Petra - Jordan - page 353

Treasury to
Obelisk at High
Place of Sacrifice

45
minutes

Moderate Walk Go beyond the High Place altar onto the solitary edge of the escarp-

ment for a wide-angle view of Petra (15 minutes from Obelisk; easy).

Obelisk to Mu-
seum (via main
thoroughfare)

45
minutes

Easy Hike Instead of returning down the steps you ascended, hike via enchant-

ing Wadi Farasa, passing rainbow-coloured rocks, Lion Monument and
Garden Tomb (one hour from Obelisk; moderate).

Treasury to Mu-
seum

30
minutes

Easy Walk Trace the path around the base of the Royal Tombs to Dorotheos'

House, explore the rarely visited Christian Tombs and follow Wadi Mataha
to the Museum (one hour; easy)

Museum to
Monastery

40
minutes

Moderate Walk Get a head-start to the Monastery via Umm Sayhoun access road,

pausing at Turkmaniya Tomb, famous for its long Nabataean inscription
(20 minutes to museum; easy).

Hike For a rare glimpse of how tombs like the Monastery were cut, walk
around Al-Habis to see the Unfinished Tomb (40 minutes return to mu-
seum; moderate).

Activities

Hiking
Anyone wanting to see some stunning landscapes, explore unexcavated tombs and meet
the Bedouin should pack an extra bottle of water and go hiking.
None of the following hikes is all that strenuous and none involves camping overnight
(which is not permitted within Petra). Only the hikes along Wadi Muthlim and to Sabra or
Little Petra require a guide. Hikers should pick up the contoured Map of Petra ( Click
here ) . Note that the approximate hiking times are just that, and do not include time for
pottering.
Experienced multilingual guides can be hired from Petra Visitor Centre from JD50 (for
one to nine people) for a simple route to the Museum, or from local travel agencies. Unof-
ficial Bedouin 'guides' may charge considerably less than the official rates: occasionally
they are very good but there's no guarantee. Women on their own should be cautious of
hiking with unregistered guides, particularly as most of the hikes involve spending time in
isolated parts of Petra.
Please stick to trails and remove your litter to avoid degradation of the site.