
IN BETWEEN: the STREET OF FACADES, the ROYAL TOMBS cut into the cliff with the best overall view of the valley from their terrace, the 3,000-seat NABATAEAN THEATRE carved into rock rather than built on it, the GREAT TEMPLE and the colonnaded street, and the PETRA CHURCH with its Byzantine mosaics under a shelter.
THE HIGH PLACE OF SACRIFICE is the other climb, around 600 steps up from near the theatre to a Nabataean altar platform with a view over the whole site, and it is far quieter than the Monastery trail. The AL KHUBTHA TRAIL climbs to the viewpoint ABOVE the Treasury, looking down on it, which is the photograph that is not from the front.
LITTLE PETRA, SIQ AL BARID, is eight kilometres north, free or nearly so, much smaller and almost empty, with painted Nabataean ceilings that the main site does not have. It is a good late afternoon.
PETRA BY NIGHT runs on certain evenings, with the Siq and the Treasury lit by candles and Bedouin music played in front of the facade. It is ticketed separately, it is crowded and conversational rather than reverent, and opinions divide sharply. GO IF YOU HAVE A SPARE EVENING AND EXPECTATIONS SET LOW.
THE ANIMALS ARE A DECISION YOU WILL BE ASKED TO MAKE REPEATEDLY: horses to the Siq, donkeys up the steps, camels in the valley and carriages through the gorge. Welfare standards have improved under scrutiny and remain uneven, and the Jordanian authorities run a veterinary clinic at the site. IF YOU CARE ABOUT IT, WALK, and say no clearly and once rather than negotiating.
Recommended Tours and Experiences
Getting There and Getting Around
Three hours from Amman, two from Aqaba, and buy the Jordan Pass before you fly.
THE JORDAN PASS IS THE FIRST THING TO ORGANISE AND IT HAS TO BE DONE BEFORE YOU ARRIVE. It bundles the tourist visa waiver with entry to Petra and dozens of other sites, it must be bought online BEFORE you land to get the visa waiver, and it requires a minimum consecutive stay in Jordan to qualify for that waiver. For almost anyone visiting Petra it costs less than the visa and the Petra ticket bought separately. Check the current terms and price on the official site rather than trusting a figure in any article, because both change.
QUEEN ALIA AIRPORT at Amman is about three hours north by road on the Desert Highway, or four to five on the far more scenic KING'S HIGHWAY through Dana and Shobak. AQABA, on the Red Sea, has an airport and is two hours south, which also puts WADI RUM an hour and a half away and makes the Petra, Wadi Rum and Aqaba triangle the standard Jordanian route.
THE JETT BUS runs a daily tourist service from Amman to Petra and back, and local minibuses connect Wadi Musa with Amman, Aqaba and Wadi Rum less predictably. A HIRE CAR IS EASY AND DRIVING IN JORDAN IS STRAIGHTFORWARD by regional standards; taxis between towns are negotiable and a hotel will arrange one.
INSIDE THE SITE IT IS ALL ON FOOT. The visitor centre is at the top of Wadi Musa, the gate is below it, and there is no transport inside except the animals. THE WALK BACK IS UPHILL, which is the part people forget: after fifteen kilometres and a few hundred steps, the last two kilometres from the Treasury out through the Siq to the gate climbs steadily, at the end of the day, in the heat.
When to Go
March to May and September to November. Summer is brutal and winter is genuinely cold.
PETRA IS AT ABOUT 900 METRES on the edge of the desert and the climate is more extreme than most visitors expect. SPRING, MARCH TO MAY, is the best season: 20 to 28C, the valley greener than the photographs suggest, and the light good. AUTUMN, SEPTEMBER TO NOVEMBER, is the equal second, warm and settled.
JUNE TO AUGUST RUNS 33 TO 38C with the rock radiating heat and almost no shade anywhere in the site. A full day in July is a genuine physical undertaking and the Monastery climb at midday is a bad idea rather than a tough one. If you come in summer, be inside at opening, out by noon, and back in for the last two hours.
DECEMBER TO FEBRUARY IS COLD AND THIS SURPRISES PEOPLE MOST. Days of 10 to 14C, nights at or near freezing, real rain, occasional snow, and a wind through the Siq that cuts. IT IS ALSO WHEN FLASH FLOODS HAPPEN: the Siq is a drainage channel for a large catchment, the Nabataeans built a dam and a diversion tunnel precisely because of it, and the modern site closes the Siq when rain is forecast. A 1963 flood killed more than twenty visitors in the gorge. Winter has the smallest crowds and the best light, and the trade-off is real weather.
