Passage To Petra

On her second visit to Jordan, Chaitali Patel revels in the magic of the country's spellbinding landscapes and extraordinary historical treasures

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THE FIRST TIME I laid eyes on the Treasury (padc.pdtra.gov.jo), the most famous of Petra's (visitpetra.jo) ancient buildings, was through an opening in a wind-smoothed canyon known as the Siq. Walking through the serpentine passage, just over a kilometre long, flanked by walls layered in red and pink stone, the sight of the Treasury was eagerly awaited-and it certainly lived up to the hype. Built by the Nabataeans almost 2,300 years ago, the Treasury is part of a vast collection of monuments across the region, each telling the story of the land and its ancient people.

On my second visit to Jordan, I joined a group trek from the Dana Biosphere Reserve (rscn.org.jo/reserve/1) to Petra—led by Experience Jordan Adventures (experiencejordan.com), a local operator offering curated treks. We covered 85 kilometres over five days, reaching the Treasury via a lesser-known backdoor entrance.

Getting Started

“Don’t worry, you'll be fine,” reassured our group leader Lama Hamdan, sensing my nerves about the challenging hike. Our diverse group of eight set off for different reasons; for me, beyond admiring archaeological treasures, it was to explore Jordan’s mysterious landscapes carved by the elements. Walking ancient Bedouin paths through rugged mountains seemed the perfect way to do so. The 675-kilometre Jordan Trail (jordantrail.org) was created to help visitors explore remote corners of the country, taking about 40 days to cross from Umm Qais in the north to Aqaba on the Red Sea.

Our starting point, the Dana Biosphere Reserve (