An Epic Bucket List Adventure in Petra

If my favorite high school history teacher, Mr. Long, could see me now! Little ol’ me finally made it to the treasury in Petra, Jordan! Just even typing that is unbelievable! I’m from a small town in the very southern state of Alabama. Like really? It’s so fascinating when you have all these childhood dreams of places to go and then you finally get there. It’s such an amazing tingly feeling. Like I really did it!

Ok, enough of my rambles.

But visiting Petra is huge right? It’s in Jordan. It’s in the Middle East. I’ve never been to the part of the world and I know absolutely know no Arabic. And I’m doing it solo, but hey, I’m always down for a little adventure! Initially, I wanted to combine this trip with Egypt. My plan was to be in the desert, visiting Pyramids and then go to Petra, just full overload on famous archaeological sites. Unfortunately, I just do not feel comfortable traveling to Egypt alone. So I combined this trip with Turkey followed by a few days in Paris.

My first stop in Jordan was in the capital of Amman. Petra is a three hour drive away and can be done as a day trip. I wanted no parts of driving there so I opted for a tour. I absolutely hate full day group trips, so I was super happy to see that private day tours were not that expensive. My tour was a little under $200 for a roundtrip excursion. My guide was actually from Texas too! He’s Jordanian, moved back to get married, save up some money and then move back to Texas and buy a home.

I slept most of the way to Petra, it was rainy and gloomy and jet-lag is no joke. Surprisingly, when we arrived it wasn’t as crowded as I imagined it would be. There were no lines and no screaming toddlers in strollers. It was mostly vendors selling the norm and a couple lazy dogs lying around. Oh and I shockingly the dogs have owners and are not strays. It is quite a few running around on the walk to the treasury.

Speaking of walk, it’s like a forty minute walk up to the treasury called the Siq. I don’t know why I assumed it would be a little past the main entrance. Silly me, always trying to avoid exercise. So before arriving in Jordan I purchased the Jordan Pass online. It is $99 and provides access Petra and over 40 attractions and if you stay in Jordan longer than 3 nights your visa free is waived. Make sure that you print it out on paper before you get to Jordan.

So I got my crumbled up pass scanned and thought I was good to go. Then, I found out about the long windy trail to the treasury and grabbed a guide. At the ticket counter, it’s impossible to miss them. They make it seem like you have to take a guide, but you really don’t. But, its supports the locals and you gain more insight about Petra and it also helps with the hagglers. Just a few days before my arrival, it was a flood and many vendors lost their stock.

I purchase a cute headscarf, they wrap my big head on up and we head off for the treasury! It’s absolutely gorgeous! It’s miles of sandstones that have been perfectly shaped by Mother Nature. There are old carvings and writing on some of the rocks that are barely visible. There are so many tombs that have been carved, some in which the local vendors live in. The canyons are just so massive and amazing. It’s even cobblestone roads in some areas.

After what seemed like forever, mostly due to me stopping and taking countless photos, we finally make it to the treasury! It was everything that I thought it would be. What I traveled miles and miles to see. It was right there in all its glory. Nothing short of astonishing. I wandered endlessly. I’m so happy that I came in the fall, there was not a lot of people and I was able to really enjoy it.

Unfortunately, after reaching the treasury, my journey with the guide ended. There were a few options for heading back to the exit, such as riding in a cart or on camel or donkey back. I chose to walk back and marvel at all the ancient architecture along the way. The walk back is actually a full circle to the main entrance.

Overall my experience was everything I thought it would be. I’m so happy that I went and happy that it was such a laid back day. It’s nice having drivers and guides, if only all my trips could be so easy.