RAMADAN MOVES EACH YEAR. The site stays open with shorter hours, many restaurants in Wadi Musa close during daylight, and eating or drinking in public during the fast is discourteous.
Is Petra Safe for Women Travelers
Jordan is one of the safest countries in the region and Petra's dangers are physical.
US State Department travel advisory: the Jordan advisory. Read the current level there directly rather than relying on a figure printed in any guide.
UK FCDO travel advice: gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/jordan, and read the safety and security page rather than only the landing page, because that is where the substance sits.
UK FCDO: Jordan has two advised-against areas and both are borders in the far north and east. The FCDO advises against ALL travel to within 3km of the border with SYRIA, and against all travel to the provinces in IRAQ bordering Jordan, which is advice about Iraq rather than about Jordanian territory. Nothing on the normal tourist route is affected: Amman, Jerash, the Dead Sea, Petra, Wadi Rum and Aqaba are all well clear, with Petra roughly 300km from the Syrian frontier. The FCDO describes CRIME LEVELS AS GENERALLY LOW with a risk of pickpocketing, bag-snatching and theft from cars, and notes that STREET BEGGING CAN BE AGGRESSIVE in areas frequented by foreigners. It advises taking care walking or travelling alone, NOT ACCEPTING LIFTS FROM STRANGERS, and asking your hotel to recommend a reliable driver rather than taking an unknown taxi. POLICE CARRY OUT RANDOM SECURITY CHECKS, so carry your passport or driving licence. Drinking alcohol outside licensed premises is illegal, and the FCDO carries a METHANOL warning for the region: even small amounts can kill and it cannot be detected by taste or smell.
PETRA IS ABOUT 300 KILOMETRES FROM THE ONLY ADVISED-AGAINST AREA ON JORDANIAN SOIL, which is the 3 kilometre strip along the Syrian border in the far north, and the other advice concerns Iraqi territory rather than Jordan at all. Amman, Jerash, the Dead Sea, Petra, Wadi Rum and Aqaba are all well clear and none is named anywhere in the advice. The regional context is worth stating honestly rather than pretending it is invisible: Jordan borders Syria, Iraq, Israel and the West Bank, demonstrations about the region happen and sometimes become large, and the FCDO's advice on those is to avoid them and follow local news. Tourism continues normally throughout.
CRIME IS LOW AND THE PETRA-SPECIFIC NUISANCE IS PERSISTENT SELLING RATHER THAN THEFT. Inside the site you will be offered animals, jewellery, scarves, tea and guiding repeatedly, and some of it is charming while some of it is wearing. A clear, friendly, final "no thank you" works; a hesitation is read as a negotiation. The other known pattern, and it is worth naming plainly because it catches solo women travellers off guard, is BEDOUIN GUIDES AT PETRA AND WADI RUM OFFERING A PRIVATE TOUR, A SUNSET SPOT OR A CAVE, sometimes with a romantic intent behind it. It is not generally dangerous and it is extremely common, and the response is the same as anywhere: do not go somewhere isolated with someone you have just met, keep to the marked trails and the populated parts of the valley, and arrange a guide through the visitor centre or your hotel rather than accepting an invitation on the path. The FCDO's own advice not to accept lifts from strangers and to ask your hotel for a driver is the same principle.
THE REAL DANGER AT PETRA IS THE TERRAIN AND THE HEAT, in that order. Fifteen to twenty kilometres on uneven sandstone, with 800 steps to the Monastery and 600 to the High Place, unfenced drops at both viewpoints and the Khubtha trail, polished rock that is slippery where thousands of feet have worn it, and NO SHADE for almost any of it. Dehydration and heat exhaustion are what the site clinic deals with most, followed by ankles and falls. PACE IT, carry two litres minimum per person, go up early and come down before the heat, and know that the last two kilometres back to the gate are uphill.
FLASH FLOODING IN THE SIQ is the seasonal hazard, October to April, and it is taken seriously by the authorities: if they close the Siq or evacuate the site, go immediately and do not argue the sky.
