Hike the Extraordinary Al-Khubtha Trail in Petra

One of my favourite days spent at Petra was climbing the Al-Khubtha Trail. It begins at a staircase behind the Royal Tombs and goes ever upwards. There are two magnificent viewpoints that are the goal. Hike the extraordinary Al-Khubtha Trail in Petra and let this be your highlight.

Please Note

It is suggested that you have a guide for this trail. There are parts that are difficult to navigate simply because the ‘trail’ dissipates and you are left with no direction. This was especially poignant during my visit, as there were simply so few tourists. At most times during this hike, I could not see a single other human, let alone use them as a guide forward.

It is my understanding that the guides will be milling around the start of the hike. You settle on a price and leave with them. With virtually no tourists here now, there simply are no guides to be had.

Beginning

Quite early on, you will enter through a manned gate. Here the trail is easily recognizable and visitors will be climbing stairs that have been carved from the limestone. There are multiple small plateaus to pause and catch your breath.

Take in the views when ever you can. It is amazing how much altitude you gain and quickly.

Theatre Viewpoint

After hiking upwards for roughly 40 minutes, giving lots of breaks for photo ops, one reaches the first destination. This viewpoint is of the Theatre and will take your breath away. From down on the ground the theatre appears large, but its difficult to get a real feel for it. Seating 8,500 people in its prime, it’s an absolute marvel to view from up above.

Also take in just how vast Petra is, see the colonnaded street, the Great Temple and the canyons that mark the beginning of the trek up to the Monastery at the far end. There is a guard posted here and it’s a great place to sit down and have a bite to eat, stretch out and let yourself become engulfed by your surroundings.

Central Section

This is where the trail gets sketchy. From the Theatre Viewpoint, hike down into a shallow depression of light-coloured rocks. After walking for a while, I came across a Bedouin tent surrounded by barbed wire. I was feeling a little lost and a male came forward and directed me down an embankment. I had to leap across their raw sewage and garbage, and carry on down and through the shallow ravine.

As I picked my way across the ground, I simply kept trying to spot recent shoe prints to let me know I was on some sort of path or trail. I was fortunate at this point, that I could see three tiny human figures in the distance up ahead, so I knew I was at least going in the right direction.

Treasury Viewpoint

Once you are through this area, you have essentially made it. What opens out before you, is truly spectacular. A view of the Treasury! Its absolutely glorious to see her from up high. With the wind whipping your hair around, standing on the edge of this enormously high elevation, the adrenaline flows.

Sit down and take it all in, you will experience a high so great. These feelings of accomplishment and awe I had at this place were amazing. There is also a resident guard here, that Bedouin tent? That is, I believe their resting place.

For the return, simply try and follow your tracks back. It feels amazing to make it back down, especially if you are as navigationally challenged as I am. 🤣 I felt very proud of myself. I hiked the Khubtha Trail on my last day visiting Petra. It was the perfect way to end this incredible journey for me. Petra is like no other place on earth. The ancient history combined with the spectacular natural surroundings is simply unmatched.