Visiting Petra: Tolerating a full 8 hours of constant harassment in the most spectacular place on earth.

The Animal Pushers Gathered Along the Street of Facades. Petra, Jordan — *The Animal Pushers Gathered Along the Street of Facades*

Petra: The Coolest Place on Earth

Petra is a deserving member of the “seven wonders of the modern world” and may be the most spectacular place on earth. If a more spectacular place exists, I can’t think of it now. It is truly remarkable. The swirling patterns of yellows, reds, oranges, whites, and blues of the sandstone walls and the magical narrow crevasse of the Siq are spectacular enough on their own to land Petra in the top 20 coolest places on earth. Add to that the remarkably well-preserved and massive rock carvings of the ancient Nabatean city that are amazingly abundant and mind-blowing and you have, quite possibly, the coolest place on earth. Over 2000 years ago, the Nabateans created an elaborate city with a plumbing system and a multitude of massive rock structures made by carving away the sandstone and creating enormous reliefs in the cliffs. Since most of the structures were carved into the rock, they were largely protected from the forces of erosion and are shockingly well-preserved. The city was later conquered and ruled by Romans and then the Byzantines, who each added a few of their own architectural touches. It slowly lost its metropolitan prominence around 700 AD and provided temporary homes to nomadic Bedouin tribes from there on out until it was “discovered” again in 1812 by a Swiss explorer. There are parts of Petra that still haven’t been fully excavated and countless ancient wonders reside within its tombs and rock carvings.

With all that amazingness in mind, it is hard to believe how visiting Petra could be as unpleasant as it was. You can imagine that it would take a lot to ruin such an amazing place, but, somehow, the people offering animal rides in Petra have managed to do it. From the moment you approach the ticket office until your last step off the plaza, you can expect near constant harassment from donkey drivers, camel owners, horsemen, carriage drivers, men and women hawking goods, adults trying to guide you, and children begging you for anything throughout every inch of the ancient site. The last three are pretty standard and easy to empathize with. The animal pushers, however, are a totally different breed of tourist torture. These people will not take “no” for an answer. A polite “no thank you” will not suffice. You will have to be outright rude to them to get them to leave you alone and you will have to say “no” upwards of 2,000 times during your day there. I am not exaggerating. To find enjoyment amidst the constant harassment, you will need a lot of resolve.

*The Obelisk Tomb Before You Reach the Siq. Your “free” Donkey Ride Would Cause You to Miss This First Tomb*

Our Journey through Petra: Dante’s Nine Circles of Hell

Entering the Gates of Petra

We began our day by buying our Petra tickets. We did not have the foresight to buy the Jordan Pass, which I would recommend for anyone visiting Jordan in the future. On the website, the information suggested that children under 15 were free. When we went to buy our tickets, which were $70.00 USD a piece, they told us that kids 12 and under were free. We told them the ages of our children (10, 12, and 14) and bought three tickets for Joey, Wilson, and me. We then made our way through the first round of hawkers of cheap Chinese-made goods (Note: almost nothing sold at Petra is made in Jordan as confirmed by our hotel owner), and walked to the entrance (about 200 yards away). The man taking tickets again asked the ages of our children. Upon telling him that Bailey was 12, he asked to see her passport. After looking at her passport, he insisted that she also needed a ticket and sent us back to the office to wait in line a second time to buy her ticket, despite the fact that the person selling tickets had just told us that she didn’t need a ticket. We begrudgingly complied. This really got things off to a bad start.

To be clear, I would have been happy to pay the outrageously high price to enter Petra if there was any evidence that my money was being spent to maintain the place. There was none. There were no official workers within Petra who could answer questions. There were TWO intact informational signs in all of Petra! All of the others had been so heavily vandalized that they were illegible. Nearly every amazing 2000 year old tomb was filled with trash and animal excrement is sprinkled everywhere. I’m not sure whose pockets are being filled with our $280 USD entrance fee, but I am sure it isn’t going towards maintaining the coolest place on earth.

The Siq at Petra

Despite a poor start to Petra, we were determined to keep our spirits up and trudged onward towards the Siq. The Siq is the narrow canyon that leads to the town of Petra and one of the reasons the Nabateans chose this spot for their ancient city. In order to get to the Siq from the entrance, you will have to walk along a stone path/road for about 15 minutes. It is an easy and quick walk and you will see the Doric columns and a few tombs along the way. This is the first place you will encounter the truly monstrous group of people determined to ruin Petra and your experience, the men with half dead domesticated animals that they will try to convince you that you need to ride for one reason or another. They will tell you that a horse ride from the entrance to the Siq is included in your ticket. If you take them up on the “free ride” on a nearly dead horse, they will then proceed to harass you and convince you that you are a horrible person responsible for their nearly dead animal if you do not tip them at least 10 JOD (14 USD).

