How to Spend 2 Days in Petra (Without a Tour)

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Before visiting Petra I scoured the internet for a detailed itinerary to guide me on my 2 days in Petra. Nada. At least, not with the info we wanted. Most visitors only have 1 or 2 days to see the park but it’s massive! It’s also inside a canyon which means lighting can be sketchy (photographically speaking) depending on the time of day. Now after visiting there are a few things we wish we would have done differently. So I’m creating a *perfect* 2-day itinerary for Petra that will walk you through the best times to see each site, the best trails to walk, and a really unique place to stay inside Petra for truly intrepid travelers. 

I also crafted a huge budget guide to save you money in Jordan.

Your Complete Guide to 2 days in Petra

Whether you’re coming from Amman or from Wadi Rum you’ll likely be on a bus (if you’re following my Jordan budget travel guide) and arrive in Wadi Musa (the town near Petra) sometime between mid-day & early afternoon. Either way, I don’t recommend entering Petra that same day. 

Instead, stay at Petra Cabin Hostel and grab dinner at Beit al-Barakah. The Japanese-style rooms (enclosed pods) are great and the owner is truly an example of Jordanian hospitality. The restaurant I recommend because you get free appetizers, tea, and dessert with your meal. And the portions are large enough to share. 

I also highly recommend booking a one-night stay at Feras Indians Jones Cave inside Petra. I’ll get into it more later, but if you do, this single experience will make your time in Petra your favorite memory of Jordan.  

!!!2024 Update!!! Unfortunately, the Jordanian government finally got fed up with the Bedouins inside Petra and began demolishing their cave homes and shops. This means that the Bedouin Cave Camping experience I describe above is no longer possible. I will update this post again if/when things change. I do recommend reaching out to Feras (the Bedouin whose contact I provide) to see if the situation has changed for your visit.

Things to Know About the Lost City of Petra

Before we dive into the itinerary, here are a few things you should know before spending 2 days in Petra

• Wear walking/hiking shoes, bring lots of water, and snacks if you can. Services in the park are limited and expensive.
• Bathrooms are very clean port-a-poddies scattered throughout the park.
• You’ll be pretty much constantly harassed to ride camels and donkeys, buy souvenirs and tea, and DEFINITELY to hike to one of the paid Instagram viewpoints above the Treasury when you first enter the park. The people offering these services are an indigenous nomadic group called the Bedouins. This is their only way to make an income. Try not to get too annoyed.
• You can climb and explore on your own all throughout the park— except for near the Treasury. Here you need a guide. This is because the Bedouins carved many of these trails themselves.

Now let’s dive into an hour-by-hour breakdown to maximize your time inside the park and help you figure out what your day is going to look like inside Petra.

Day One of Your 2 days in Petra

If you have a Jordan Pass (which you should) you’ll need to print your tickets at the visitor center ticket window at the entrance to Petra before proceeding to the main gate. Be sure to grab yourself a park map here!!

The Jordan Pass includes your entrance fee to Wadi Rum, Petra, and your Jordan Visa for a discounted price. This is the cheapest way to get entrance to the most popular Jordan sights. For 2 days in Petra you should buy the “explorers” pass.

6 AM Arrive at the Main Gate 

This is when the park opens. The early bird gets the worm. 

6:30 AM – 7:30 AM Experience the Treasury with no crowds.

It will take you about 30 minutes to walk from the entrance to the Treasury. Get there ASAP because this early morning hour is the only time you’ll get to witness the Treasury without crowds of people obstructing the view. 

While you’re here you’ll likely be approached about paying a guide to go to a viewpoint above the treasury. These are Bedouin trails and you can’t use them without the Bedouin people as guides. It costs anywhere from $10-20 JD. Skip this and head to the free view below instead. 

If you are staying at the cave (which I’ll assume you are for the purpose of this guide) you’ll meet your Bedouin guide here and he will take your bags. If you’re not, you won’t have bags. 

8 AM – 9 AM Hike Khombta Trail 

This trail is on your park map in green. The final stop on the trail is a free viewpoint inside a Bedouin tea house of the treasury from above. 

Although the viewpoint is technically free, it’s nice to purchase a drink here. You’ll probably need a $2 coffee at this point anyways. 

9 AM- 10 AM Enjoy Tea and Breakfast at Viewpoint 

Hang out at the cafe, enjoy the view, eat some snacks, and photograph the very adorable cats Tequila and Millie. 

10 AM See the Treasury in Sunlight 

This is the only time of day that the treasury is in full sunlight. It’s also the most crowded time down below, which is why I recommend photographing it from above. 

10:30 AM -11:30 AM Descend the Trail 

Head back down the way you came. 

11:30 AM – 1 PM Take a mid-day break at your cave. 

Or see if you can get tea from a Bedouin guide in a cave or hang in a cafe for lunch. This is the most crowded time in the park because all the tours have arrived. Also, the sunlight is the harshest now. Not ideal for photography.

We spent our afternoon at the cave taking a quick rest and they made us a little lunch. 

1 PM – 3 PM Enjoy Views of Ruins in the Sunlight. 

The afternoon light is here! This means many of the archeological sites on the main road are well lit. You can see a few, or if you are very zealous, all of the sites below. 

