Jordan: Petra backdoor hike: Little Petra to Petra.

Hiking from Little Petra to Petra via the backdoor trail.

Petra, the ancient city in Jordan, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the world, attracting millions of visitors every year. The main entrance to Petra is located in the town of Wadi Musa. However, a lesser-known back entrance offers a unique and less crowded way to explore this incredible archaeological site.

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If you're visiting Petra, then you'll quickly realise that most of the sights are quite far apart and require a lot of walking. The Monastery in particular is a long way from anything; hence why it has far less visitors.

If you choose to follow the most common trail from the Petra visitor's centre, getting to the Monastery is roughly a 4 hour round trip. The last section is up a long and very steep set of 800 stairs that seem to continue on for an eternity. In the heat, it is a pretty exhausting route!
Most visitors enter Petra from the main entrance at the Wadi Musa Visitor Center and then walk for about half an hour via a narrow canyon to the famous treasury (the Siq Trail). This part of Petra is very crowded and packed with tourists on every corner.


This is what makes the track from Little Petra even more appealing. Not only do you get away from the tourists and the souvenir stands, but you also get to see some pretty wild landscape that you wouldn't otherwise get to experience.

Visiting Petra via the Back Door Route has multiple benefits!
Hiking from Little Petra to Petra via the back door entrance is a fantastic way to explore the ancient city of Petra away from the crowds
You skip the crowds by walking the way less popular back door route to the Monastery.
You don’t have to walk the same way twice. Coming from a different route rewards you with other views of Petra.
You skip climbing up the 800 steps you have to conquer when visiting the Monastery from the main entrance.
You will be rewarded with amazing views over the surroundings of Petra and Jordan’s nature.
You can have the Monastery almost all to yourself! If you arrive in the early morning, no one from the front entrance had the opportunity to already arrive at the Monastery.

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One of the main benefits of visiting the Monastery via the back door trail from Little Petra is that it is a one-way route, meaning you will not have to go through the same path twice.
Going down is generally much easier. Another advantage of doing the back door trail is that by starting your hike very early in the morning you have a chance to arrive at Monastery before everyone else and enjoy it all for yourself.

This one way hike can be completed without any additional logistics as you can travel back to your car at little Petra after the hike and pick your car.
There are free shuttle buses that drive between Petra visitors center to the Little Petra bus stop.
If you are staying at Petra, then you can either get a taxi or use the free shuttle from Petra visitors center to Little Petra in the morning.
This distance is about 9 Kms and its free.
The free buses are available from 6am till 5pm only. (Last bus from Petra to little Petra)
Please reconfirm the timings.

There are some options to bring you already a little bit further (about 3 Kms ) to the main trail with a 4×4 jeep / truck, but I would advise against that. The part from the main road wasn’t too long (max 40 minutes of walking) and this saves you some money and it also gives you some workout and satisfaction of completing the whole walk by walking !

But if you have elderly, children or health issues, then you may opt for that ride service which will reduce your walk. The jeep ride will cost 10 JOD per person.

The Little Petra to Petra Walk
Distance: Approximately 8 kilometers to reach the Monastery and additional 5 kilometers to walk to the Petra Visitors Centre.
Time: The hike takes around 4 hours if you walk to Wadi Musa.
Difficulty: Easy to moderate.
The path is in good condition throughout, with the first half being flat. However, it does get a little steeper towards the middle closer towards the Monastery.
There are lots of stairs that can be safely climbed.
Keep in mind that the exposed trail and heat during summer months can make this track tiring.

Starting Point: Little Petra
The starting point of the back door trail is the Little Petra which is located about 9 kilometers away from Petra Visitor Center in Wadi Musa.
You can get to Little Petra either by taking a taxi from Wadi Musa town or by taking a free shuttle bus from Petra Visitor Center.
The first shuttle bus leaves in the morning around 7-7:30 AM from the back side of Petra Visitor Center and runs until around 4-5 PM. The bus goes 2-3 times an hour depending on demand, so you might have to wait a bit until the bus gets full before it leaves.

We were self driving, so parked our car here at Little Petra.
https://maps.app.goo.gl/kqrAX4kSXsdgvpFW8
30.375515, 35.452050
It is free parking area, no fees. The free shuttle bus also come to this area.

Before embarking on the hike, explore Little Petra itself.
Its free to visit, no fees. Please don't pay anyone any money if they ask.
Head into the site to see the caves and settlement remains. Some of the caves still have beautiful mosaics and carvings. Arriving early in the morning allows you to enjoy the site without the crowds.

The Trail
Starting Point: The trail begins at the left side of the car park behind the souvenir shops in Little Petra (it’s not very obvious, so keep an eye out!). You can see a large board showing the ticket prices.
If you have Jordan pass, its included in Jordan Pass or you need to pay 50 JOD per person.

