Petra is an iconic UNESCO world heritage site and one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. It is breathtakingly beautiful and full of treasures from ancient civilizations. Most well known for it’s spectacular monuments carved into the red rocks, its intricate water channels and its stunning temples.
Because of it’s rose colored buildings this iconic ancient city is also known as the Rose City. And it is the perfect destination for anyone looking to explore the mysteries of this historic world and witness the unique beauty of the region.
Read on to hear how we spent our day discovering this magnificent place!
Our Plan for the Day In Rose City
We decided to get up at 5 am and make it down to the Petra visitor center for 6 am when it opens. There is a small but very informative museum there (free) which we visited the night before. We wanted to stake everything out to be fully ready for our big Petra day – something that we have been looking forward to for a really long time.
We had pre-purchased the basic Jordan Pass (prior to entering Jordan) which covers most tourist attractions and the Jordan entry visa +1 day in Petra. There is an option to add to your 1 day in Petra and purchase an extra day for $5/day up to 2 extra days.
From the visitor center the walk is a gradual decent on large gravel paths narrowing into a limestone tight curved slot canyon stretching up 250 ft (76 meters) known as the Siq leading closer and closer to the Treasury.
Through the Siq we could finally see the Treasury in the distance – a breathtaking view – especially since there was only a handful of people around us. We really had this magnificent treasure to ourselves, sharing it with a few camels and some hungry puppies (which of course we fed).
The Treasury
Carved directly into the red, pink and white limestone this Nabataean city prospered from at least 312 BC (no one knows it’s exact founding) through it’s trade in frankincense, myrrh, and spices evading capture by the Romans until it finally fell to them in 106 AD.
The Treasury is almost 40 meters high and intricately decorated with Corinthian capitals, friezes, figures and is crowned by a funerary urn, which according to local legend conceals a pharaoh’s treasure – which it doesn’t – it is solid stone.
From the Treasury we walked down the Street of Facades towards the Theater.
The Royal Tombs
We stopped at some of the Royal Tombs, marveling at all the hues of red and pink in the limestone forming these stunning pieces of rock architecture. We continued on the Street of Colonnades towards the trail up to the Monastery.
Trail to the Monastery
The trail to the Monastery is a steep climb of about 850 steps – a 30 minute walk for a fit person and probably closer to an hour for someone less able. There are many shops along the way and stops to purchase tea and water. Reaching the Monastery, we were rewarded with a magnificent view of the largest monument in Petra.
In front of the Monastery there is a lovely shaded cafe with seating and trees. They serve tea, coffee and sandwiches which we enjoyed while marveling at the grandeur of the monument before us.
Above the Monastery there are two different small hills offering “The #1 View” – both were worth the short climb.
High Sacrifice Trail
After descending from the Monastery we caught the High Sacrifice trail from the north and continued to climb along temples, monuments and caves – one more beautiful than the other.
After about an hour we made it all the way up to the place of High Sacrifice. The views were truly stunning.
Along the way we met a sleeping donkey – teetering on an edge of a cliff. His owner informed us that there was no alarm and that the donkey “rests” this way daily.
The Royal Tomb Trail
Blown away by all the beautify we had witnessed during the last 10 hours we decided to push on and complete the last trail of Petra – the Royal Tomb trail. Climbing yet again, higher and higher around hills and rocks and breathtaking tombs we were rewarded with the trail ending at a small Bedouin tent which overlooked the Treasury.
The sun was starting to set and we were so happy that we were completing this fantastic day with the Treasury once again.
After a quick view of the sunset along the way, we made our way back in complete darkness. The site closes at 5 pm, yet we didn’t make it out until after 6 pm and no one seemed to mind. Tired, hungry, exhilarated and enlightened we gratefully walked back to our hotel.
Wrap Up
Wow! Rose City really blew our minds. It is a magical destination. Especially if you love the intersection of nature with remains of amazing ancient civilizations. It is like hiking through the best museum in the world.
If you only have one day, then really try to maximize it and go for the sunrise and the sunset. In order to do that we recommend that you bring with you enough food for the day as well as at least 2 liters of water (you can buy more or filter).
Have you been to Rose City, or perhaps to Wadi Rum? We also really enjoyed hiking through the Dana Biosphere and Shobak Castle while there. If you are planning a trip to Jordan, do check out all of our posts about it. These parts of this country are some of the most interesting places to visit in the world. Have you been? What did you think?
