Petra from the back door feels like cheating. You start with Little Petra and then earn the big finale at Al Dayr Monastery, one of Petra’s most impressive monuments. The catch is you should be ready for a long day of walking, including a serious stair climb.

I like that this runs with a small group (up to 6) and includes pickup, so you spend less time herding and more time moving. It also uses a mobile ticket to help you get into the sites you already paid for. One thing to watch is that admission is not included for every stop, especially later in the walk.

Key highlights you can count on

• Back-door approach to Petra, starting at Little Petra and avoiding the usual feel at the main entrance
• Al Dayr Monastery as the main payoff, built as a Nabataean tomb and later used by Byzantines
• A smart route through Nabataean and Roman Petra, including the Colonnaded Street and the Street of Facades
• Royal Tombs and the Treasury on the way out, with stunning views if you pace yourself
• Short, focused extras at the end, like the Nymphaeum foundations and the Byzantine Church ruins

Entering Petra from Little Petra, not from the front gate

This is a Petra day that starts with context, not chaos. Instead of pushing straight into the most famous entrance route, you begin in Little Petra, exploring Siq al-Barid and the rock-cut areas nearby. It makes the rest of Petra feel less like a checklist and more like a story you can actually follow.

I also like the rhythm: you hike forward through canyons and viewpoints, then you return into the older core of Petra for the classic sights. That pacing matters. When you reach the Treasury area, it feels like the crescendo you paid for, not just another stop you rushed through.

The main consideration is time on your feet. The day runs about 8 to 9 hours, and one highlight, Al Dayr, involves a steep climb with 800 or more steps. If you’re unsure about your walking stamina, take it seriously before booking.

Little Petra (Al-Beidha) and Siq al-Barid, a shorter canyon that still delivers

You begin at Al-Beidha, also tied to Little Petra and the canyon called Siq al-Barid (cold canyon). The Siq here is shorter than the famous Siq route that most people use to reach the Treasury. That’s actually good news. You get the Petra feeling without spending your whole morning stuck in a narrow bottleneck.

Inside Siq al-Barid, the canyon stays smaller, but it sometimes widens into areas with rock-cut temples and carved spaces. You can also see features like painted houses, which makes the place feel lived-in even though it’s ancient.

Then you continue to the Neolithic Village of Beidha, where seasonal settlement happened long before the Nabataeans. The site is associated with hunters and gatherers living seasonally. This is a refreshing shift, because most Petra tours only tell you about Nabataean, Roman, and Byzantine eras.

Practical tip: wear shoes with solid grip. Even when paths look “easy,” Petra days tend to involve uneven stone and dust. And since this stop comes early, you’ll want your legs fresh, not already cooked.

Al Dayr Monastery, the big climb that turns into the best view in the day

If you remember one part of this tour, make it Al Dayr. The Monastery (also called Al Dayr) is described as one of Petra’s fabled monuments, buried into the hills and reached by that famous long rock-cut path.

What makes it worth the effort is the combination of scale and meaning. It was constructed as a Nabataean tomb in the third century BCE, and it’s built on a design similar to the Treasury but much larger. Inside, you’ll see carved crosses, which point to later use by Byzantines when the tomb-like spaces became a church.

Before you reach the Monastery itself, you’re guided toward a panoramic viewpoint over Wadi Araba and the west bank mountains. This is one of those moments where stepping off the treadmill of constant walking helps your brain catch up with what you’re seeing.

Time-wise, this stop is given about 2 hours, including the route and time on site. That’s helpful. If you try to rush Al Dayr, you miss why it hits so hard.

The main drawback is obvious once you understand the route: this is a workout. The steps are part of the experience, but they’re also the reality. If your knees don’t like steep stone stairs, consider a gentler Petra route instead.

Colonnaded Street and the Roman refresh you can still read in the stones

After the Monastery, you work your way back toward the main old city area of Petra. One of the most interesting in-between stops is the Colonnaded Street.

