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Petra: al-Deir, the Monastery, 850 steps so worth it!

Last updated on May 19, 2019 By Claire, the Travel Planning Geek

One of the main monuments of Petra is the Monastery. After discovering the Siq, the Treasury and the Lower Street of Petra, if you are not too tired and hot, you can climb the 850 steps up to discover it. The place is well worth the effort! Below are some pictures to convince you and some info on the hike and its difficulty.

Travel Guide Jordan - Plan your visit to the Monastery in Petra

Navigate back to the complete Jordan Travel Guide


TIPS FOR TRAVEL PLANNING ADDICTS - the Monastery

What is the Monastery?

The Monastery, also called al-Deir is located 850 steps up from the lower road. It is a 48m high and 47m wide facade. Although not as decorated, it is very impressive.

Planning tips for the Monastery

  • Facilities: cafe and "recovery cave" but no toilets
  • See the section below for details of the climb - difficulty, time and advice
  • More info and planning tips on my detailed guide to help you plan your visit to Petra

The Climb to the Monastery

Al-Deir, alias the Monastery is the largest monument of Petra. Although very impressive, it is less known as more difficult to reach. Indeed, you need to climb roughly 850 steps to get the privilege to admire it. But it is worth it, and I am not the only one to say it.

So how difficult is the climb to the Monastery? Here is my experience:
I knew I wanted to see it and did a lot of research before to assess if I would be able to make it. I was really worried. I am overweight and not very fit so I looked up at reviews and websites talking about it. The result was that it was between 800 steps and 1000 according to different sites, that it would take 45 min and that a lot of pauses were recommended. My plan was the following: I took a lot of water, planned 2 hours for the climb to include a lot of pauses, started very early my visit of Petra to do the climb in the morning before the hottest hours of the day.

Some people use donkey to reach the top but I did not feel very safe at that idea and I read that some of them were not well treated.​

Climb to the Monastery, Petra photo 1
Climb to the Monastery, Petra photo 2
Climb to the Monastery, Petra photo 3

I will conquer it on foot! So I turned right past the restaurant accross the bridge and walked in the sand until the beginning of the steps.

My impression is that it was not as hard as I expected. I took me 50 minutes (from the Museum to the monument) and I personally counted roughly 850 steps. The stairs are steady and large enough, not slippery at all. The only time I was a bit scared was when crossing path with a Donkey. At that moment I pushed myself against the wall and not against the cliff:-) My knees started to ache after 350 steps so I was careful to well balance my climb.

Along the way a lot of women are selling jewelry, offering you some tea and encouraging you. I read a review from a woman who told one of the seller ‘later’ and then the women remembered when she went back on the way down and insisted that she take a look at her stand as she said she would. So I paid attention to just say no thank you in Arabic and was left alone.


The Monastery

The Treasury has this sense of mystery as it is in a small gorge. Although the Monastery does not have that, the effort to reach it makes it the best monument of all to my eyes! LOL. And check out the size of the people to get an idea of the scale of the building.

the Monastery, Petra photo 1
the Monastery, Petra photo 2

The Bar and Cave in front of the Monastery

the bar in front of Monastery, Petra

At the top there is a bar with a nice cave to relax. They serve fresh fruit juices which are excellent. For rehydratation, I recommend eating chips and drinking juice. I felt better in the blink of an eye! I had lunch and rested there during the hottest hour of the day admiring this beautiful place.

But be aware, there are no toilets up there and no place to hide!

view of the Monastery from the coffee shop, Petra
Monastery coffee shop relaxing cave

To the end of the world

After a while I decided to move on. There are 3 different view points that you can climb around here. Walking towards them gives interesting views of the Monastery and you can really realized how it is carved in the mountain.

The Monastery from the path to the end of the world
The top of the Monastery from the side, Petra

Some locals considered the view there to be the end of the world. But everyone knows it is in the town I grew up in: Sainte Adresse in France…

THe Monastery end of the world sign
Not really the end of the world

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: THE TREASURY

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PETRA: THE LOWER ROAD

Jordan destination guide travel planning addict

Do you think you are going to climb the steps?

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Chris says

    September 1, 2013 at 5:45 PM

    A great guide,not everyone is young and super fit.Great to know about toilets,and basic know how,good to see advise about pausing and your timings,
    many many thanks,a really helpful guide.

    Reply
    • ZZOE says

      September 2, 2013 at 8:35 AM

      Thanks Chris!
      I am glad you found it useful. It is true that most information we can find are for fit people.
      Enjoy your time in Petra!

      Reply
  2. Lakshmi says

    April 27, 2014 at 6:54 PM

    Really helpful thank you for sharing

    Reply
    • Claire Robinson says

      April 28, 2014 at 9:54 AM

      Thanks for your comment. I am glad you found it useful!

      Reply
  3. Melissa . says

    February 20, 2018 at 10:16 PM

    I am recovering from a sprained ankle and going in 10 days 🙁 Should I even attempt this? As hard as it will be to go up as I am not in great shape, that is not my main concern! I will wear hiking boots but they don’t really prevent you from turning your ankle. I was thinking of taking a donkey down but have read that it’s quite scary going down on the donkey and people fall off regularly. Would love your advice.

    Reply
    • Claire, the Travel Planning Geek says

      February 21, 2018 at 9:23 AM

      Hi Melissa
      I am sorry but I can’t give a medical opinion.
      I am not for using donkeys because many of them are not well taken care of.
      There is already a lot of walking and things to see until you reach the bottom of the staircase. So you can see once you arrive there, how your ankle feels after all that walking.
      I wish you a wonderful trip!

