Visiting Petra in Jordan – A Photo Essay

Visiting Petra in Jordan has been at the top of my mental bucket list for a long time. I’m not sure of when I learned about it for the first time but as cliche as it sounds it was most likely from watching the Indiana Jones movies with my father as a kid. Aside from the iconic images of the Treasury that I had seen on TV I didn’t know much more about Petra or the country of Jordan where this ancient city can be found.

A year or two ago a few of my blogging friends started being invited to visit Jordan and through them I started learning that there was a lot more to Petra than just the Treasury and that Jordan as a whole was a pretty awesome country to visit. From the welcoming people to the beautiful ancient and historic sites and of course the delicious food whether it was tea served by bedouins or falafels from one of the best falafel joints in all of Amman.

On my eight day Highlights of Jordan tour with G Adventures we circled the whole country visiting the ancient city of Jerash, floating in the Dead Sea, snorkelling in the Red Sea, and spending a night sleeping in Wadi Rum. Of all the awesome things we did on the trip however Petra was my favorite part.

Petra is the number one tourist destination in the country so this shouldn’t really be much of a surprise.

I’ll write more about visiting Petra and Jordan and my experience good and bad that I had there in the next update but for now I just want to share with you some of my favorite photos from my visit.

Petra at night. Three nights a week the canyon leading to the Treasury in Petra and on the ground in front of the Treasury is illuminated with 1,800 candles.

If you squint you can see a clear sky full of stars looking down over the Treasury.

It is a 2km walk from the entrance gates to the Treasury – here part way through the walk the canyon begins that winds down to the ancient city of Petra. 

The canyon walls twist and turn.

 

Starting at 6:30am we were some of the first few tourists to make the walk down the canyon.

 

Our first glimpses of the iconic Treasury.

A scene I have been waiting a life time to see in real life.

 

Proof.

 

Petra is WAY more than just the Treasury. Currently there are 100 tombs out of 500 excavated in the ancient city. Apparently only 10% of what is actually there can be seen.

 

It’s amazing that there can be life in the middle of dry desert canyons with just a bunch of rocks and sand.

 

The view from “the high place”. A 670 step climb for an awesome view.

 

A Bedouin lady looks over Petra as she waits for tourists to come buy to sell souvenirs and hot tea to them.

 

Colorful camels being sold by a Bedouin lady.

 

Our G Adventures CEO Ayman talks non-stop about all of the amazing things we see in Petra.

 

Beauty.

 

Camels wait to transport tourists around the ancient site.

 By the end of the day my pedometer tells me I have taken over 21,000 steps. A ride in a horse drawn carriage back out of the canyon is a nice relief for my tired feet.

My trip was provided for me by the Visit Jordan Tourism Board and G Adventures. At no point did they ask for a favourable view, amazing photos or for me to explore this ancient site with a childlike wonder. All views expressed as always are my own.

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