When I realized that a kind “no thank you” was not going to get me anywhere with these people, I changed tactics. I switched to a slightly humorous tactic and initially the game of “thinking up new ways to say no” was a bit entertaining and had us all rolling with laughter. Upon being offered a horse ride, my go-to answer became “I’m scared of horses and would never ride one”. When offered a donkey ride, I answered, “I don’t like donkeys.” When offered a bottle of water I didn’t need, I answered “I’m American and we only drink soda.” This phase of dealing with the animal torturers was quite amusing and we kept it up for the first couple hours.

*A Donkey Tied to the Sign at the Start of the Hike to the High Place of Sacrifice. Note: Don’t follow the Arrow, Proceed up the Staircase immediately to the Left of the Sign*

From the Street of Facades to the High Place of Sacrifice down Wadi Farasa

After spending an hour attempting to marvel at the Treasury and Street of Facades while deflecting the animal pushers, we were able to escape their attention for about two hours by taking the strenuous path to the High Place of Sacrifice and then the Wadi Farasa trail which takes you through a less-travelled and beautiful part of Petra. You won’t escape the hawkers of cheap goods or the parents sending their youngest children to beg from you on this route, but these people tend to be less harsh, generally good natured, and can be politely refused. By the time we returned to the Main Street around midday, however, we were getting tired and hot and we were immediately assaulted with a whole new batch of harsh, aggressive men trying to get us to ride their animals. They wore us down at this point and we entered phase 3 of our approach which involved a slightly mean and empathic “NO!” Of course, many of them either ignored or didn’t pick up on our agitated state and required several other variations of “no” before leaving us alone. To escape our tormentors and the midday heat, we stopped for ice cream and cold drinks at the Basin Restaurant. This rejuvenated our bodies and our resolve. The drinks were cold, the coffee was espresso, not Nescafé, and we relaxed in the welcomed shade. We did not eat at the Basin, as we had packed our lunch. They offer the standard “international buffet” should you want to eat there.

*The Staircase Down into Wadi Farasa Near the Tomb of the Roman Soldier, Below the Lions Fountain*

A High Concentration of Pushers at the Monastery Trail

Upon stepping out of the restaurant, the assault immediately resumed as the start of the Monastery Trail is at the Basin Restaurant. We were forced to endure it as we explored the Qasr al bint and made our way along the Colonnade street back to explore the Royal Tombs and the Theater. As the day started to wind down and the tourists thinned out, many of the assaulters concluded their work day and the harassment waned a bit. As we stopped for one last look at the Treasury and paused for a moment of quiet contemplation at its magnificence before saying goodbye to Petra, we had one of our worst encounters with a camel owner. After the slight easing of the harassment in the late afternoon hours, I let my guard down and answered this man politely. This apparently fueled his enthusiasm as he thought he might have a chance at taking advantage of my kindness. After a few variations of “no thank you”, I finally looked him square in the eye and, with all the power of negativity I could summon, gave him an emphatic “NO”. He responded with “thanks for nothing” and angrily walked away. In this way, our goodbye to Petra was also tainted with human greed.

*Evening at the Treasury after the Crowd has Thinned*

A Evening Walk Up The Siq

Our walk out through the Siq was my favorite part of the day. We were completely alone for most of the walk and able to finally contemplate the beauty of the place in silence. It turns out, however, they weren’t done with us yet. The second we stepped out of the Siq, a congregation of about 20 offerers of “free rides” descended on us like a pack of hyenas. After I managed to deflect the first one with 3 different variations of “no,” a second immediately stepped in with his aggressive offerings. At this point, it became too much and I literally had the first public breakdown of my life. I screamed. Not at the top of my lungs, but loudly. It was just a non-directed, generic “Aaaaaa!” For one second, the chaos ceased and everyone literally went silent and stopped and looked at me. Since I had all their attention, I then yelled “We don’t want to ride any horses. We don’t want to ride any camels. And we don’t want to ride any donkeys!” Aside from one person who persisted a second longer, it actually worked. They left us alone. Then the comedic relief came when one last person approached us and asked “Would you want to ride a mule?” I had to hand it to him, it was hilarious. I declined one last time and we made the 15 minute walk to the exit where we had a welcomed cold drink at The Cave Bar.