Jordan has no reciprocal health agreement with the UK or the United States, so insurance with medical cover and repatriation is essential. Jordanian private healthcare is good and Amman is a regional medical destination in its own right; private hospitals will expect payment or an insurance guarantee up front and public provision is variable. A pharmacy is well stocked and pharmacists are helpful. DO NOT DRINK THE TAP WATER: bottled is universal. HEAT AND DEHYDRATION ARE THE REAL RISK AT THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES rather than anything exotic, because the walking distances are long and the ground is bare rock that reflects. Jordan is also one of the most water-scarce countries in the world, which is worth knowing as a guest: short showers are a courtesy rather than a gesture.
Socially Jordan is hospitable and conservative, and a woman travelling alone here is common enough to be unremarkable while still attracting attention. DRESS: covered shoulders and knees, loose rather than tight, and trousers or a long skirt with a sleeved top is the register that makes the day easier. That is not only courtesy, it is also the sun-sensible choice on bare rock. A large scarf for mosques, for sun and for dust. STARING AND VERBAL ATTENTION HAPPEN, particularly in Wadi Musa's streets in the evening, and are generally no more than that; walking with purpose and not engaging is the usual answer. Alcohol is served in hotels and some restaurants and is not a street drink. The FCDO's methanol warning for the region means buying spirits only from licensed premises.
The Petra Packing List
Real walking shoes, and this is the top of the list for a reason
Walking shoes with grip, ankle support and a proper sole. This is the item that decides whether your Petra day works: fifteen to twenty kilometres on uneven sandstone, 800 rock-cut steps up to the Monastery, polished stone on the worn sections and loose grit everywhere else. Sandals are how people turn an ankle here. Pair them with merino hiking socks, because this is a blister day rather than a stroll.
A merino base layer, for 35C days and near-freezing nights
Our merino base layers are 100% Australian merino at 17.5 micron, and a long sleeve merino wool base layer for women solves the two things Petra does at once. At 900 metres on the desert edge the swing between afternoon and night is enormous in every season, and a January night is at or below freezing; and a long sleeve covering your arms is both the modest register Jordan asks for and the right protection from unshaded sun on reflective rock. Merino moves sweat instead of holding it, so it is cooler than cotton in dry heat, and it stays wearable across several dusty days without smelling.
Lightweight full-length trousers
Hiking trousers, which do everything here: modest for Wadi Musa, cool in the valley, tough on the steps and warm enough layered in winter.
Sun protection, because there is no shade in the whole site
A wide brim sun hat, a long sleeve sun hoodie and high factor sunscreen. Pale sandstone reflects, the valley is a bowl, and the Monastery climb faces the sun for most of it. This is the commonest way a Petra visit ends early.
Water, two litres minimum, and refill
An insulated water bottle, and carry more than one if you are climbing. Do not drink the tap water. There are stalls selling drinks along the main valley at tourist prices and fewer the further you go, and insulated water is the difference between drinkable and warm by midday.
The small things
A big light scarf for sun, dust and mosques. Sunglasses, properly dark, because the glare off sandstone is severe. A warm layer and a windproof for winter, when the Siq funnels cold wind and nights freeze. A head torch for Petra by Night and the walk back up to Wadi Musa, which is steep and poorly lit. Blister plasters, bought before you need them. Rehydration sachets. Cash in Jordanian dinars in small notes for tea stalls and tips, since the site is largely cash. A type C, D, F, G and J adapter situation, because Jordan uses several and a universal adapter is the honest answer for 230V. Your Jordan Pass QR code saved offline as well as printed. And nothing you mind getting covered in fine red dust, because everything will be.
Essential Resources for Women in Petra
Emergency numbers: 911 is the general emergency number in Jordan and reaches police, ambulance and fire, with English generally available. 196 is the TOURIST POLICE, who are a real and visible presence at Petra and in Wadi Musa and are the right first call for anything involving a visitor. Save your hotel's number: on a site this large, the fastest route to help on a trail is usually the site rangers and the tourist police posts inside it.
Police and support: the Jordanian Tourism Police maintain posts inside the archaeological site, at the visitor centre and in the town, and they are used to handling harassment complaints as well as thefts. A report to them is also what an insurer will want. The Jordanian NATIONAL COUNCIL FOR FAMILY AFFAIRS and the Jordanian Women's Union provide support services nationally, the latter running a helpline, though provision in a small town is limited and your embassy plus your insurer are the practical fallback in a serious case.