      Reply
  4. Alex says

    April 20, 2018 at 2:07 AM

    Bonjour Claire,
    Excellent job with this web site!! Compliments and many thanks!
    We’ll came to Petra for one full day in May with Desert Eco Tours. Two questions, if I may.
    Is the path from Museum to the Monastery well marked or you recommend to have a guide?
    We’ll be in Petra from 8:30 till 16:00. Not enough time for 2 climbs: the Monastery and the the High Place of Sacrifice, right?
    Best,
    Alex.

    Reply
    • Claire, the Travel Planning Geek says

      April 20, 2018 at 9:14 AM

      Thanks Alex
      The path is clear, not to worry.
      Even really fit, it would be a very tight schedule with the Siq + the bottom walk + both hikes up. You will already see a lot doing only the monastery.
      I wish you a wonderful trip!
      Claire

      Reply
  5. Mika says

    June 23, 2018 at 10:39 PM

    Thank you for the info on Petra. I was worried about the climb we will see how we I do tomorrow.

    Reply
  6. Hamda says

    July 12, 2018 at 7:10 AM

    I’m scared of heights , which trail would be best for me considering this ? Thank you for all the information.

    Reply
    • Claire, the Travel Planning Geek says

      July 13, 2018 at 3:58 PM

      Hi Hamda
      I think the monastery will be the best. At the top it is a large plateau so no issues when you are there and while climbing you can look on the rock side to avoid vertigo.
      The other hikes do not have large plateaus at the top, it will be cliff views everywhere.

      Reply
  7. Sue says

    September 15, 2018 at 2:28 PM

    We will be at Petra in a week with a tour group. Approximately how many hours do we need to alot from the Treasury………to the top of the Monastery…….and back to the Treasury I am fairly certain that we will have to break away from our tour group, but need to know time frames. Thank you for your wonderful info. I just can’t wait!

    Reply
    • Claire, the Travel Planning Geek says

      September 15, 2018 at 7:47 PM

      I think it took me around 1h30min from the Treasury to the top of the monastery, walking slowly and taking breaks. (50min sure for the climb from the museum, but for the rest I am not sure).
      There is also lots to see on the bottom roads from the Treasury.
      I wish you happy travels!

      Reply
  8. Sandra says

    May 19, 2019 at 8:20 AM

    Hello Claire! Thank you for the useful info!
    Could you advise how many different trails there are to get up to the top of the monastery ? And which would be the easiest trail for a non-athletic person coupled with a fear of heights? Also would taking the easiest trail mean that we would be missing out on a lot of different areas within Petra?

    Reply
    • Claire, the Travel Planning Geek says

      May 19, 2019 at 11:31 AM

      Hi Sandra
      From the main area of Petra, there is only one path, the one I describe in this article.
      You walk through the main road of Petra and then climb the 850 steps.
      There may be hiking routes crossing the crazy landscapes around but I don’t know about them.
      Have a great trip!

      Reply
  9. Paul says

    July 7, 2019 at 5:42 PM

    Excellent and informative article. Was in Petra last year and took the guided tour but did not have time to do the steps. Returning soon and plan to walk straight down and go up the monastry. Its a hard walk back up but im sure it will be worth it. Thanks again and ill let you know how I get on.

    Reply
    • Claire, the Travel Planning Geek says

      July 7, 2019 at 9:38 PM

      Glad you found it useful.
      Have a great trip!

      Reply
  10. Noreen Fenrich says

    August 1, 2019 at 12:35 AM

    What year did the restaurant and souvenir shops open

    Reply
  11. Janine says

    August 20, 2019 at 5:49 AM

    Great article, heading there in October from Australia
    I think my only hope of seeing the Monastery is by donkey, I’m thinking I should be able to walk down but I know I’m too unfit to walk up.
    The toilet thing worries me, are there plenty of toilets at the bottom?
    Thank you.

    Reply
    • Claire, the Travel Planning Geek says

      August 20, 2019 at 9:44 PM

      Hi Janine
      You still have time until October to practice a little. It is possible ! You just have to take your time and stop whenever you need. This can be a great goal to set for yourself 🙂
      I was worried about the toilets as well, but you sweat so much that it was OK at the top.
      There is no problem at the bottom – see my map of Petra is this article (where T are for toilets) – https://www.zigzagonearth.com/travel-tips-planning-your-trip-to-petra-jordan/
      I wish you a wonderful trip!
      Claire

      Reply
  12. Es says

    September 28, 2019 at 2:12 PM

    I was at the Monastery on September 22, 2019. There is now a toilet at the Monastery. Just ask the cafe vendor for the key. I did not use the toilet so I cannot say what condition it is in. I did notice people asking for the toilet key.

    I am 73 and only moderately fit. I rode the donkey ride up. No problem coming down with hiking sticks.

    Reply
    • Janine says

      September 28, 2019 at 3:03 PM

      Thanks Es
      I’m 52 and I think the donkey is going to be my friend.
      And it is reassuring to know there is a toilet up there, even if I don’t need to use it.
      Thanks heaps, only 2 weeks to go now.
      Janine

      Reply

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Hi! I’m Claire

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I am the Travel Planning Geek behind the ZigZag Travel Guides. My goal is to provide you with clear and practical information to help you plan unforgettable trips! Read more

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