Welcome to the next installment of my travel stories series. We visited the Lost City of Petra during our 10-day traverse through the country of Jordan. This iconic ancient site is one of the “New” 7 World Wonders and a huge bucketlist destination for many. Including ourselves. But surprisingly it wasn’t the otherworldly landscapes and incredible carved sandstone that made Petra our favorite destination in Jordan. It was the Bedouin people we met along the way.
Hefting our overstuffed backpack onto our shoulders we pushed past the swarms of people snapping photos at the base of the treasury. We barely glanced at the iconic temple, sweaty and out of breath from our hurried mile-long walk into the lost city we searched the crowd for our guide. Feras is a Bedouin. With kohl-rimmed eyes, a red checkered scarf wrapped around his hair, and brown robes— he certainly looks the part. Like a desert version of Captain Jack Sparrow. We have arranged to stay with him in his home, inside Petra, for the next 2 days. A roomy cave tucked into the largest mountain inside Petra Archeological Park.
!!!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 below 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.
The Complicated Relationship Between Petra & the Bedouins
Officially, the Bedouins were “removed” from Petra in 1985 when the park became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. But unofficially, illegally even, they are still here. 35-50 families remain in the 2,000+-year-old caves they have always called home. And why shouldn’t they? This was their land long before this land belonged to Jordan which only gained independence in 1945. Long before the lost city of Petra was “rediscovered” by a Swiss explorer in 1812. In fact, the Bedouins have roots in this region as far back as 300 BC.
That’s not to say I don’t understand the official government stance. I get it. The Bedouins are difficult to control. They have their own governments with each family or tribe being democratically run by a sheik or sultan. Currently, there are 6 in Petra. And the Jordanian government makes a massive amount of profit from Petra as a tourist attraction. They can’t have people living inside the park farming sheep and goats as they please. It would be very difficult to police. And I’ll bet the mass amount of money that the Bedouins make selling tea, traditional snacks, woven goods, and taking tourists on guided hikes through the trails they know like the back of their hand is a sore subject as well. Why get a government guide after all when you can have a Bedouin?
But you can’t just relocate an entire indigenous population. You can’t expect cave-dwelling nomads to accept free-government housing in a city (albeit small) when they have lived inside Petra for generations. Many, like the Bedouins who reside inside Petra today, are unwilling to give up their traditional way of life. So they haven’t. They returned to Petra.
And for a reason unknown to me, the government has seemingly left them alone. Mostly that is. Talk to any Bedouin and they’ll have stories of run-ins with the police. Jailed for “illegally” giving tours or taking mules where they aren’t allowed to go, or paying huge fines for leaving a truck that broke down in plain view of the tourists all night in Petra. But only when they venture into Wadi Musa town. No Bedouins are ever arrested inside Petra. The lost city is clearly theirs. Although there are government rangers and police in the park- they back off the moment a Bedouin gets involved.
Sleeping in a Traditional Cave Dwelling Inside the Lost City
Following Feras up the long dusty trail through the park we hefted our full backpacks ready for a full two days of exploring inside the world wonder. The cave was tucked into the back corner of the park. A few more dwellings could be seen carved into the mountainside. Shuttered by a thick metal door the pitch black room was equipped with thick colorful blankets, two full-size beds, and homey decorations.
We wouldn’t be sleeping alone in the empty wilderness. Instead, each evening over a campfire outside where we cooked dinner the Bedouins gathered and many slept in the cave-room next door. We ate on the floor with our hands and swapped travel stories. They recommended the best spots for sunset in the park. In the morning they served us a delicious breakfast with sweet halva (a crumbly sugary paste) and homemade bread.
I don’t know if it was the darkness of the cave, the quiet of the park, or simply our exhaustion after walking 10s of miles to the best viewpoints in Petra but it’s one of the best nights of sleep I’ve ever enjoyed.
Our Overnight Cave Stay Hiccup
On our first night in Petra, we did not know staying in the cave was illegal. I booked it on Airbnb for god’s sake. Our grand plan was to stay in the park with the hope of waking up at dawn to beat the crowds to the treasury.
A brilliant plan, except for the fact we weren’t allowed to be in the cave.
And when we walked to the treasury from the INSIDE of the park at 6 AM, it drew some attention from the guards. As I snapped photos of a completely empty treasury, Evan argued with the guard and attempted (poorly) to convince him we had actually walked all the way from little Petra and gone in the official back entrance instead of slept in the apparently illegal cave, like we did. The next thing we knew several Bedouins were by our side listening in.
A Bedouin named Muhammad asked me where we came from and when I told him we were with Feras- he began speaking in Arabic to the guard. Five minutes later the guard, after arguing with several Bedouins, handed back our passports and tickets and asked us when we were planning on leaving the park today. We said sunset, even though we had full intentions of staying in the cave again that night, with a little more discretion apparently. The guard told us to find him before we left the park that night so he could escort us out (spoiler: we didn’t), and he walked off.
The Bedouins assured us we wouldn’t have any more problems and if we wanted to get around outside park hours we should have one of them with us. Bedouin hospitality is a real thing, my friends. And the hierarchy in the park is clear.
Inside the Lost City of Petra
We spent, in total, 2 full days inside Petra. The historical sites and crumbling dramatic facades of the lost city are breathtaking. The monastery’s massive pillars glimmering in the golden light of sunset and the serene quiet of the Treasury at dawn (when you’re not being hassled by guards) are memories we will forever treasure.
But swapping stories with the Bedouins over a cave-campfire dinner takes the cake. They shared my golden rule of never trusting a taxi driver. They brewed the best tea in all of the Middle East. They gathered inside and sang made-up songs to the strummed tune of their Rababa. And it wasn’t for show. Even after we retired to our cozy cave room we could hear them smoking shisha and singing long into the night.
I don’t know how long the Bedouins will get to remain inside Petra. Or if they will ever be able to compromise with the Jordanian government. Now that farming inside Petra is banned most have moved into the tourism sector. Making money inside the park selling goods and services. Most visitors to the park probably see them as overly-enthusiastic touts eager to make a quick 20 JD by escorting tourists to the Instagram viewpoints. But that’s a cynical view. The reality is that for the Bedouin people, this is their only means to retain their cultural heritage and keep their cave-dwelling way of life alive.
Petra belongs to the Bedouins. And for now, you can visit them there.
How to Stay at the Cave Airbnb Yourself
You can book directly with Feras. Feel free to tell him I sent you.
& Fuck yes, I recommend you stay at his home. This is one of the coolest and most memorable attractions in Jordan. Since it’s perhaps not technically *totally* legal you are assuming some responsibility, but as long as you don’t wake up at the crack of dawn like we did you should encounter no problems.
WhatsApp Number: +962 7 7633 1628
Some other highlights of Petra included wandering into ancient temples carved from colorful swirling sandstone, hiking miles on dusty staircase trails carved into the mountainside, and sipping tea with Instagram famous cats high above the treasury. I coaxed camels in for head scratches and climbed to the crusader’s castle alongside a herd of goats- crossing an incredibly rickety wooden bridge along the way. We stargazed with nearly zero light pollution and probably drank about 50 cups of mint tea in total from a variety of scenic vistas overlooking the alien landscape.
We enjoyed our stay in the desert of Wadi Rum- but it doesn’t compare to our time in Petra. All thanks to the genuine hospitality of the Bedouins.
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