• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

ZigZagonEarth

Plan unforgettable road trips!

  • FRANCE
    • CORSICA
    • NORMANDY
    • PARIS
  • EUROPE
    • ANDALUCIA
    • CANARY ISLANDS
    • CRETE
    • ICELAND
    • ICELAND WINTER
    • MADEIRA
    • MALLORCA
    • PORTUGAL
    • SANTORINI
    • SCOTLAND
    • SLOVENIA
  • REST OF WORLD
    • NEW ZEALAND
    • OMAN
  • TIPS
  • EBOOKS
  • SHOP
  • ABOUT

Sunsets over Petra, Jordan

Last updated on April 29, 2016 by Claire / this article contains affiliate links (Info)

I am a huge adorer of sunrises and sunsets. With 3 evenings in Petra, I knew I would have opportunities , and I started doing a lot of research on the best spots to watch sunset. Here is a summary of all the info I collected and my own pictures of sunset.

Travel Guide Jordan - watching sunset at Petra

Navigate back to the complete Jordan Travel Guide


WHERE TO WATCH SUNSET IN PETRA

So I did a lot of research before my trip and I learned that there is no interesting sunset or sunrise place within Petra itself. The tombs and other main sights are in a canyon, so not the best for light.

The only advice I found was that if you are at the Monastery late enough, the sun starts setting and the colors of the rock are giving it a different appearance. However I was in Petra in May, during some of the longest days of the year so I would have had to wait until quite late. Plus there was no toilet up there so I decided against.

I had also found that there is a municipal park in Wadi Musa (town where Petra is) where you can see the sun setting over the mountains which hide Petra. So I asked the hotel to find me a cab that could take me there, wait for me and take me back home. No problem.

TIPS FOR TRAVEL PLANNING ADDICTS - Sunset at Petra

Getting to the Wadi Musa Municipal park

  • The municipal park is along the road no 35 from Wadi Musa to Taybeh (where you find the Marriott and the Mövenpick Nabatean Castle).
  • Plan 10 to 15 min drive by car from the entrance of Petra.
  • You can also opt to watch it from the Marriott hotel further along the road

View from the Wadi Musa Park

I went to the municipal park twice and was surprise to find almost only locals and very few tourists both evenings. The location of the park is really perfect; 

View over Petra from Wadi Musa Park 1

You can see the road that leads to the Siq

View over Petra from Wadi Musa Park 2

You can even see the Siq from above which is quite impressive. I was in there, really? This looks so scary from here, so dark and narrow.


Sunset over Petra

But sadly, both nights I big clouds had set up just at the level of the mountains and hid the sunset.

I just got a few pictures before the sun disappeared behind the cloud.​

Sunset over Petra photo 2
Sunset over Petra photo 3

Scenic Petra area

As the sunet was not so spectacular I focused on the mountains changing colors. Those shapes are beautiful, the region is very scenic

The mountains to the south of Petra are composed of rocks of the Aqaba Granite Complex, cut through by a series of intrusive dikes and overlain by sandstones  The gorges were formed when the force of desert flash floods pushed through faults and fractures in the rock.

Petra mountains changing colors at sunset 1
Petra mountains changing colors at sunset 2

On the second evening there were even more clouds so no spectacular sunset…

Missed Sunset over 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: 

LITTLE PETRA

NEXT LOCATION: 

JORDAN DESERT CASTLES

Jordan destination guide travel planning addict

Do you always look for a place to watch sunset?

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Suhas Mahajan says

    September 19, 2016 at 7:21 AM

    Hi, thank you for the great tips to capture the sunset in Petra! What is the location of those two pics in the above “Sunset over Petra” section where the sun is setting behind the clouds? Is it the Wadi Musa Municiple Park?

    Reply
    • Claire Robinson says

      September 20, 2016 at 10:56 AM

      Hi Suhas. Yes they were taken from the Wadi Musa Park.
      Have a great trip!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search my ZigZags

Hi! I’m Claire

ZigZag On Earth photo

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

Footer

CONTACT ME

Search

Follow ZigZag on Facebook

Follow ZigZag on Pinterest

Website in French: ZigZagvoyages.fr

Website in German: ZigZagreisen.de

Website in Spanish: ZigZagviajes.com

And discover the French regions:

Normandielovers.fr

LoireLovers.fr

CorsicaLovers.fr

 

Privacy / Terms of Use / Disclosure Policies / Refund policy

Become an affiliate for the ZigZag road trip guides

As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. ZigZagOnEarth.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com, Amazon.uk and Amazon.ca

Copyright © 2023 ZigZag On Earth · Log in