Petra Tours and Tickets Compared
Advisory as of 31 October 2026. Jordan is feeling the effects of the wider 2026 regional conflict involving Iran, so travel plans can change quickly and flights may be disrupted. On the US State Department scale the whole country sits at Level 3, Reconsider Travel, while the borders with Syria and Iraq and a few named areas are at Level 4, Do Not Travel. At the time of writing the US has also named Ma’an city and parts of Ma’an Governorate on their own. The UK FCDO takes a narrower line: it advises against travel only within 3 km of the Syrian border and has no warning for Petra or Wadi Rum. Petra and Wadi Musa are open and operating. Please read the US advisory for Jordan and the UK advice for Jordan before you book and once more before you fly. What follows is written for a normal visit.
Pick the style of visit
Petra offers five ways to organize a day, and they combine well. Start by deciding how much walking you want, because the Main Trail alone is about 4 km each way.
With a licensed guide
Licensed PDTRA guides are booked at the Visitor Center on a per-group basis. The Main Trail is 50 JD, the Main Trail plus the High Place of Sacrifice is 100 JD, and the Main Trail plus the Monastery is also 100 JD. The Jordan Tourism Board lists 50 JD for a guided walk up Al-Khubtha and 50 JD for a guided visit to Little Petra. A group of four splits the main fee into small shares.
With wheels for the first stretch
Electric club cars connect the Visitor Center and the Treasury for 15 JD one way or 25 JD return. They run daily from 07:00 to 15:30, take no advance bookings and carry very young children free. Horse-drawn carriages left the Siq in 2021. Horses, donkeys, mules and camels still work in the park, and welfare groups report that they are overloaded. If you want one, agree the total fare before you start, or decline. Do not use a donkey on the Monastery steps.
After dark
Petra by Night costs 30 JD and runs on Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings from 8:30 to 10:30 PM. Children under 10 are free. To buy a ticket you must already hold a valid daytime Petra ticket or Jordan Pass, because the show is outside both. Buy in person at the Petra by Night office in the Visitor Center on the day of the show. The evening is cancelled in bad weather, so check with the office before you go. Visit petrabynight.jo .
Off the main trail
The Back Door route starts on the Little Petra side and ends at the Monastery. A valid Petra ticket is checked at the Little Petra office. Parts of the path are unmarked, so most visitors take a guide. An official 4x4 transfer, priced at about 5 JD per person each way, is the alternative to walking.
Indoors
The Petra Museum next to the Visitor Center is air-conditioned and included in the site fee. Opening hours should be checked when you arrive. Wadi Rum jeep tours belong to Aqaba Governorate, so ask the operator for the tariff.
Timing
Park hours run roughly 6:00 to 6:30 AM until 4 to 6 PM, depending on the season, and the Siq must never be entered in or after heavy rain. Read the Petra guide for more planning.
Read more: Sightseeing and Walking tours .
Find guided options on GetYourGuide .