A Breakdown of Frustrations in Petra

As a tourist, I consider myself a lucky guest of the locals. As such, I try to be reverent and respectful. I also try to understand why people behave the way they do and be tolerant of others, even if their behavior has a negative impact on me. I understand that the people make their living off tourists in Petra and this fuels their aggressive behavior. Normally I can politely decline and go on with my experience without being affected by the many individuals trying to make money off tourists, but, in Petra, it was different for a few reasons.

1. The men with the animals didn’t look impoverished. In fact, they were mostly well-dressed and healthy looking. When I later talked with the owner of our hotel, he said the men selling rides on animals in Petra are often rich and can make 1,000-3,000 JOD per day (1,400-4,200 USD), yet, their animals are in terrible shape and forced to carry heavy loads all day long.

2. The men with the animals were harsh, aggressive, and bordering on mean when I refused a ride. As a woman in a Muslim country, the weight of female oppression already weighs heavy. Add to that general feeling super aggressive men approaching you all day and it just doesn’t feel good.

*The Animal Pushers Laying in Ambush at the Exit from the Siq in the Evening. They are Who Finally Caused Wendi to Crack*

3. They use and rely on the moral conscience of the tourists to try and make the tourists feel like the poor conditions of the animals are somehow the tourists' fault. They constantly try to make you feel bad for not taking them up on their offers by playing on your conscience while they are the ones responsible for the poor condition of the animals, and the poor conditions of Petra. I found it infuriating.

What we liked at Petra:

*Classic View of the Treasury from the End of the Siq*

The Siq. This amazing narrow canyon was caused by a crack in the earth as a result of tectonic plate shifts and it is truly stunning. Along the way, you can see the evidence of the ancient water system of the Nabateans in the form of dams, cisterns, and pipes/channels for diverting water.
The Treasury. That first moment when you catch a glimpse of the Treasury through the narrow slit of the Siq is magical. I can’t imagine why anyone would take the back way into Petra, because this moment is where the magic is and it should not be missed. The Treasury (actually a tomb) is amazingly well preserved and perfection in architectural form. The only downside is that this area is a hot spot for the animal pushers, so beware.
The Royal tombs: The Palace Tomb is bigger than the Treasury and almost as impressive. It has the added benefit of being elevated and slightly off the beaten path, so you may be able to enjoy it without being harassed. It is also still open for exploration, so you can walk into its giant rooms and appreciate the scope of the project. The silk tomb and urn tomb are the two adjacent tombs and also great to walk inside and explore. Don’t forget to look up and see the swirling sandstone patterns partially blackened by the centuries of Bedouin fires. Don’t skip these.
The Wadi Farasa trail. We found some of the most beautiful rock formations and colors on this trail. It also offered a moment of relative peace away from the crowds and tourist harassers. At the end of the trail, it was a little difficult to figure out which of several common use paths to take. When in doubt, go right. If it wasn’t for the guidance of an absolutely angelic 5 year old girl with great English who joined us and led us to Qasr al bint, we would have gone quite far out of the way at this point. To be clear, she was also trying to get money from us, but she provided a real service and was so incredibly smart and heart-warming, that she was the only person we actually gave our money to in Petra.

*The Palace Tomb, Part of the Royal Tombs at Petra, Jordan*

What we didn’t like at Petra:

*The High Place of Sacrifice Where Blood is Collected and Channeled During Sacrifices*

The people trying to get you to ride an animal. Just in case I haven’t gotten my point across yet, the constant harassment from animal owners nearly ruined Petra.
The lack of signage. You either need a detailed guide book and lots of preparation or a guide to really take in Petra because there is no information on site; nothing about the Nabateans, nothing about their building practices, nothing educational at all.
The High Place of Ritual. I felt this was a little overplayed. The view was cool but I don't think it was worth the effort to get there. The kids would have been happier spending more time at the Royal tombs and less time walking up stairs. After expending all that energy on the trail to the High Place of Ritual, the kids didn’t have the stamina for the trail to the Monastery. As a result, we will likely never know if that hike would be worth it.
The Theater. The theater was fine but nothing too impressive.

*Gus Photo Bombing Wilson and Wendi at the Theater in Petra*

Should you visit Petra?

