A camel adorned with colorful blankets and ropes stands on the sandy terrain of Petra, looking towards the camera. This majestic creature, a true icon of the ancient city, has a small bunch of green plants attached to its nose band.

Touring The Anciet City Of Petra

I opted not to take a guided tour to Petra.

For one, it was unreasonably expensive (with regards to price, my “unreasonable” threshold is relatively low), and for two, I hate guided tours (with the exception of free city tours). I made the trip to Wadi Musa alone and stayed two nights in a hotel near Petra (a two bed room for less than the price of a hostel).

The first morning I woke up and it was raining. I was only in Wasi Musa for two nights – the weather was not going to stop me from seeing Petra. The rain turned out to be more a gift than a bother (except for when I was soaked by a man pouring water from a roof), as it drove away crowds and gave me a unique look at the ancient city.

Morning two I met up with some friends and hit the Petra gate before sunrise. We wanted to be the first inside, and to get to the Monastery as early as possible. We were and we did. Note: this is something you cannot do with a tour group leaving from Israel – the border typically opens at 8:00AM.

My second day turned out clear, sunny, and warm – a nice contrast to the previous day’s rain.

Here are some of my favorite shots of my time spent exploring Petra.

Petra Vendors Outside Gate
Where you buy your tickets. I was skeptical.
Obelisk Tomb In Petra
Obelisk Tomb on way to Al-Siq.
The Siq
Al-Siq in the rain.
Al-Siq Walls
Rain makes some things better.
Treasury At Dawn
The Treasury at dawn.
Petra Entrance Snack Shop
The incredibly overpriced snack shop across from the Treasury.
Flooding In Petra
Rainy day means flooding (and possible closure of the Monastery trail).
Petra Trail To Manastery Woman
Morning commute on the trial to the Monastery.
Stray Cat In Petra
Like a little lion on the prowl.
Petra Monastery Morning Right
First of the day to the Monastery. Worth it.
Top Of The World Sign
Might as well.
Sacrifice View At Petra
Supposedly the best view in Petra.
Stray Dog And Monastery Petra
Stray dog at the Monastery.
Mountain Goats In Distance
If you look really closely, you can see the mountain goats.
Petra Walker
HEY! How did you get over there!?
Jordanian Flag Petra
Jordanian flag.
Jumping Monastery Petra
Ripped my pants for this one. Worth it.
Jordan Petra Panorama
Panoramic from the trails opposite the Monastery.
The Urn Tomb
The Urn Tomb.
Urn Tomb Silhouette Petra
Silhouette at the Urn Tomb.
Overview of Petra
Be ready to walk, this place is huge.
Candid Selfie Petra
Inconspicuous selfie.
Camel Cigarettes Petra
Keeping it cool with camels.
Donkey Wrangler Petra
You will be hassled to ride donkeys and camels – walk.
Stray Dog Fight
Not all the strays were nice.
Petra Vandals
A vandalized carving deep within Petra.
Trinkets In Petra
ONE DINAR! PLEASE BUY!! ONLY ONE DINAR, BUY!!!
Free Reign Of Petra
You basically have free rein inside Petra (don’t go with a tour).
Rock Carvings In Petra
Petra in the rain – better than expected.
Colonnaded Street Petra
Colonnaded Street.
The Treasury
The Treasury – Indiana Jones, anyone?
Treasury Petra Jump
Note to self. More jumping pics.
Indiana Jones Snack Shop
Indiana Jones snack shop? Seems legit.

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2 Comments

  1. Hello! Thank you so much for sharing your journey. I adopted a dog from Petra this summer. We found her probably 50 steps down from the monastery. The photo of the dog in your post looks remarkably similar! She was the only black and white dog we saw while touring the ancient city. Do you possibly have any other photos of the stray that you saw? I would love to be able to see the pup’s face!

    1. That was five years ago, so I would be very surprised if it’s the same dog (as much as I would like it to be). Unfortunately, I do not have any more photos of the dog I saw there.

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