Private Petra Back Trail Hike to the Monastery with Local Guide
Overview
Available languages
Mobile ticket
* Start your Petra adventure at the Petra Visitor Center and take the free 7 AM shuttle (earlier tours may need a JOD 15 taxi).
*Pass Little Petra and take the short truck transfer (JOD 5) to begin the scenic Back Trail, a quieter route ideal for families, seniors, and international travelers.
* Explore Petra with a licensed local guide, uncovering history, legends, and hidden gems not in guidebooks.
This private tour follows a gentle scenic route to the Monastery (Ad Deir), avoiding the long uphill climb while enjoying stunning desert views and Petra’s iconic landmarks.
Tour Highlights:
• Visit Petra’s Monastery via the Back Door
• Pass the Royal Tombs, Theatre, and finish at the Treasury
• Private licensed local guide
• Minimal walking, maximum sightseeing
• Ideal for families, seniors, and comfort-focused travelers
• Return through the Siq at your own pace or by golf cart
Perfect for visitors seeking maximum sights with minimal effort and an unforgettable Petra experience.
Additional Info
Service animals allowed
Not recommended for travelers with spinal injuries
Not recommended for pregnant travelers
Not recommended for travelers with poor cardiovascular health
Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
What To Expect
Monastery (Al Dayr)
**What to Expect** **The Scenic Back Approach:** Enjoy a 20-minute ride to Petra Heritage Village near Little Petra. The free shuttle runs every 30 minutes starting at 7:30 AM (earlier starts require a taxi costing 15 JD per car). From there, we take a local 4x4 to the trailhead (5 JD per person). **The Wilderness Hike:** Begin a spectacular trek toward the Monastery along dramatic mountain trails. * Experience wild landscapes and panoramic vistas over the Wadi Araba desert on a quiet path far from the crowds. *The Majestic Monastery (Ad Deir): ** Arrive at the breathtaking Monastery, one of Petra’s largest and most impressive rock-cut monuments, revealing itself at the end of the trail. * **Hidden Caves & Viewpoints: ** Explore Nabataean caves. Your guide will show you the best spots for photos, including the iconic shots framed by the cave opposite the monument.
After enjoying the Monastery and the surrounding, The tour will then take us down where we may have buffet lunch at the Basin restaurant or a bite somewhere else. Afterwards we will be seeing Qaser Albent and enjoy the views overlooking the colonnaded street and the great temple.
Options
Petra back door Private tour
Duration: 6 hours Petra back door tour: Petra Back Door Adventure – Private Tour to the Monastery
Secret Backdoor from Amman
Car / Van: For your comfort and convenience, the car size will be arranged according to the number of guests.
What‘s Included
Transportation, free WIFI, Botteld Water for the tour from Amman Option only
Guiding Fees
English Speaking Guide
Coffee and/or Tea
Gratuities
Animals Ride
Meals
4X4 truck ride to the stairs of the trail.
Any thing not mentioned in the inclusions
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Reviews
35 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
An unforgettable Petra Experience
WoorldVoyager,May 31, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00My husband and I are well past 60, I have asthma, and my knees are not as good as before but seeing Petra was one of my lifetime dream. I chose this tour, "Petra Back Trail Hike to Monastery with Private Guide," on viator.com after reading other positive reviews. I'm so glad I did. We were taken to the back entrance. From that location, there's over a 3 mile walk down to the Monastery via breathtaking sceneries. Our tour guide, Shaker Nawafleh, arranged mules to take my son and I down to the monastry. But as my husband refused to ride the mule, Shaker slowly and patiently walked down with him to the Monastery. The monastry is indeed a beautiful sight and we had refreshments at the Cafe there as we enjoyed the sight. After the monastry, we walked down a number of steps to a spot where we took an electronic buggy to the Treasury, all the while Shaker would stop to explain/describe what we were seeing. At one spot, we got off to get into a cave, so we could experience how cool cave dwelling was and we sat on rugs and drank tea. We continued our journey on another electric car to the treasury and took some amazing pictures. This was a well planned, perfectly executed tour by our highly knowledgeable, pleasant, and patient tour guide, Shaker. This tour and our tour guide Shaker is very highly recommended by me and my family.