Main hospital or clinic: there is a BASIC MEDICAL CLINIC INSIDE THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE near the visitor centre and another at the Basin restaurant area in the main valley, which between them handle the heat exhaustion and sprained ankles that are the site's routine business. Wadi Musa has the QUEEN RANIA AL ABDULLAH HOSPITAL and several private clinics for anything more. SERIOUS CASES GO TO AMMAN, three hours north, which is a regional medical centre in its own right, or to Aqaba two hours south. A pharmacy in Wadi Musa is well stocked and pharmacists are helpful. Insurance with repatriation cover is essential and should name any hiking or canyoning you plan.
Official health authority: the Jordanian Ministry of Health. There is no reciprocal health agreement, so insurance with medical cover and repatriation is essential. There are two basic clinics inside the Petra site itself, the Queen Rania Al Abdullah Hospital is in Wadi Musa, and anything serious goes to Amman three hours north or Aqaba two hours south. Do not drink the tap water, and dehydration is the most common problem the site clinics treat
US Embassy: the United States Embassy in Amman.
Official tourism authority: the Jordan Tourism Board. And the Petra Development and Tourism Region Authority, which runs the site itself and publishes the current opening hours, the Petra by Night evenings and any Siq closure, plus the official Jordan Pass site, which must be used before you arrive in the country for the visa waiver to apply
Petra is a city, not a facade. About 2km from the gate to the Treasury, 4km more along the valley, and 800 steps to the Monastery: a full day is fifteen to twenty kilometres.
Buy the Jordan Pass before you fly. It bundles the visa waiver with site entry, must be bought before arrival, and requires a minimum consecutive stay in Jordan.
The walk back is uphill. The last two kilometres out through the Siq climb steadily, at the end of the day, in the heat.
Solo women safety assessment: Jordan is among the safest countries in the region for a woman travelling alone and Petra is well policed, with tourist police posts inside the site itself. The only advised-against area on Jordanian soil is a 3 kilometre strip along the Syrian border about 300 kilometres north, and the other advice concerns Iraqi territory rather than Jordan; nothing on the tourist route is named. Crime levels are low, with pickpocketing and theft from cars the named risks. WHAT A SOLO WOMAN ACTUALLY MEETS HERE is persistent selling and persistent attention: repeated offers of animals, jewellery and guiding inside the site, where a clear and final no works where a hesitation does not, and the very common pattern of a guide offering a private tour, a sunset viewpoint or a cave, sometimes with a romantic intent behind it. It is rarely dangerous and the answer is firm: do not go anywhere isolated with someone you have just met, stay on the marked trails and the populated parts of the valley, and arrange any guide through the visitor centre or your hotel rather than on the path. Staring and verbal attention in Wadi Musa in the evening is ordinary and usually nothing more. Covered shoulders and knees, loose rather than tight, is both courtesy and sun sense. THE REAL RISK IS PHYSICAL. Fifteen to twenty kilometres on uneven sandstone with 800 steps to the Monastery, unfenced drops at the viewpoints, polished slippery rock on the worn sections and no shade anywhere, in a place that runs to 38C in summer and freezes at night in winter: dehydration and heat exhaustion are what the site clinics treat most, followed by falls. Carry two litres, go early, and remember the last two kilometres are uphill. Flash flooding closes the Siq from October to April and a closure is not negotiable. 911 for emergencies, 196 for the tourist police.
Reading On
There is also an older and much narrower post on this site, what to wear in Petra, which is about clothing choices alone rather than the distances, the Jordan Pass, the hospital or the safety picture, so read it alongside this one rather than instead of it. Start with the Jordan travel guide for women and the Jordan packing list. For the rest of the standard route, the Wadi Rum packing list an hour and a half south, the Amman packing list three hours north, the Aqaba packing list on the Red Sea and the Dead Sea packing list. For why merino rather than cotton where a 35C afternoon on bare rock becomes a freezing desert night, read the guide to merino wool base layers for women. Every destination we cover is indexed at the travel packing guide for women, and the base layers are at the Roman Trail collection.
If the outer journey is calling you, the inner one usually is too. Explore SoulMap at romantrail.com/blogs/soulmap.
