Petra, one of the seven wonders of the world and a place that should be on everyone’s bucket list. Visiting Petra can seem like a daunting task especially if you are trying not to break the bank. Luckily my friends and I found a way to visit this wonder while not draining our bank accounts!
In this guide, we will talk about how to visit Petra on your own without a guide while still having the time of your life! We don’t want you to miss anything, so without any delay let’s jump into it!
Getting to Petra
There is a High chance you will be making your main base in Amman while traveling throughout Jordan. This is what we did and what I found to be most common during my time in the country. That being said you will need to find transportation to visit Petra. There are multiple ways to go about this without a guide.
Option 1 – You can rent a car and drive yourself. If you’re renting from the Amman area you can expect to pay between $40-$75 USD a day. The drive isn’t bad as it is a straight shot for the most part, but it is through the desert with little around for over half the drive which is good to know if that makes you uncomfortable going for so long with nothing in sight. You will also need to factor in gas. We personly only had to fill up once on the journey.
Option 2 – You can rent a driver. This is the route we took and paid around $250 USD for a round trip. We didn’t fully know where we were going and didn’t want to mess with getting lost so we just booked a driver. Plus there were 3 of us cutting the cost. Our driver was super knowledgeable and helpful. We felt safe and were happy with our choice.
Option 3 – You book a hotel in the city that Petra is in and walk there in the morning 🙂
If you need help planning your trip to Jordan make sure to check out this article here on how to plan your international trip!
Tickets
When it comes to ticket types you have a plethora of options. Shout out to the kids under 12 as they get free passes! Everyone else can pick between 1, 2, or 3-day passes. For the most up-to-date information, you can check out their official website here.
While visiting Petra we opted to just buy the one-day pass which I found to be plenty of time. We arrived in the morning and spent the day exploring. Even while taking our time we were still able to hit all the main sites and a couple of off-the-beaten-path sites.
You can pay for a guide here if so desired, BUT we are all about saving that hard-earned cash so I am here to tell you it is very doable to visit Petra without a guide. There are plenty of signs if you want the history and the trails are well-marked. You will be just fine on your own.
There are also different discounts you can find on their website like if you visit within one day of crossing the border.
The Main Attraction
Once the entrance ticket is purchased you are free to start your journey to the wonders of Petra!
The way these sites are set up is a straight shot. Once you make your way to the main path you will start walking for a little over a mile. Then when you least expect it the path will open up and staring right at you is the one and only treasury!
Once at the treasury, you will find a cafe to drink tea, camels to ride, and plenty of people trying to get you to pay for the best picture spot. What you want to spend money on here is totally up to you! If you want the famous picnic picture looking down on the treasury then you will have to pay a bit for a guide up there.
Once you finished soaking in this once-in-a-lifetime site then you can continue your journey down the path to the rest of the wonderous archaeological sites.
The sites you can’t miss
If you only have one day to visit Petra let me fill you in on the sites you can’t miss!
The Treasury – Obviously number one on everyone’s list and the main reason you are here, you simply can’t miss the Treasury! This will be the second site you come upon and impossible to miss!
The Urn Tomb – This is located only a little bit after the Treasury and is propped up on a hill making it hard to miss. I loved this location for all the markets set up along the trek to the top! The way to the entrance makes you feel like you are living in a real-life Indiana Jones movie!
The Monastery – At the very end of the road you will find the Monastery! The trek to the top is not an easy one but well worth the sweat to get to the top. Once at the summit, you can reward yourself with the best shawarma you will ever eat in your life!
All of this is possible to navigate without a guide. The trails are well-marked and the map they give you at the beginning is all you need to find your way around!
The “best view in the world”
This was my favorite memory throughout my entire time in Jordan and it wasn’t one of the main attractions! After you make it to the Monastery there will be a sitting area with a cafe everyone is sitting at. You will want to walk past that all the way to the back where you will see a path leading up a small rock with a tent on the top. When you get to the start of the path you will find the path splits into two.
This is where things get good! Both paths are marked as “The Best View in the World” however one is on a professional-looking board and the other spray painted on a piece of wood… Think something you might find in a scary movie…
Hear me out… pick the wooden board one. I promise its worth it! Keep walking until you can’t go back anymore and you will be greeted by a small tent and the best view you have ever seen! I would even be inclined to say the best view in the world:)
Finishing up
Once you hit “The Best View in the World” you have come to the end of the road. At this point grab a shawarma for the road and start the 5-mile trek back. Make sure to hit up one of the many Indiana Jones themed gift shops on the way out;) There is so much to do and see while on your visit to Petra but I promise you can save that coin and figure it out yourself! The signs with direction and history are plenty never leaving you in the dark.
Just make sure to pack good walking shoes, a scarf, and water. Then you are bound to have a once-in-a-lifetime adventure!
Until Next Time, Olivia Grace❤️
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