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Petra, Jordan: High place of sacrifice and down via wadi al-Farasa

Last updated on February 20, 2016 by Claire Robinson - this article contains affiliate links. If you purchase through them, I get a small commission (more)

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. 

Travel Guide Jordan - Plan your visit to the High place of Sacrifice and Wadi al Farasa in Petra

Navigate back to the complete Jordan Travel Guide


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.

360 view from high place of sacrifice, Petra
view of more tombs from high place of sacrifice, Petra 1
view of more tombs from high place of sacrifice, Petra 2

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:

colors of wadi al-Farasa, Petra
stairs of wadi al-Farasa, Petra

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.

Garden temple, wadi al-Farasa, Petra
Garden temple from inside, wadi al-Farasa, Petra

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.

Renaissance tomb, wadi al-Farasa, Petra

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.

Blooming flowers, wadi al-Farasa, Petra

Want to see MORE of JORDAN?

Discover more things to do with planning information and photos in my online Jordan Travel Guide.

PREVIOUS LOCATION: 

PETRA: LOWER ROAD

NEXT LOCATION: 

PETRA: OFF THE BEATEN TRACK

Jordan destination guide travel planning addict

Would you climb the hundreds of steps for that view?

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Indrashis Datta says

    October 10, 2017 at 8:41 PM

    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?

    Reply
    • Claire Robinson says

      October 10, 2017 at 10:42 PM

      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.

      Reply
      • Indrashis Datta says

        October 11, 2017 at 3:02 AM

        Thank you very much 🙂 Looking forward to it in November.

        Reply
  2. Lizy says

    February 1, 2019 at 6:01 PM

    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

    Reply
    • Claire, the Travel Planning Geek says

      February 1, 2019 at 8:55 PM

      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.

      Reply
  3. Muzaffar says

    March 10, 2019 at 7:20 PM

    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 .

    Reply
    • Claire, the Travel Planning Geek says

      March 11, 2019 at 9:41 PM

      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.

      Reply

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