Petra, Jordan

I was in Jordan, only for a mere 4 days, in June 2017. But, from Amman, I did make the long journey to Petra and back to Amman in one day. It can be done. But it is knackering. I manage to see almost every site within Petra. Literally went everywhere, in +38 degree heat. Looking back on it, it was bloody hot and uncomfortable. But, sometimes, when time / money isn’t on your side, you have to make sacrifices. That’s the downside of travelling. Although you can take a public bus from Amman to Petra, I took a private cab, which cost around £80 both ways. But, it is possible to meet others and share a cab that distance, splitting the bill too, which is of course what I did. The journey, one way, takes 3 hours. And yep, I was up at 4am, and back at around 8pm. It was a heavy day. The cabby just sits outside Petra all day and waits for you.

The ‘Sic’

When you get to Petra, and you’ve paid your ticket, bought water (or taken plenty yourself), you’ll begin a 15 minute windy walk down into the valley towards ‘The Sic‘. By the way, while walking down to ‘The Sic’, there are plenty of horse rides that you’re able to do. I didn’t entertain the idea as horses are rather large and I swear they hate us, but in case you are, make sure the bedouin’s that own and run these rides are registered with the Petra UNESCO site. In the valley, there are plenty of ‘houses’ that are pointed out at the side of the path, and also explained; a nice touch. I use the term ‘houses’ extremely lightly. A better term would be large holes. Still, the whole experience of how people survived in this climate, and trying to imagine one of the busiest populated areas in the world at the time is amazing to picture.

At the end of The Sic, you get this famous view of the treasury. You may have seen it before in the film ‘Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade’, among others of course. It is incredible to see the treasury just opening up through a crack in the rock like this!

The Treasury

There is plenty to see in between the treasury and the church, and it takes a fair while to wander through the ancient city. There’s a good 4/5kms to walk, and obviously a (what felt like) huge mountain to reach the church. I was told that most people don’t venture up to the church because it really is quite the hike. TAKE LOTS OF WATER. It’s certainly worth the view. There’s also a small shop at the top, and also various bedouins selling drinks all the way up, so you won’t go thirsty.

The Church

In addition, you can take a donkey ride to the top… But I felt that was cheating. You may not..

There is ample to see at Petra. You won’t be disappointed. Just remember to take water. Lots of it. .