Hi! I'm wondering what the "touristy" level is in Petra compared to other Seven Wonders. I've been to Chichen Itza in Mexico and was overwhelmed with the amount of tourists that visit and the commercialization present there; I found it took away from the overall experience. For people who have been there, do you feel that the amount of tourists spoil the authenticity of the site? Or are there some places that you can experience alone with your fellow traveler? I know there are a lot of hagglers, but are they more concentrated in some areas over others?
1
buffybot_in_beirut
The good thing about Petra is it is so huge that tourists cannot be everywhere. It is similar to Angkor in that respect. Along the main road through the centre of the archaeological zone there are lots of visitors, plus the locals running businesses can be moderately pushy. But that gets better as soon as you head into the hills. The hike up to the Monastery is still busy, as is (to a lesser extent) the climb to the High Place of Sacrifice. However, on routes like the Walk Above The Treasury or the alternative route into Petra (Tunnel & Canyon) you are likely to have the place to yourself. Another thing to do is to linger at the far end of the main archaeological zone until dusk, by which time most visitors will have left, and then exit Petra. Authorities want everybody back in town by dark, but there is no sanction for leaving the site one or two hours after sunset. The outer walks are not signposted, so I suggest you get the Petra chapters from a couple of guidebooks plus a specific (archaeological) Petra guide and ideally a hiking guide like "Walking in Jordan". Pick up old, second-hand editions for a few $.
2
mvbergen
I'm agree with the advice of buffybot_in_beirut.
When you are leaving the main trail, you are alone.
Michel
3
king_elijah
Its a problem with all these sites really is that they are that awesome and are therefore popular attractions. However, it quite a large site and as others mentioned, if you get away from the main route you can somewhat get away from the touristyness (is that even a word?). I found it also helps to get there as early as possible so that you get to be in there with your thoughts a bit more before the day trippers arrive and to hang around as late as possible.
4
lucapal
Agree with #1.
I climbed up to the High place of Sacrifice in September (early morning) and we were the only people up there for about 30 minutes.We then descended on the far side,and agin..no-one around.We also visited some of the further out tombs,and they were pretty empty.
The main route at ground level,and the trek up to the monastery, are quite busy though....
5
lucapal
Compared to Chichen Itza,Petra is a lot busier and 'wilder'.....there are plenty of parts where you can be alone (or almost) if you want to be.
6
bluedanube
Agrre with the others.
I visited Petra in 2003 when visitor numbers were down due to the war in Irak. I guess it's the same situation now(relatively few visitors in Jordan) because of the ISIS threat. All in all now should be a great time to visit Petra, just be preparad for the astronomical entrance fee.
I think it's not so much the tourists which spoil the authenticity, but the "improvements" to the site, such as installing concrete steps on mountain trails and paving over the Siq, but it's only a small part if Petra, I hope it must be still pretty unspoilt overall.
7
amboye16
We visited very early in the morning (we waited at the ticket office when they opened). When we got to the The Treasury there were only two other tourists and we had a great, quite time there.
If you are interested in seeing pictures from our Jordan trip you are welcome to have a look here:
http://annemarieograsmus.blogspot.dk/2014/06/jordan.html
You can Google translate if you don't read Danish and want to know more.
Safe travels
Anne Marie
https://www.facebook.com/annemarieograsmus
8
lucapal
Compared to Chichen Itza,Petra is a lot busier and 'wilder'.....there are plenty of parts where you can be alone (or almost) if you want to be.
Error correction..I meant to write '' lot bigger''...not a lot busier.Quite the opposite.....
9
gibbru
I was there for 3 days last week. It is a good time to go as tourist numbers are down (but still busy in the middle of the day and especially on Fridays). Go early (6.30 am) and you will have some sites to yourself and won't have to dodge too many horse carriages walking down the Siq. The Monastery is well worth the climb (or 10JD return on a donkey) ... I am scared of heights but it wasn't at all scary and there are steps or flat bits all the way, no scrambling over rocks. Most hagglers are by the Treasury and close to the "City Centre" where you start up to the Monastery but once you say no once or twice they usually give up and don't harrass like some places
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