To go to the monastery on the opposite side of Petra, you'll need to climb quite a bit. Most tourists frequently overlook this. I paid a mule to carry me up to the monastery, and I made my way back on foot thereafter.

Hike was challenging but not impossible by any means. Go early to avoid crowds and heat. It's worth getting up early! There are multiple spots for the best view of the Monastery once you arrive so be sure to walk around.

Wonderful trip with a fantastic guide. Kareem took good care of us, and even hosted a watermelon and cardamom coffee tea party for us. If you do not have time for a longer tour, the one day trip is worth it!

We took the back trail and it was gruelling in the heat but so worth it . You would want to be fit and hydrated ! We enjoyed monastery so much more than treasury area of Petra it was not as over run with aggressive hawkers pushing mule rides and selling wares . Defo recommend taking the walk to monastery from Petra or taking a bus to start of monastery trail from little Petra which again was way better than main Petra , either way do it as it’s worth seeing .

Hiking to the Monastery is a great experience. It's not easy, but it's so worth it. The impressive facade of The Monastery resembles the Treasury, but it's not nearly as ornate. The hike is a total of about 4 miles from the Treasury and about 900 steps going uphill from the cafe. Make sure to have enough water and take your time.

Instead of walking from the Treasury to this attraction, I learned from my hotel to try Option B, starting at the Little Petra, passing this attraction plus other sites, then reaching the Treasury again. The shuttle service from the Visitors Center to Little Petra is free. It took about 15-20 minutes to reach it. Then we transferred to a 4x4 truck to reach the area where the hiking to the Monastery begins. Very bumpy ride in the 4x4 truck! Fee for the truck is 5 dinars per person. The hike to the Monastery was long and tricky. There are many steps to climb as we hiked along the canyons sides. Noted some stocks of stones that are used as guides for the route to the Monastery. I took my time doing this hike. Most of the time I had the paths to myself, the others would join me, then they passed me by. Periodically I stopped to rest and take some beautiful pictures along the way. Benefits of this route: Lesss crowd, no pesky peddlers offering you camel rides, route to the Treasury from this attraction is DOWNHILL instead of uphill.

Its a long walk up to the Monastery but its worth the view. It's a tough climb if you are not mobile. I do not recommend you take the donkeys, I found it quite upset watching then being forced to climb the steps and I can't imagine how scary it would be riding one up let alone down. I recommend you go up to the view point for a drink to reward yourselves

When you visit Petra you will see the famous treasury featured inn travel ads. Once you are here, however, you will discover how very very large the grounds are. If you choose to see the Monastery be prepared for an difficult and long hike uphill to get there.

Absolutely loved the experience climbing the ancient rock steps. Had to give way to a herd of goats on the way up. We went in the afternoon which was a blessing to be in the shade most of the way up. It did take 40 minutes of hard yakka, but was so so worth the vision of Al- Deir.

The Monastery is absolutely spectacular. The scale of the site is incredible. We hiked in on the back trail to the Monastery (starting with a shuttle from Little Petra) and then continued through the main complex, taking in the Royal Tombs and the Treasury before winding our way back out As Siq and on to Petra town. The whole walk took about four hours. There are lots of uneven steps and decent footwear is a must.