Petra & Wadi Rum

The overview

Petra is far larger than the famous facade suggests — a whole city of tombs, temples and staircases spread across several valleys, best given two full days.

The Nabataeans carved Petra out of sandstone from around the fourth century BCE, building a trading capital with sophisticated water management in a place that receives almost no rain. The Siq — a 1.2km slot canyon — delivers you to the Treasury, but that is the entrance, not the site. Beyond it lie the Street of Facades, a Roman theatre, the Royal Tombs, and 800 steps up to the Monastery, which is bigger than the Treasury and far less crowded. Two hours south, Wadi Rum's granite and sandstone massifs rise out of red sand; Bedouin camps there run 4x4 tours, camel treks and scrambling routes. The two together make a compact, rewarding week.

Highlights

• The Siq walked before 7am
• The Monastery staircase and the viewpoints beyond it
• The back route in from Little Petra
• A night in a Wadi Rum camp
• Floating in the Dead Sea on the way north

Best seasons