This street is originally Nabataean, later renovated by the Romans. In 106 BC, the street was restored to a 6 meter width, and excavation details suggest there once was a street with 1 to 2 story structures along it. Even if you’re not a professional archaeologist, that kind of timeline helps you picture what “street life” might have felt like here.

At the end of the street, you’ll find the triple gate leading to the Qasr Al-Bint shrine. It’s a good “mental waypoint,” because it anchors the walk to something you can orient around.

This stop is about 1 hour, with admission included. If you want to understand why Petra works as more than a series of photos, this is where it starts to click. You’re walking through a spine of the city, not just around big monuments.

Street of Facades, Tomb No. 67, and the joy of easy access

The Street of Facades is shorter in time and feels more approachable than many other Petra tomb areas. Here you can examine a few tombs lined along the rock-cut facades.

One tomb noted specifically is Tomb No. 67, with an upper story that includes a funeral chamber. It’s the kind of detail that turns “that looks cool” into “I can actually picture the function of the building.”

This stop is about 30 minutes with admission included. That short length can be a win. You get a focused taste of tomb architecture without turning it into your whole day.

Practical tip: this is where you might want to slow down and look sideways at the rock-cut work. Facades can look flat from far away, but up close you can see the effort and the design choices.

Royal Tombs and Urn Tomb, a ticket detail you must plan for

Next come the Royal Tombs, a cluster of large mausoleums carved into the western slope of the Jabal al-Khubtha rock massif. From ground level, they rise above the center of Petra in a dramatic way, and the facades are the reason people stop here.

To reach them, you ascend a staircase leading to the Urn Tomb. This tomb is linked with devotion during the Byzantine Empire, which is a neat contrast to the earlier Nabataean context. Next, you continue to the Silk Tomb, described as a tiny tomb next to the Urn Tomb, named for the deep shade of the sandstone. After that come more tombs such as the Palace Tomb, the Corinthian Tomb, and the Tomb of Sesto Fiorentino.

Timing for this section is about 1 hour. Admission is not included here, so you’ll want to be ready to pay for the entry portion tied to Royal Tombs access.

This is also where pacing matters. You’re still in the middle of the day, and if you’ve already taken the Monastery climb a bit too aggressively, stairs here can feel longer. Take short breaks, drink water, and keep your breathing steady.

Al Khazna, the Treasury, and how to make it feel like a finale

Then you reach the Treasury, or Al Khazna. This is the photo magnet, yes, but it’s also one of the most technically impressive monuments in Petra.

The Treasury is described as about 40 meters high, with ornate carving including Corinthian capitals, friezes, and figured decoration. The famous urn on top is part of local folklore, tied to a belief about a pharaoh’s treasure. The original purpose is still described as uncertain, though it’s associated with royal memorial use.

It’s also described as being built in the first century BC, made up of two stories, each measured roughly 25.30 meters wide, and about 39.1 meters high. The outside design includes three chambers, one central and two side chambers, showing Nabataean engineering skill.

This is listed as 1 hour 30 minutes, and again admission is not included. You’ll want to factor that into the true cost of your day. The price is $380 per group (up to 6), so per person it can look great if you’re booking as a group. But if key later sites are on extra admission, the value depends on whether you already have tickets or plan to buy on arrival.

How to time it: since this is the endpoint of your hike approach, it often feels better when you arrive with tired-but-satisfied legs. That way, you’re not rushing through the Treasury while you still have the Monastery climb in your system.

Quick hits on the Colonnaded Street, Nymphaeum, and the Byzantine Church

Not every stop here needs a full hour. Two shorter ones are easy to miss if you only care about the big names.

First is the Nymphaeum, a grand public fountain along the Colonnaded Street. Today, only foundations remain, and you can often see it in the shade of a tree. Time is about 10 minutes, and admission is included.

Then you have the Byzantine Church of Petra, a ruin with Western-style windows, doors, and reliefs, tied to building materials used during Nabataean and Roman periods. The church ruins are noted as discovered in the 1990s. This is also about 10 minutes, with admission included.

These quick stops work because they round out your understanding. After carving-heavy tomb architecture, you get public and religious uses of the same city space in later eras.

