If you feel courageous, want to avoid the crowds and get an idea of the size of Petra, he High Place of Sacrifice is where you want to go. Plus you'll discover some less visited monuments by walking back down through Wadi al-Farasa.
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INFO & PLANNING TIPS - High Place of Sacrifice
The high place of sacrifice is a high central point in Petra. There is no significant ruin but the view of the landscape and of Petra are stunning.
TIPS FOR TRAVEL PLANNING ADDICTS - High Place of Sacrifice
Getting to the High Place of Sacrifice
3 options to reach this high point in the middle of Petra:
- via a stairy path starting at the street of facades
- via wadi-al-Farasa starting accross from the Royal tombs
- Off the beaten track at the end of the Madras trail
Visiting High Place of Sacrifice
- Plan 1 to 2 hours to get up there (depending on your fitness level) and 15min to 1/2 hour to enjoy the view
- More info and planning tips on my detailed guide to help you plan your visit to Petra
- I enjoyed the view and the discovery of the size of Petra, however, if you are limited with time, I would recommend climbing to the Monastery rather than climbing to the High Place of sacrifice.
The view from the High Place of Sacrifice
There is not much to see at the high place of sacrifice, just some features that were used for the sacrifice but the interest of doing yet another hike is the view from up there: the mountains, the valleys and some of Petra’s features can be observed
This is at that time that I realized just how much tombs there was in Petra. Just going through the main path down you only see a very tiny section. But from here you can see them lined up against the rock walls. Plus with my binoculars I was able to discover many more.
Wadi al-Farasa
Wadi al-Farasa is a canyon behind the high place fo sacrifice that takes you to other monuments. This path is less touristy and very enjoyable with narrow section, stairs and wider paths. Features and monuments include the Lion Fountain, the Garden Temple and the Renaissance tomb.
We sometimes are very closed to the cut rock, admiring the display of colors, which gave me some nice breaks from the stairs that were hurting my calves:
Wadi al-Farasa: the Garden temple complex
The garden temple is not as nicely carved as other monuments in Petra, but it is allowed to get inside providing a new perspective on those structures.
Wadi al-Farasa: The Renaissance Tomb
At the bottom of Wadi al-Farasa is the Renaissance tomb, a clean and tall facade full of colors.
Blooming in Petra
As I exited wadi al-Farasa, more facades appeared and I was lucky that the flowers were blooming. The mixes of pink were hypnothizing.
Want to see MORE of JORDAN?
Discover more things to do with planning information and photos in my online Jordan Travel Guide.
Would you climb the hundreds of steps for that view?
Very detailed information and nice pictures. Can I ask how much time did it take to complete this whole trail (ascent upto High Place and then descent via Wadi al Farasa)? Is it doable without a guide?
Hi Indrashis
It is absolutely doable without a guide. I had one because I combined it with the Madras trail.
But otherwise just find the staircase up and follow the path
Since I combined it with the Madras trail I can’t really tell you how long it took me. I would think, for the whole loop, 2h30 to 4h depending on your level of fitness and love of photography.
Thank you very much 🙂 Looking forward to it in November.
Hello, I am finding such good and helpful information here. we are planning visit Petra on April 1-2,2019. I am not on that fit side. I still would like to visit all the important places in Petra. I can walk fine, can’t climb many steps. so I am thinking about getting on a mule for monastery. do you recommend that? we are planning to spend a day and a half in Petra. do you think it is doable?
thanks
With a day and a half you can see a lot.
Regarding the donkeys, you can. However when I visited, most young people mistreated them.
Hopefully they are better treated nowadays. Just check the animal seems well taken care of first.
Hi,
I am traveling to Jordan soon and will be visiting via Visa on arrival, my question was regarding the Binoculars , is it allowed during the immigration. Or will it create a problem because if it will do I don’t want to carry them.
Please let me know if you faced any problems when you carried them .
Hi
I personally never had any issue with my binoculars through customs/immigration anywhere.
There are a few stories on the Internet about Jordan but they date back to 2015.