The trail to the Monastery is about 5.5 km and takes approximately 1,5 to 2 hours. Generally speaking, the trail is quite easy to hike. There is a bit of ascending and descending, but these parts can be more seen as hills and at most of the places there are stairs to make it a bit easier for you. The trail switches between sandy grounds, rocky areas and stairs.

The trail initially follows jeep tracks through the desert, passing by Bedouin tents, goats, camels, and the occasional stray dog and beautiful sandstone mountains and valleys.

After about 1 kilometer from the start of the hike, you will approach an ancient village called Al Beidha. It is a Neolithic village that was occupied from 7200 BC until 6500 BC. Beidha village is one of the first inhabited villages in the world and one of the oldest sites in the Middle East. Today you can only see the ruins of the ancient village so you will need to rely mostly on your imagination to visualize how it looked in the past.

After about an hour the uphill starts! The track is really well defined and stairs have been built into the path. On all sides you see beautiful mountains with stunning patterns, carved out through thousands of years of rain and wind.

The views from the path are spectacular. It's how we imagine the Grand Canyon might look, there are so many epic ledges to stop and take photos. It is an amazing landscape and the views get better and better as you climb.

Soon, the trail leads through the mountains to a vast open plain, offering stunning views of the surrounding landscape.
After about 4 Kms into the trail you will gradually gain elevation and soon the stairs will start that will guide you safely further.

Monastery: The highlight of the hike is reaching the Monastery, which is equally spectacular but far less visited than the famous Treasury. The Monastery is a long way from anything else in Petra, making it a rewarding destination.

It is a magical moment when you see the Monastery popping up in front of you. It is quite nice to arrive from a different direction than the main public, as this straight away gives you some photo opportunities and the chance to admire this majestic historic sight from a different point of view.

Once you turn round the corner and see the Monastery, it really blows you away. Whilst the Treasury is incredible (especially because of the location within a confined canyon), the Monastery is grand and feels huge. As it is set in a very open area, you really feel the size and dominance of this incredible structure, carved out the side of the mountain.
You can choose to cool off with a ice cold drink in the shaded cafe set directly in front of it.

The Petra Monastery or Ad-Deir in Arabic, is one of the most iconic and remarkable monuments in the ancient city of Patra. Its remarkable façade is carved out of rock in classical Nabatean style. With 47 m (154 ft) height and 48 m (157 ft) width, it is larger than the famous treasury. In fact, it is one of the largest buildings in Petra. The archeologists believe that this monument from the 1st century AD, was initially not a monastery but a royal mausoleum. Later during the Byzantine period, it was repurposed as a monastery.

Further to Treasury and Petra Visitors Centre:
If you choose to walk all the way to the Visitors Centre, the total distance covered will be approximately 13 kilometers.

The walk back isn't too bad. It is virtually all down hill and in the shade until you get to the Royal Tombs.
From Monastery to Petra Visitor Center is about 3,5 kilometers. You will need to go down 800 steps and then you will have a wide straight road directly to the treasury.
The stairs will lead you to Wadi Musa with views of various ancient locations with the Treasury of course.

On the way, you can explore the Royal Tombs, Colonnaded Street, and the Great Temple.

Whilst it is a decent distance, it passes by quickly. It is steep though and can be difficult on the knees, poles would come in handy here if you have knee trouble.

We didn't venture into any other off trail locations although you can explore many spots based on google maps.

As you wind through more canyons (littered with souvenir shops), you eventually reach the bottom and come out to the Colonnaded Street and a great view of the Royal Tombs. From here, you're about 40 minutes from the visitors centre.

As you pass round the corner you'll reach the shade once more and get a glorious view of the Treasury.
This will be most crowded place in this hike.
Please note: Most of those higher point view points of the treasury have been blocked and inaccessible.
After the Treasury it's time to walk through the beautiful narrow canyon called as Siq.
Unfortunately in this direction it is 1.2 km of gradual uphill that really saps it out of you! Whilst it is never steep, it just chips away at you.

Once you're out the Siq, you're on the home run to Wadi Musa. It's just a short walk across the gravel until you get to the visitors centre and the end of the walk!

Tips:
You don’t necessarily need a guide for this walk, but hiring one can be helpful for navigation and supporting the local Bedouin community.
Spring and autumn are the best seasons for hiking in Petra due to pleasant weather conditions.

Little Petra to Petra trail via the back door includes a long walk in the open desert under the strong sun. The first part of the trail is quite wild and you will not find any shops or huts. That’s why it is important to have enough water with you. Take at least 2-3 liters of water and dry snacks such as nuts to keep you hydrated and full of energy.

Be prepared with comfortable walking shoes,hiking pole as required, sun protection, and plenty of water.
Remember, this back door route offers a unique perspective of Petra, away from the hustle and bustle. Enjoy the journey!