Most visitors to Petra enter through the main gate, following a path that gradually drops into a narrow slot canyon called the Siq. Eventually the Siq's rock walls give way to Petra's iconic masterpiece, the ornate Treasury—and it will take your breath away.  

Look up as you walk because the Nabateans who created Petra carved almost every available rock surface. These tombs are eroded yet still beautiful, especially in the late afternoon sun on the one-mile stroll between the Treasury and the main gate.  

Petra was created by the Nabateans, but was also inhabited by Romans and Crusaders, among others, and finally Bedouins. This wide Roman road, Cardo Maximus, was once was lined with graceful columns. Here it is facing the East Cliff with its Royal Tombs.  

There's no lack of camels in Jordan, and Petra is no exception. Drivers and their camels are found along the main drag from the Treasury, past the Theater, and beyond. Tourists can pay for a ride.  

Stay on the valley floor and you'll miss an amazing part of Petra—the Monastery and views 800 steps up from the main city. Walking is the best way to preserve the ancient steps, but if you can't, ride a donkey to the top (for a price, of course).  

A few miles north of Petra is Little Petra, well worth a visit. Little Petra is in the land of the Ammareen people, and there is a campsite across from it that should be considered by those who want to hike the back way into Petra.  

Although it doesn't have the same grand scale of facades as Petra, Little Petra has its own charm. It is a quieter and more natural setting, there are intriguing carved stairs leading up and around the hills, and there are more accessible interiors to explore.  

As you walk into the second wide-open area, you'll see steep steps on the left that lead to the beautiful Painted House, with one of the very few Nabatean painted interiors to survive all the centuries. A winged Cupid is among the images still visible.  

If you're a hiker, consider walking through the starkly beautiful terrain—up and down steps, along high ridges, through occasional groves of trees—to the back entrance of Petra. It's imperative to have a guide, one who knows this land and the not-always-obvious trail.  

Almost every part of the nearly five-mile hike to the back entrance is filled with astonishing sights. Among them is this small cave at the side of the path where the rich palette of the sandstone sets the stage for what is to come in Petra itself.  

After all the ups and downs, the sun and heat and sweat, hikers round a corner and come face to face with the Monastery. It's arguably the most impressive and powerful façade in all of Petra, not for the intricacies of its carvings but for its staggering grandness.