• Tombs
• Hall of Facades 
• Theatre 
• Slot Canyons 

3:30 PM- 5 PM Hike to the Monastery 

This is the most difficult hike in the park and actually does take some time. You could also pay a Bedouin for a mule ride if you are feeling low on time or you aren’t traveling on a tight budget. Expect about an hour to hour and a half of uphill hiking.

You’ll pass through lots of tea houses and shops along the way. 

5 PM Monastery in Golden Hour and Cheap Dinner at the Cafe 

or you can have dinner at the cave later– but it is more expensive! We chose to have a $4 JD sandwich here and then dinner later at the cave because Bedouins eat very late. 

This is the best time to see the monastery. This is why I don’t recommend going the back way from Little Petra to Petra to start today. This is what most bloggers recommend but I feel like you miss the “empty” times at most of the sites that way and end up having to share the ruins with hundreds of other people.

Because of the position of the Monastery and how just generally how far it is from the rest of the park, sunset is without a doubt the best time to go. 

This is also without a doubt the cheapest and best cafe in Petra. There are lots of snacks and drinks (including Gatorade). 

6 PM – 7:30 PM Watch the Best Sunset view From Point Behind Monastery 

Now, most people just see the monastery at golden hour and call it quits. But if you keep walking just 5 minutes up the trail toward the signs that say “view” you’ll reach a tea house perched on the edge of the cliffside overlooking layers of mountains in a stunning canyon. Most likely a group of Bedouins will be around to show you the way.

7:30 PM Walk back to your cave w/ a Bedouin guide (or have them escort you out of the park if you aren’t sleeping in Feras Cave) 

Technically, you can’t stay in the park past dark but there will undoubtedly be some Bedouins at the teahouse who will escort you out safely after dark. Either to your cave or out of the park entirely. 

You can read my thoughts on the Bedouins and how they run Petra here.

8 PM Dinner & Tea or Hangout at Cave until Bed 

It’s cave time. Now you get to lounge by the campfire inside the park and enjoy your cozy cave home. This was my favorite part of Petra.

You’ll get to stargaze and have the best night of sleep of your life. 

If you do dinner here it’s $15 JD per person. It’s a traditionally cooked Bedouin meal complete with lots of tea and shisha. I recommend waiting until Wadi Rum if you’re really on a budget, however. Breakfast at the cave on the other hand is only $5 JD.

Skip Petra at Night: I don’t recommend “Petra at Night” for a few reasons. It’s an extra 17 JD per person. And it’s essentially just for an Instagram photo. It’s super crowded, not peaceful, and only 3 days a week. 

Day Two of Your 2 days in Petra

If you only have a single day in the park you can easily just do my day one itinerary and cram in the High Place of Sacrifice trail (discussed below) into your “mid-day free time” on day one. It’s a lot for one day but technically possible. 

7:30 AM – 9 AM Wake Up 

Today is a sleep-in day because staying overnight in the cave is technically illegal. This means you can’t get up and wander about until around 8 AM to give you plausible deniability. Essentially, using the cover of other people in the park to seem like you had entered through the front gate like everyone else.

I promise it’s not sketchy at all and very commonly done so it’s nothing to worry about. Just something to know ahead of time. 

If you’re not sleeping in the cave, I would recommend walking the back way from Little Petra to the Monastery this morning. You’ll get to experience great views and no crowds. This will take most of the morning. But you can enjoy breakfast/lunch at the cheap Monastery cafe. Be warned, this is a long walk to start the day and you’ll also have to pay 20 JD for a taxi to get to the trail start at Little Petra if you don’t have a rental car. 

9 AM Bedouin Breakfast 

Enjoy a scenic cave-side breakfast for only 5 JD that consists of tea, zataar bread, pita, jams, olives, and cheese. 

10 AM – 3 PM Explore Areas of the Park you missed yesterday or relax 

Today, you can take it easy inside Petra. Or you can visit any of the sights that you missed yesterday. 

3 PM – 5 PM Hike to High Point of Sacrifice for Sunset 

This is one of the most popular hikes in the park and a relatively easy trail directly across from the tombs. Just follow the stairs to the top and use Maps.Me to navigate within the park. 

You can also take the Indiana Jones trail to another viewpoint of the treasury and then continue on to the high point if you are interested. 

5 PM – 6 PM Enjoy sunset tea with bedouins before you leave the park. 

It’s time for one last sunset. This is a great place to watch the sunset and have yet another cup of tea. Then you can head out of the park from the main entrance to give the treasury one last look. 

Keep in mind that if you’re heading to Wadi Rum there is only 1 minibus from Wadi Musa at 6 AM. This is why I recommend staying at Petra Cabin Hostel again tonight so you can have a comfortable full night’s rest just a quick 15-min walk from the bus stop. 

Be sure to check out all my travel guides to Jordan before your trip! 

Now you have it. That’s the 100% tried and true best 2-day itinerary in Petra for independent travelers. No need to book an expensive tour or scramble around trying to figure out the best sights and best times to see them. Feel free to reach out with questions while planning your Jordan trip at geena.truman@gmail.com. 

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