Petra and Jordan’s Wadi Musa: An Audio Slideshow
Filed Under: Whereas we sometimes feel like we know the Romans and Greeks when we visit the ruined cities they left behind, the Nabataeans, the mysterious ancient civilization behind Petra, are people we need to meet. Over 2600 years ago, they managed to carve a rather sophisticated water transport system out of slot canyons and valleys. Their sophisticated existence made their city a key caravan route stopover.
When most people hear the name Petra, images of its famed Treasury dance in their heads. More than that, Petra and the surrounding Wadi Musa (Moses Valley) is an experience. If the archaeological remains aren’t themselves enough, you get to enjoy them in the context of red sandstone canyons whose colors change as the day advances.
No wonder Petra and Wadi Musa appear on so many Bucket Lists and “Do Before You Die” lists. Check. Open up the audio slideshow below to see why. (The music track is a clip from the live Bedouin rebab performance at Petra By Night.)
For best viewing results, click full screen (four arrows) on the right side. Make sure your volume is turned on/up.
Practical Details for Visiting Petra
Getting there: Public buses leaving from Amman’s southern bus station take around 3 hours and cost around $4. (Note: we didn’t take this bus; this information was provided to us).
Tickets: For foreign tourists, the entrance fee is 50 JD ($70) for one day, 57 JD ($80) for two and 60 JD ($84) for three days.
As entrance fees are rather high and there is a lot of ground to cover at Petra, our recommendation would be to get a two or three day pass, take your time to enjoy the main sights, and take some hikes or short walks in the valley.
Guide: Given the breadth of history at Petra, we enjoyed having a local guide take us around for over three hours. There is an office for local guides at the entrance gate to Petra; each guide is a local and has received at least one year of training to achieve certification. Again, the price is not insignificant (50 JD/$70) so we recommend grouping with several people to share costs.
You can also wander around on your own. And if you choose to ride a donkey or camel, your driver may serve as an impromptu guide.
Hikes around Petra: These are why we suggest spending two or three days at Petra. This way, you can enjoy some sightseeing and some hiking without wiping yourself out in one day.
We thank Ma’moun Farajat, our local guide in Petra, for pointing out these treks and providing us with this information.
1. The High Place of Sacrifice (3 hours, medium difficulty)
The start of this path is just past the Street of Facades. A great view of the city from above and interesting tombs and carvings on the way down at Wadi Farash.
2. Almadras (3.5 to 4.5 hours, difficult)
This path begins about 150 meters away from the Obelisk Tomb. The highlight of this path is the ability to see the Treasury from the top of the mountain. The path continues to the High Place of Sacrifice and Wadi Farash.
3. The Monastery (2 options)
A. The regular path (1.5 hours, medium difficulty) starts from the restaurants and will take you 800 steps up to the Monastery monument with a chance to see “The End of the World” overlook to Wadi Araba and the Israel heights. (We did this, highly recommended.)
B. Start from Little Petra and climb up to the Monastery and back down again to the restaurant area. This is more difficult, requires a guide and takes around 8 hours. But, having seen both Little Petra and the Monastery and some of the areas in between, it looks like it would be a great hike.
March 22nd, 2011 at 5:43 am
Beautiful pictures!
March 22nd, 2011 at 12:12 pm
Thanks so much! We will be at Petra next week and can hardly wait.
March 23rd, 2011 at 7:26 am
@Agne: Thank you! Glad you enjoyed them.
@Ron: You are quite welcome. Enjoy your visit. Petra and Wadi Musa were quite a bit more than we had imagined.
March 23rd, 2011 at 8:48 am
So, always thought Petra was beautiful, but now I feel like friends have shown me the interesting and welcoming people to meet and things to do…feels like it is a trip I can plan.
March 23rd, 2011 at 10:18 am
Wow!!! Thanks MUCH for posting this. Really well done! Petra is at the very top of my list of places I haven’t been yet, and now I’m really craving travel to Jordan! Loved the ambiance of the music as well. It was perfect!
March 23rd, 2011 at 11:33 pm
@Phyllis: You do…and you can! Really great to hear this. If you have any more questions, just let us know.
@Greg: Thank you. Glad you enjoyed the photos and the music. We felt it was true to the Petra experience. Once you get to Jordan, I’m sure you’ll enjoy it.
March 24th, 2011 at 1:25 pm
Wow! Very cool stuff here and beautiful pictures!
Dan
March 28th, 2011 at 3:59 pm
Beautiful slide show, and I love that you set it to the sounds of Petra. Thank you, also, for posting the practical information about visiting.
March 29th, 2011 at 3:33 am
Wow, I won’t be able to go there anytime soon, but this is among my dream destinations! Wonderful slideshow – very evocative of the majesty this place must have in person!
You mentioned getting a multi-day pass, is there somewhere to stay nearby? Three hour bus ride one way and multi-day doesn’t sound like a winner! Ha!
March 29th, 2011 at 11:51 am
@Dan: Thanks – glad you enjoyed this!
@JoAnna: When we first heard this music at Petra by Night, I started thinking about putting photos together with it – seemed like a perfect fit!
@Mark: Petra was rather impressive – the whole setting is really incredible. Don’t worry, there are many hotels of all price and quality ranges just next to Petra and also in the nearby town of Wadi Musa. So, no need for bus trips to and from the site each day.
April 4th, 2011 at 6:04 am
Happy memories for me – I really loved Jordan. Wadi Musa, Wadi Dana and Wadi Rum in particular…
Alastair
April 9th, 2011 at 1:21 pm
@Alastair: Glad we could help bring back memories of Jordan’s wadis. (Dana was more impressive than we expected! Surprised we don’t hear about it more.).
April 10th, 2011 at 6:31 pm
[...] time, despite unrest in the region. Seeing pictures, reading the food reviews, and watching the Petra slideshow brought back great memories. Return [...]
April 29th, 2011 at 12:33 pm
Fantastic photos! I just returned from Jordan and was so impressed by Petra. Before leaving, I thought Petra was just the Treasury… but there is so much more!
May 2nd, 2011 at 5:21 am
@Leslie: Thank you! Petra was truly something else, and something else well beyond the icon that is the Treasury. Glad you got a chance to enjoy it all firsthand.