Price, group size, and what this tour gives you for $380

The headline number is $380 per group up to 6, with an average booking window of about 22 days in advance. That’s important, because the price only makes sense if you can fill the group or travel with people you trust.

Let’s translate it. If the group is full, the per-person cost is roughly $63. Even if the group isn’t full, you’re still likely paying for guided navigation, a structured route, and pickup. The schedule also includes admission for several stops, but not all.

Here’s the clean way to think about value:

• Admission is included for Al-Beidha, Monastery, Colonnaded Street, Street of Facades, Nymphaeum, and the Byzantine Church.
• Admission is not included for the Royal Tombs and the Treasury.

So your best-case scenario is: you plan ahead with Petra entry costs for those missing portions. If you don’t, you might feel like you’re paying twice. If you do plan it, the tour becomes a focused guided route that saves you from organizing connections yourself.

One more value point: maximum group size is 6, which can change the whole vibe in Petra. You get a better chance for your guide to adjust pacing and explain what you’re actually looking at.

What to expect on timing, pickup, and mobile tickets

Start time is 9:00 am, and the experience runs 8 to 9 hours. Pickup is offered, and you’ll either be collected or meet at Little Petra.

You’ll also receive a mobile ticket. That tends to make entry smoother at sites where you need to show your ticket quickly.

Service animals are allowed, and the tour expects a moderate physical fitness level. That moderate label matters. The day includes long walking and the Monastery stair climb, so it’s not just a casual stroll.

If you want to avoid frustration, ask for clarity on meeting location the day before. Petra is big. Even small misunderstandings can cost you time on a tight schedule.

And a quick reality check: one person who booked through a guide arranged via Samaha Tours felt disappointed because the day did not match expectations tied to an 8 hour guided experience. That’s a reminder to confirm the guide, timing, and what is included for your date, especially if you care about a specific duration or want the tour to feel truly guided.

Who should book this Petra back-road hike

This tour makes the most sense if you want:

• A guided route that links sites instead of jumping randomly between them
• A day built around the Monastery payoff and a final approach to the Treasury
• The satisfaction of working up to big views, including the wadi Araba perspective

It’s also a good fit if you travel with a small group or friends and can split the $380 group cost.

Skip it or choose a different option if:

• You know you struggle with steep stairs and long climbs
• You dislike structured schedules and prefer a slower, self-paced Petra day
• You don’t want to handle any extra admission charges later at Royal Tombs and the Treasury

Should you book this Petra back-door hike?

Yes, if you’re ready for a full day and you like the idea of earning Petra’s most famous moments instead of sprinting to them. The big win is the sequencing: Little Petra first, Al Dayr Monastery as the effort-based highlight, then the classic core sights including the Treasury.

Book it with confidence if you plan for the stops where admission is not included. Also confirm details ahead of time, because one mismatch can turn an 8 to 9 hour hike from rewarding into exhausting.

If that sounds like your kind of day, you’ll come away with more than a single iconic photo. You’ll understand how this city worked, from Neolithic settlement through Nabataean tombs, Roman renovations, and Byzantine reuse.

FAQ

What time does the tour start?

The tour start time is 9:00 am, and the total duration is about 8 to 9 hours.

Is pickup offered?

Yes. Pickup is offered, or you can meet the group at Little Petra.

How big is the group?

The tour has a maximum of 6 people.

Is the tour physically demanding?

It’s listed for people with moderate physical fitness. You should be prepared for a hike and for a long stair climb to the Monastery, described as having more than 800 steps.

Are admission tickets included?

Admission is included for Al-Beidha, the Monastery, the Colonnaded Street, the Street of Facades, the Nymphaeum, and the Byzantine Church. Admission is not included for the Royal Tombs and the Treasury.

Do I need good weather for it to run?

Yes. The experience requires good weather, and if it’s canceled due to poor weather you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund.

What is the cancellation policy?

You can cancel for a full refund if you cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the start time. Cancellation changes made less than 24 hours before the experience start time are not refunded.