The not so official Jordan Trail from Dana to Petra day 5: through the backdoor of Petra

This is the last and final day of this trekking from Dana to Petra. The stage of today makes a semi-loop around the famous monestary of Petra. Instead of continuing to the archeological site of Petra we opted for getting back out of Petra. Maybe a bit silly, but when you've hiked for five days in absolute solitude the crowded Petra can feel depressing.

It's not a long way from our campsite to the so-called backdoor of Petra. Take into account that you need to have an access ticket to pass the gate here. You can't buy a ticket here so you need to carry a ticket or Jordan pass with you in order to enter Petra. Although this is called the backdoor of Petra there are still plenty of people on this path. This ascent is an easier way to reach the monestary of Petra than taking the 800 steps at the main site of Petra, but nonetheless the ascent of more than 200 meters can be tiresome sometimes.

Far away I see the monestary appearing and I must admit I was not really impressed with the building. The monestary is carved out of the rocks, but it didn't strike me as world class architecture. But the building is certainly the biggest attraction of the hike of today. After I take plenty of time for admiring the monestary I start the descent on the very crowded stairs, but instead of going to the main site of Petra we take a small path that is leading us out of Petra. If you don't want to pay for a ticket of Petra it's also possible to take this route the other way around in order to get into Petra. It's just a tip...

When getting out of Petra I see the many caves where not so long ago a lot of Bedouin lived, but are now chased away by the Jordanian gouvernment. Our trail guide was also born here, but is now living somewhere else. The burning sun makes this hike a lot more difficult, while it's in fact not so difficult. When leaving the former living quarters of the Bedouin I follow a beautiful semi-canyon and it's one of the more beautiful parts of this trekking.

The ending of the stage feels a bit lacklustre as it mostly goes through open plains filled with rocks. Not exactly an example of varied landscapes. In the end two mini-buses are waiting for our group to pick us up and to celebrate the end of this trekking. Just for your information: although I wasn't particularly impressed by the monestary, the main site of Petra is quite amazing.