Petra Guides, Club Cars and the Night Show
Advisory as of October 2026. The 2026 conflict involving Iran has disrupted commercial flights across the region, and the US State Department currently marks Jordan Level 3 (“Reconsider Travel”), with Level 4 (“Do Not Travel”) along the Syrian and Iraqi borders and in a handful of named districts. The UK FCDO is narrower: it advises against travel only within 3 km of the Syrian border and carries no warning for Petra or Wadi Musa. Both places are open and running, yet flights may be cancelled or rerouted and advice can change without notice. Check the UK FCDO page and the US State Department page before booking, and once more before departure.
Petra needs no tour to enjoy, but a handful of official services make a visit easier or longer. This table gathers the rates published by the Petra authority and the Jordan Tourism Board, in Jordanian dinars (JD).
| Service | Rate |
|---|---|
| Visitor Center to Treasury club car | 15 JD one way, 25 JD return |
| Main Trail guide | 50 JD |
| Main Trail plus High Place of Sacrifice guide | 100 JD |
| Main Trail plus Monastery guide | 100 JD |
| Guided Al-Khubtha or guided Little Petra | 50 JD each |
| Back road 4x4 to the Monastery | 5 JD a person each way |
| Petra by Night | 30 JD a person |
Tickets first
Guests who spend at least one night in Jordan pay 50, 55 or 60 JD for one, two or three consecutive days. Visitors on a same-day crossing, for example from Eilat, pay 90 JD for one day. A Jordan Pass at 70, 75 or 80 JD covers the same one, two or three Petra days. Cash in JD or US dollars is the safe choice at the gate.
Club cars
The electric cars run daily between 7:00 am and 3:30 pm, and you cannot reserve a seat. They replaced the horse carriages in the Siq in 2021. The official fee table shows other legs too: Petra Theatre to Qasr al-Bint is 10 JD, and Qasr al-Bint to Abu Oleg is 5 JD. On foot the Treasury is about 2 km from the Visitor Center.
Guides and the back road
Hiring a guide is a choice, not a rule. For the Monastery, a shuttle leaves the Visitor Center for the Nabatean Cultural Village near Little Petra, and the 4x4 transfer continues from there. Have your Petra ticket ready for the Little Petra office. You still face roughly 800 steps once you arrive.
Petra by Night
Walks leave the Visitor Center from Sunday to Thursday, running 8:30 to 10:30 pm. Candles line the Siq, and a projection show plays on the Treasury facade. Children under 10 are free. Buy tickets in person on the day at the Petra by Night office in the Visitor Center, because online and advance sales are temporarily unavailable. A valid daytime ticket or Jordan Pass is required, and the night ticket is separate from both. Storms cancel evenings, so ask at the office first. See petrabynight.jo .
Balloon and Wadi Rum
The tethered balloon in Wadi Musa lifts passengers about 300 m and stays attached to its cable. Wadi Rum jeep tours are full-day outings from Wadi Musa, so agree the price before leaving.
Animal rides
Horses, donkeys, mules and camels carry visitors inside the park, and welfare groups have recorded overloading and beating. Reports describe handlers pressing hard for tips, sometimes 20 to 50 JD. The walk or a club car avoids the problem.
Book and read on
Compare guided options through Viator tours in Wadi Musa . For routes you can walk, read more: walking in Petra and family plans .