Petra is truly amazing. Despite all of this unpleasantness, I would still recommend seeing it if you are a lover of ancient ruins and beautiful sandstone cliffs. Just know what you will be dealing with and that your day will be filled with a lot of unpleasant encounters. I would personally only plan one day in Petra. We had tentatively planned to spend a second half day there but going back didn’t seem worth tolerating the harassment two days in a row and we changed our plans. We love Amman and were all ready to get back to Amman rather than enduring more tourist torture in Petra. I’m happy to have seen it once, but I can confidently say that I won’t be going back.

*Descending Down into Wadi Farasa with the Garden Temple in the Background*

Tips for visiting Petra

*Colorful Swirls in the Rock Look almost like a Painting*

If you are a woman, don’t go alone and do stick together as a group. Looking back, I think this was our biggest mistake. Whether we are hiking, exploring a new city, visiting a museum, or just out for a stroll, Joey tends to walk a lot faster than me and I am used to meandering behind him at my own pace while taking in all the sites. Because of this, all of the animal pushers saw me alone and approached me separately, after approaching Joey. Unfortunately, women just don’t get the same respect here and I think things would have gone a lot better if I had been with Joey the whole time. At least we would have only had to encounter each harasser once instead of twice as a family.
Don’t miss the last few hours of the day. The quietest and most magical moments of our day at Petra were between 5 and 6 PM. You have to be out by sunset and I would recommend soaking up as much of those last minutes as you can.
Don’t miss out on exploring the Royal Tombs. I felt these were underplayed by most guides. They are almost on par with the Treasury and the animal pushers can’t get to you as easily when exploring the Royal Tombs.
If you want some quieter time, take the Wadi Farasa trail to see some amazingly colorful sandstone cliffs. We packed a picnic and had lunch in a shady spot on the trail which was another highlight of the day.
Don’t trust anyone. At some point, a 6ish year old boy sneakily dropped a half empty water bottle beside Joey and then ran up to Joey pretending to return the water bottle Joey had dropped. All this was to get us to stop so that he could try to sell us something and make us feel like we owed him something for the favor. It was quite crafty and took us a second to figure out. One of the most disturbing things was to see these clearly very intelligent children being trained as con artists at such a young age.
Consider hiring a guide through a professional agency to take you through Petra. I had been told by people with first hand experience that there was good signage in Petra and a guide wasn’t essential. My guess is that things have gone downhill since then because there was basically no signage. If we hadn’t done our research beforehand, we would have had no idea what we were looking at. Additionally, it seemed like the animal pushers were less likely to approach groups with a guide.
Buy the Jordan Pass ($99 for 1 day in Petra, up to $113 for 3 days in Petra). When you combine the cost of your tourist visa and Petra, you recoup your costs without using it for anything else. It also works for many other monuments throughout Jordan.
Finally, please don’t ride the animals. If you do, you are supporting the people who mistreat these animals and trash Petra with animal waste.

The Lion Fountain on the Wadi Farasa Trail, Petra Jordan — *The Lion Fountain on the Wadi Farasa Trail*

Final Thoughts on Petra

I want to conclude by saying that we have loved Jordan as a country overall. Amman is surprisingly modern and feels a lot more diverse and open-minded than I expected. The mix of ancient and modern creates a beautiful canvas for life and the vast majority of people we have encountered have been very friendly and helpful. The sheer antiquity of the place makes it special and I love contemplating the fact that some of the earliest foundations of human civilization developed here. Petra was the exception to the rule in Jordan and the consequence of mismanagement or lack of management of an amazing and highly visited wonder of the world in an area that is otherwise resource poor. It reminded me a lot of the effects of tourism that we saw in Nepal and conjured up many of the same questions and internal dilemmas, the primary one being “am I making this place better or worse by visiting here?” The question remains unanswered.

*A Lone Donkey on the Street of Facades*

If you are going to visit, do your best to minimize your negative impact: bring your own water bottle with filter to avoid producing unnecessary plastic waste, always pack out all of your own trash, use as little water as possible while in the area, respect the monuments, and don’t support unethical treatment of animals and people. I hope that conditions in Petra improve and the efforts of action groups such as PETA, The Princess Alia Foundation, and Four Paws can lead to positive change, but I’m guessing little will change unless the government decides to take an active role. In the meantime, you better see Petra now if it’s on your bucket list because it ain’t getting any younger. Share your experience at Petra in the comments below.