The Siq is a hugely impressive and dramatic entrance into this fabled city, but there is a path less trod which is just as impressive and is worth considering on your second day at the site. It begins near Little Petra and involves a climb up the mountains that shield the city. You will need to be reasonably fit and have a head for heights! As well as the spectacular views of the ever-expanding horizon as you climb, your real reward comes as you approach the top. At first you can glimpse a strange, but obviously man-made carving poking above the skyline; as you walk further it slowly reveals itself to be The Monastery Tomb, towering above you. If you set off fairly early in the morning, you will reach The Monastery well before any of the crowds who have used the main entrance, giving you plenty of time to absorb the view, accompanied only by the local Bedouin.
