What to Do in Wadi Musa Besides Petra
Travel advisory, October 2026: The wider 2026 conflict involving Iran reaches Jordan, and the US State Department gives the whole country an overall Level 3, “Reconsider Travel”. Level 4, “Do Not Travel”, applies to the borders with Syria and Iraq and to a few named districts. The UK FCDO takes a narrower line: it advises against travel only within 3 km of the Syrian border and carries no warning for Petra, Wadi Musa or Wadi Rum. Petra and Wadi Musa are open and operating, but flights can be disrupted and the situation can shift at short notice. Compare the current UK FCDO advice with the US State Department advisory before you book and again before you fly. The rest of this page is written for an ordinary visit.
The Petra gate opens onto a working town, and the hours before dinner or after a long hike can be filled without a park ticket. This page follows a day from afternoon to night. Prices are in Jordanian dinars (JD).
Afternoon: a craft or a bath
The Shaqilah Centre for Traditional and Creative Crafts in Wadi Musa gives hands-on training in silver work and pottery, together with lessons on Nabataean history. A listing for local crafts gives its hours as about 8:00 am to 3:00 pm, so plan it for the morning or early afternoon and contact the centre before you turn up. In Taybeh, a village nearby, women’s pottery cooperatives sell what they make.
After a day of stairs, two Turkish baths in town, the Al Yakhour Turkish Bath and the Petra Turkish Bath, are reported to offer a scrub and steam. Agree the price before you undress.
Ayn Musa, known as Moses’ Spring, is a free stop at the edge of town. A modern three-domed building stands over the spring, which tradition links to Moses. Treat it as a short visit.
Late afternoon: a view from a cable
Petra Balloon stands on Petra Balloon Street in Wadi Musa. It is a helium balloon held on a cable, rising to about 300 m with room for up to 30 passengers. The listed hours run from 6:00 am to 8:00 pm, and wind can stop it. Ask at the site about the fare, or check petraballoon.com . Because it stays tethered, it gives a view of the valley and not a drifting flight. Free-flight balloons are reported to fly at dawn over Wadi Rum instead.
Evening: dinner you cook, then a drink
Petra Kitchen teaches an evening class inside the Petra Boutique Hotel on Tourism Street, a few minutes’ walk from the Petra entrance. The fee is 35 JD per person, about 50 USD, and includes the lesson, the meal, non-alcoholic drinks and the recipes. The class starts at 6:30 pm from March to October and at 6:00 pm from November to February. Seating is limited, so reserve through petrakitchen.com . The menu can include hummus, baba ghanoush and makloubeh.
Afterwards, the Cave Bar at the Petra Guest House Hotel is a few steps from the gate and sits in an original Nabataean tomb. It is open daily from 2:00 pm until midnight, later on busy summer nights, and it says it is the oldest bar in the world. It serves drinks and is not a restaurant, so eat first. It stands outside the archaeological park. Details are at petraguesthousehotel.com .
What the town does not have
The town lies high in arid hills, at roughly 1,050 to 1,150 m. It has no rivers, lakes, beaches, waterfalls or hot springs, and no rafting or scuba. For water, go to Aqaba on the Red Sea, about two hours south. If you dive there, wait at least 12 hours after a single dive before driving up to Petra, and longer after repeat dives.
Fitting it around the park
Petra itself closes between about 4:00 and 6:00 pm depending on the season, so most of the items above suit the hours after you leave the ruins. For the park, read more: Petra sightseeing in Wadi Musa and walking trails . For a ready-made plan, see the Petra 2 day itinerary .
To compare listed experiences, browse Viator things to do in Wadi Musa .