Unforgettable & Amazing Experience
NinaR M,May 28, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00My husband and I are well past 60, I have asthma, and my knees are not as good as before but seeing Petra was one of my lifetime dream. I chose this tour after reading other elderly peoples positive reviews. I'm so glad I did. We were taken to the back entrance. From there there's over 3 miles walk to the Monastery. Our tour guide, Shaker Nawafleh, arranged mules to take my son and I down to the monastry. But my husband refused to ride the mule so Shaker slowly and patiently walked down with him to the Monastery. After the monastry, we walked down some steps then came to a spot where we took electronic buggy to the Treasury, all the while stopping to explain/describe what we are seeing. At one spot, we got off to get into a cave, so we could experience how cool cave dwelling was and we sat on rugs and was offered tea to drink. We continued our journey on the electric car to the treasury and took amazing pictures. A well planned, perfectly executed tour by a highly knowledgeable, pleasant, and patient tour guide. This tour is very highly recommended.
Disappointing tour
SeongHun K,Mar 9, 2026
- Review from Viator
2.00I am a little disappointed about the tour. I booked this tour because (1) I thought that navigating the back trail could be difficult and (2) as we have more time, we could have more time to learn about Petra and Nabataean kingdom. Well, the back trail is not that difficult to find and our guide was unfortunately not very engaging. He was actually on the phone talking to his wife more than half of the time on the trail. When I pointed out his unprofessionalism, he did stop talking to his wife, but then added "but there is nothing to explain!". Well, if that is the case, what is the point of the tour? The tour is supposed to last for 5-6 hours but we reached the treasury in 4 hours. I do think the backdoor trail is worth doing it, as the scenery is so beautiful, but I don't think you need a guide for this. Actually, I do think that the whole Petra can be explored without a tour guide if you study a little bit in advance or visit the Petra museum (free) near the visitor center. If you really want to do the guided tour, probably 3hr regular tour may be better as that one allows you to explore Royal Tombs, Roman Theater and other structures in more detail with the guide's detailed explanation. During the backdoor trail tour, you just walk past those structures without getting close to them, so it is difficult to fully appreciate them (and have less chance to get the explanation). Even though the tour itself was disappointing, Petra is definitely beautiful and fascinating!
Amazing tour
Rachel G,Feb 24, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00This tour is really amazing. Fahed is so knowledgeable but also manages to engage even reluctant teenagers. He was friendly and very helpful. Highly recommend this tour.
Petra back door with Ahmed
346majab,Feb 18, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We went on this back door experience and it was AMAZING! We’ve been lucky to have Ahmed as our guide. He arranged everything for us to make this experience memorable, he told us the whole history and made everything even more interesting. 6 hours passed by in no time, even teenagers listened with interest and we were all more than happy to choose this option. Ahmed showed us spots outside the path we wouln’t go see if we were alone and showed us a perfect spot for the best pictures. I definitely recommend this tour and especially our tour guide Ahmed.
Great experience. ...
Harry S,Feb 9, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Great experience. Certainly less walking, but still pretty strenuous. Get a Guide. Ali was great and very knolwdgeable.
Back door access to Petra
garymU9832DL,Jan 30, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We booked the back door tour which included transportation from our hotel to the trailhead for the hike to the Monastery. Our guide Hashim gave us the option to take a ride in a private taxi and a private 4x4 pickup truck to skip the wait for the public shuttle. This was good advice as we started the hike before everybody else arrived. Hashim was our guide for the entire tour that ended at the Treasury in Petra. He had a friendly demeanor, is patient, very knowledgeable and covered everything we saw in Petra in great depth. He also shared a lot about life in Jordan in general.
Wonderful organized guided tour of Petra
Samir P,Jan 1, 2026
- Review from Viator
5.00Great tour with wonderful guide.. walking through back entry of Petra with full adventures & scenic route, highly recommended.
An Unforgettable Entrance to Petra
96juanf,Dec 26, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00The Back Door Petra – Easy Access route was an excellent way to experience Petra. The hike was manageable and very rewarding, with breathtaking views along the way and a much quieter entrance compared to the main gate. Reaching the Monastery from this route was truly unforgettable. Everything was well organized, and the experience felt authentic and peaceful. Highly recommended for those who want to enjoy Petra away from the crowds.
Great way to see Petra with an excellent company
prasram,Dec 25, 2025
- Review from Tripadvisor
5.00We did the backdoor access tour in Nov as a family - with 10 year olds. I was a bit apprehensive initially as I had read it was a solid hike. Our kids regularly hike 4 miles of even terrain (this was about 7), but it turned out great, partly due to our guide. Jihad contacted me via whatsapp immediately after booking, answered all my questions patiently and provided excellent suggestions. He kept tabs during our stay and volunteered to help if we needed any. We started early in the morning to catch the 4x4 ride to the starting point. It costs 15JD, but definitely helps. The hike is elevated but gradual for the majority and not very strenuous. Our guide Anas grew up in the area and is very knowledgable. He provided excellent information, kept us at a comfortable pace and the kids entertained. We learnt a lot about the history, geology and culture from him. Highly recommend this tour and the company.
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