Petra Back-Road Trail: Monastery, Royal Tombs & Little Petra Hike

Petra back routes hike: Little Petra, Wadi Araba, Monastery climb, Royal Tombs views in 8 hours

A full-day guided hike in Petra, Jordan, starting at Little Petra and ending at the main archaeological sites, with a live English or Spanish-speaking guide and hotel pickup included. You walk through the narrow canyon of Siq al-Barid, visit the Neolithic Village of Beidha, climb to the Monastery (one of Petra's largest monuments at 47 meters wide), and explore the Royal Tombs, the Treasury, and the Colonnaded Street. Bottled water is provided throughout.

Step-by-step itinerary

Stops and time spent at each

1. Little Petra2h 30m · entry included
2. The Monastery2h · entry included
3. Petra Royal Tombs1h

Explore Little Petra and Grand Petra

• Meet or pick up travelers at Little Petra
• Tour inside Little Petra and see temples
• Visit Neolithic Village of Beidha
• Stop at Wadi Araba viewpoint
• Hike to The Monastery via rock-cut path
• Explore The Monastery monument
• Walk through the Colonnaded Street
• Examine tombs along the Street of Facades
• Ascend to Petra Royal Tombs and visit them
• Visit Al Khazna (The Treasury)
• See the Nymphaeum fountain ruins
• Visit the Byzantine Church ruins
• End tour at Petra Visitor Center

The experience

The tour begins at Little Petra, also called Siq al-Barid: a cold canyon with a shorter, narrower passage than the main Petra Siq but one that opens into temples and painted houses carved into the rock. From there you move to the Neolithic Village of Beidha, one of Jordan's oldest settlements, where hunters and gatherers lived seasonally in this sheltered area thousands of years ago. The route then climbs to the Wadi Araba viewpoint, where you can pause and take in the calm landscape before continuing inland.

The centerpiece is the Monastery, a Nabataean tomb built in the third century BCE and later used as a Byzantine church. You'll see crosses carved into its interior walls. Reaching it means climbing more than 800 steps along an ancient rock-cut path, and the monument itself measures 50 meters wide and 45 meters high, built on the same model as the Treasury but substantially larger. From there the tour moves through Petra's main archaeological sites: the Colonnaded Street (a 6-meter-wide Nabataean road restored during the Roman era), the Street of Facades with its easily accessible tombs, and the Royal Tombs rising majestically above the center. The Urn Tomb, Silk Tomb, Palace Tomb, Corinthian Tomb, and others. You'll also see the Treasury with its Corinthian capitals and intricate three-chamber design, the Nymphaeum (a grand public fountain), and the Byzantine Church, a sixth or eighth-century structure built partly from Nabataean and Roman materials.

Your guide speaks English or Spanish and meets you at Little Petra or arranges pickup from your hotel. The full route takes eight to nine hours on foot, with bottled water provided. The terrain involves sustained walking and climbing, particularly the 800 steps to the Monastery, so moderate physical fitness is necessary.

What’s included

• Bottled water throughout the day.
• live guide in English or Spanish.
• hotel pickup or meeting at Little Petra.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDeparts at 09:00

Book up to4h before

GroupUp to 6

Live guideEnglish and Spanish

Meeting point and pickupHotel pickup included.You can choose from 2 pickup points.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated yesterday

Good to know

Moderate physical effortPets welcomePublic transport nearbyNot recommended during pregnancyNot recommended with heart problemsNot recommended with back problems

Operated by The professions - Petra Back-door Trail and Route Hike

Is this one for you?Book this if you're ready for sustained climbing, including 800 steps to the Monastery, and want to see both Little Petra and the main sites in one day via hiking through the canyons rather than vehicle routes.

Traveler reviews

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Top questions

What languages is the tour guided in?

Live guide in English and Spanish.

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What is the Monastery in Petra and why is it called that?

The Monastery is one of Petra's largest monuments, built as a Nabataean tomb in the third century BCE and later converted into a Byzantine church. The crosses carved into its interior walls gave it the name. It measures 50 meters wide and 45 meters high, making it substantially larger than the Treasury.

How do you reach the Monastery from the main Petra sites?

You climb more than 800 steps along an ancient rock-cut path that follows the original procession route, starting from the Basin Restaurant area. The ascent is steep but the path is well-established.

What is Little Petra and how does it differ from the main Petra site?

Little Petra, or Siq al-Barid, is a narrow canyon with temples and painted houses cut into the rock. Its Siq is much shorter and smaller than the main Petra Siq that leads to the Treasury, but it opens into locations with carved structures and offers a quieter introduction to Nabataean architecture.

What are the Royal Tombs and where are they located?

The Royal Tombs are a collection of large mausoleums with carved facades rising from the western slope of the Jabal al-Khubtha rock massif above the center of Petra. They include the Urn Tomb, Silk Tomb, Palace Tomb, and Corinthian Tomb, each with distinct architectural features and accessible by staircase.

Is this tour suitable for someone visiting Petra for the first time?

Yes, the tour covers both Little Petra and the main archaeological sites in a single day, giving you a comprehensive introduction to Nabataean monuments and the canyon landscape. However, it requires moderate physical fitness because of the sustained walking and the 800-step climb to the Monastery.