Petra Hiking: The Back Route to the Monastery, Wadi Muthlim Canyon, the High Place Circuit, the Snake Canyon Trail, and the Multi-Day Petra Trekking
The Petra hiking route covers the back route to the Monastery as the most scenic single Petra approach, the Wadi Muthlim flash flood canyon, the High Place of Sacrifice circuit, the Snake Canyon trail, and the multi-day Petra to Wadi Rum trekking.
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Back Route to the Monastery: The Alternative Approach
The back route to the Monastery (Ad-Deir) via the Aaron Mountain trail from the village of Wadi Musa (a 3-hour hike arriving at the Monastery from the plateau above rather than the conventional 800-step canyon approach) provides the most panoramically complete single Petra overview with the entire Wadi Araba desert visible to the west and the Petra basin visible to the east. The back route is the most scenically rewarding single Petra hiking alternative for the experienced trekker.
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Wadi Muthlim: The Flash Flood Canyon
The Wadi Muthlim canyon trek (accessible from the Siq entrance on the right before the Siq begins, the most off-the-standard-tourist-path single Petra walking route), the natural flash-flood-carved gorge that runs parallel to the Siq and eventually opens into the Petra basin near the Theatre, is the most dramatically narrow single natural canyon in the Petra area with the natural arches, the pools, and the most geological exciting single Petra hiking terrain. The Wadi Muthlim requires a local guide for the most safely navigated single flash flood channel in Petra.
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High Place of Sacrifice Circuit: The 4-Hour Loop
The complete High Place of Sacrifice circuit (ascending via the staircase from the Street of Facades, descending via the Lion Triclinium route through the Wadi Farasa past the Roman Soldier Tomb and the Garden Triclinium) is the most comprehensive single Petra 4-hour walking circuit and the route that most completely covers the main Petra monuments from the most dramatically varied single approach angles. The descent via the Wadi Farasa is the most botanically rewarding single Petra trail in spring (March-April) when the wildflowers are most abundant.
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Snake Canyon: The Scrambling Route
The Snake Canyon (Wadi Siyagh) scrambling route through the narrowest single natural canyon in the Petra area, requiring the most physically demanding single scramble over the boulder falls, is the most adventurously rewarding single Petra hiking challenge and the trail most recommended for the physically fit visitor who wants the most directly adventure-sport single Petra experience.
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Petra to Wadi Rum Trek: The Multi-Day Route
The multi-day Petra to Wadi Rum trekking route (the most historically authentic single Jordan trekking path following the ancient Nabataean trade route south through the Shara mountains, 3-5 days depending on pace) is the most dramatically landscape-varied single Jordan trekking experience combining the sandstone canyon landscape of Petra with the granite desert landscape of Wadi Rum in the most geologically contrasted single Jordan multi-day trek.
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Petra on Horseback and by Donkey: The Traditional Transport
The Petra horse ride from the main entrance to the Siq mouth (the most traditionally Bedouin single Petra visitor transport, the Bedouin horse owners being the Bdul tribe descendants of the original Petra inhabitants who lived in the cave tombs until 1985) and the optional donkey ascent to the Monastery are the most historically resonant single Petra transport choices and the most direct single contact with the Jordanian Bedouin community that has been most closely associated with the Petra heritage for the past century.