Petra Monastery – 8 Tips to Climb the 800 Steps

Petra Monastery is a magnificent sight, standing atop the stone city of Petra, one of the greatest must-see’s of the Middle East and, in fact, the world. What fascinates me the most about this ancient Nabatean city carved into the mountains of central Jordan, is not the fact that it was built in the first place, but that it was forgotten about for hundreds of years.

Then, fortunately, it was rediscovered by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812. I cannot begin to imagine what this man must have thought and felt after traveling the long distance through narrow rocky cliffs and seeing the awesome sight of the enormous building called the Treasury carved into the mountain facing him.

But as awesome as the Treasury is, it wasn’t my favorite spot in Petra when I was working and traveling the world. The Monastery is just as stunning, although not nearly as famous. Why is the Petra Monastery less popular than the Treasury? Largely because it stands at the top of 800 steps carved into a mountain.

Yes, you must climb 800 naturally formed rock steps in order to see the Monastery at Petra. Majdi, my guide in Jordan, told me about the steps and asked if I wanted to climb them. Of course, I said. After all, this past summer I had climbed Mt. Sinai in the middle while working and traveling through Egypt, a journey which took over two nearly non-stop hours. I could handle 800 steps easily, I thought.

I found out the hard way that climbing 800 rock steps is a just little more challenging than walking up the entire face of a mountain. The approximately 45-minute climb up to the Petra Monastery was very difficult, and I even had to stop a couple of times to rest. When I heard a woman climbing atop a Bedouin-led donkey partway up the mountain exclaiming I had no idea it was this hard, I knew I wasn’t alone.

It may have been far harder than I’d anticipated, but I made it to the top of the 800 steps and I got to see the Monastery at Petra. If you’re interested in doing this too, here are 8 tips to help you make the hike.

Petra Monastery – 8 Tips for Climbing the 800 Steps

1. Realize that your only three options for getting to the top are climbing, riding a Bedouin-led donkey or a combination of the two
2. Get a good night’s sleep beforehand. This is a serious climb and requires adequate rest.
3. Bring a minimum of one bottle of water, whatever the temperature outside.
4. Bring a snack. It takes about 45 minutes to get to the top and 30 or 45 minutes to get back down, and then you’ll probably want to spend a minimum of 30 minutes looking around the Monastery and surrounding area. You might need something to replenish your energy.
5. Wear comfortable shoes with good tread. The rocks can be slippery, especially coming down.
6. Wear a hat. There is very little shade along the way and you will need to see as well as possible while you’re climbing.
7.  Make sure your phone and/or camera are fully charged. You’re going to want to take plenty of photos.
8. Give yourself time to spend a minimum of half an hour once you reach the top. This is one of the ancient wonders of the world, it is very photogenic as well as quite large, so give yourself plenty of time to enjoy it!

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Treasury photo by: Simon Goetz

Sabina Lohr

Sabina Lohr is a lifelong freelancer turned entrepreneur who created World of Freelancers to help others discover how to work for themselves online and live the freelance lifestyle. She’s always really enjoyed the freedom that freelancing brings, including several years on and off of working online while traveling and living abroad.

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