Petra

Ancient rock-cut city in southern Jordan, reached from the town of Wadi Musa (about a five-minute drive from Harry’s hotel). Far more than just the Treasury — the facade everyone knows from Instagram — the site stretches on with a theatre, rock-cut tombs and cave dwellings that look like carved houses, and long hikes up to viewpoints.

What Harry did

Harry visited with Mac early one morning, arriving around 6:50am (the site opens at 6am). They hiked with a local guide up a steep climb to a viewpoint above the Treasury and drank tea at the top, explored the theatre and cave dwellings beyond the Treasury without a guide, were invited by local Bedouins to stay the night in their camp, and ate a Jordanian buffet lunch inside the site. He found parts of it commercialised — touts, queues, “a little bit like Disneyland” — but calls Petra itself amazing and a must-see. They walked roughly 16,000 steps and skipped the Monastery.

Wadi Musa, the town you stay in

Wadi Musa is the settlement at the gate, and it has no page of its own for the reason Harry gives on arriving: it exists for Petra. Hotels and restaurants, and tourism is what he calls pretty much the main use of the town.

• He arrives having read that it is the one unhospitable, slightly scammy corner of Jordan, unlike the rest of the country, and says he’s interested to find out. Nothing in the arrival video bears that out — the hotel staff are helpful and recommend where to go — so it is recorded as a reputation he brought with him rather than a finding.
• A hotel for two nights came to about £100 (from video – unverified) — Petra Heart House, which he books and pays for himself. A desk, tea and coffee, a television, and a view of the road. He says it was exactly what they needed and good value.
• It is quiet at night, and the road in at night is dark and empty.
• Alcohol is hard to find. The bar they are pointed to is inside a museum, which Harry finds funny — the only place selling beer in town being a historical site.
• Local beer: a half-litre of Petra beer runs about $10 (from video – unverified). The local beers are sweet, closer to an ale.
• It is the most expensive place in Jordan he eats. Dinner and drinks for two came to 78 JOD — roughly £85 or $100 (from video – unverified) — for chicken with peppercorn sauce, chips and vegetables, another dish topped with peanuts, tea and several beers. His advice is to expect that here, and that it is the priciest it gets.

Getting there

• About three hours’ drive from Amman.
• Rent a car for it. Harry says outright they should have done it at the start of the trip instead of paying for taxis everywhere — see rent a car instead of taxis. A rental from Amman was 20 JOD a day against about $30 online (from video – unverified).

Practical facts

• Opens at 6am; tour-bus crowds pour in from late morning, so early entry pays off.
• Entry is included in the Jordan Pass; a day ticket otherwise costs around 40–50 (from video – unverified).
• Guided climb to the viewpoint above the Treasury: 15 JD for two people.
• Buffet lunch inside the site: 17 with drinks (from video – unverified).
• Expect persistent offers of horse rides, guides, and souvenirs at the entrance and around the Treasury.

Harry’s tips

• Get the Jordan Pass before travelling — Petra entry is the main reason it pays for itself.
• Arrive at opening time to beat the tour buses; by late morning the Treasury area is packed.
• Do the paid climb to the viewpoint above the Treasury — fewer people are willing to hike up, so it’s peaceful and the view is worth it. It’s a real climb, tougher with camera gear.
• Don’t stop at the Treasury: the theatre, tombs, and hikes beyond are a big part of the site.

Source videos

• Incredible PETRA tour by LOCAL BEDOUINS 🇯🇴 — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u67ibrN0Tnk
• We Rented a car and took a PETRA ROAD TRIP 🇯🇴 — https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X01ujS2bxmk — the drive down, Wadi Musa and the hotel