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In this article, we’re going to tell you everything you need to know to help you get the best photos of the treasury in Petra in 2025.
Petra is genuinely one of the most remarkable historic attractions that we have ever visited, and that is a big claim because we have traveled to over 60 countries. It is not an accident that the treasury is considered one of the wonders of the world and it is also a UNESCO world heritage site.
As you may guess, getting epic photos of the treasury is not as straightforward as it may sound. Whether you are wanting to get a superlative selfie, a fun family shot, or some professional photography, this is a challenging environment, and getting a photo is not as easy as it sounds.
In this article, we’re going to share top tips and insights to help you get the best photos at the treasury in Jordan. Whether you are an Instagrammer who wants an amazing profile or you just want to keep some memories. We will help guide you through the best ways and places to get photos at the treasury.
Before you take any snaps you will need to get to Petra. Don’t miss our step-by-step guide on the BEST and Cheapest way to travel from Amman to Petra
Who are we, and why should you trust us?
We are The Backpacking Family. We’re a full-time travel family, and we have many years of experience working as professional of Travel Influencers. “Professional travel influencer”!? Isn’t that an oxymoron? Maybe. But we have done our share of professional photography and videography.
But the main reason to trust us is our experience of Petra. We visited the Treasury with our kids and really enjoyed photography. To get to grips we spent a lot of time getting familiar with the area and watching it through the day. We observed changes in the light conditions and the busyness, and we also spent some time looking into the best specific photo spots in the area around the treasury.
We’re super excited to share all of this first-hand research and experience with you to help you get your own superlative selfies. By the way. We’re under no delusion that our own photos are the best out there.
Our photography used to be about the superlative perfect shot. Now it’s just about capturing real moments with our kids.
ALSO don’t miss our in depth guide to Petra – everything you need to know to plan your visit
How do you prepare for amazing photography at the treasury?
A very important part of photography is careful preparation and planning. So, we thought we would share a quick checklist of things that you need to consider to prepare for photography at the treasury:
1 Plan Your Clothing
Consider your clothing. What type of aesthetic do you want? Are you looking to embrace the local culture, in which case we recommend visiting some of the Jordanian clothing shops? Or are you looking for something eye-catching, in which case we recommend bringing some bright, vibrant clothing? Alternatively, if you’re just looking for pure high-end photography, white always looks pro, especially in an arid location like the treasury. Remember that Jordan is very hot in the summer and very cold in the winter. So as well as aesthetics, you also need to consider the climate. Light and loose in the summer. Layer up in the winter.
TOP TIP: Brining a change of clothes or accessories and help create variety in your shots.
2 Grab a Head Scarf
We were all about the Jordan headscarf shots. You can buy a headscarf for as little as 3 JOD ($3 or $4) from the market stalls at the entrance to Petra. As always, remember to barter. The locals may also show you how to tie the headscarf properly. By the way, our own photography wardrobe is now limited to what we can carry in our backpack. As a family of 5, it’s pretty limited, so we have to get creative.
3 Plan your kit
We also recommend working out what equipment you plan to bring. If you’re looking at some more professional photography, you probably know exactly what you want to bring. But here are some helpful things. When we do our photography, our hands are usually full with our kids, so it is very helpful to have our tripod. We have also found that a remote control is very useful to operate the camera from a distance. We also recommend that you consider which lenses to bring; you can get some pretty epic shots at the treasury with a wide-angle lens.If you are using smaller devices like phones or GoPros, it can be very good to have a selfie stick at this location.
Also, if you’re planning to get some shots with a camel, the local camel owner may or may not be willing to help you with photography. We found some of the locals were very willing to help, and others less so. Therefore, they may help, but you can’t rely on this.
When is the best time to visit the treasury for photography?
If you’re looking for clean and clear professional photography without being photobombed by other tourists, then we highly recommend you arrive at the treasury as early as possible. The ticket office and the archaeological park open at 6:00 a.m. every day. It takes around 15 or 20 minutes to walk from the entrance to the treasury. The best time for treasury photography is between 6:00 a.m. and 8:00 a.m. when it is calm, cool, and quiet. What’s more, the lighting on the treasury is even at this time. The front of the treasury is not in direct sunlight at this time, but there is enough light for pro photography.
If you visit between 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m., the treasury may be cast in partial shadow, which can look very strange in photography. (This obviously varies throughout the year.) What’s more, after 8:00 a.m., this area starts to get busy, hot, and more intense.
If you are hoping to get a camel shot at the entrance to the treasury, you will need to wait until the first camels arrive. Some days this can be quite early, and on other days, it can be as late as 8:00 a.m.
Petra closes at 6:00 p.m. If you’re not able to make it early in the morning, you could also try some late afternoon photography.
If you are visiting Petra in the summer months from June to August, it is also worth recognizing that it gets intensely hot during the day, so we don’t recommend late morning or early afternoon photography in the summer.
What are the best photo spots at the treasury?
Here is a summary of the main photo spots at the treasury to help you navigate around the area. Imagine that you have just walked to the treasury down the canyon (Al Siq), and you are stood looking at the treasury in front of you:
1 Directly in front of the treasury
The most obvious and prominent spot for photography is the area directly in front of the treasury. You don’t want to be too close to the treasury because you will struggle to get the whole structure into your shots. However, if you are too far from the treasury, there is a greater risk of being photobombed by camels, dogs, and confused tourists.
This close up shot is angled up – a dramatic effect
Choosing your distance and camera angle is very important, and you will need to be quite patient if you are planning to do some photography in this area. If you want nice, clean, clear shots of the treasury, we do recommend arriving nice and early for this spot.
2 Small ledge to the right
As you are stood facing the treasury, if you turn back and to the right, you will see a small ledge. This is a small ledge located around 1m off the ground. It is fairly easy to climb onto this ledge, and you can get some nice shots back towards the treasury. This spot is normally quiet and people can’t really get in the way of your shots from here.
It can be quite hard to locate this photo spot, but we think it is worth finding: You need to walk towards the path up to the higher ledge viewpoint to see this small cliff ledge just on the right. Remember it is not high up the cliff, so this is a pretty safe spot for photography. It is worth recognizing that locals do leave donkeys, horses, and carts in the area.
3 Lower cliff viewpoint
There are also two cliff ledges located higher up the cliffs that look down onto the treasury. These cliff ledge viewpoints are the perfect spot for more impressive panoramic, breathtaking shots of the treasury. The lower of the two cliff viewpoints is located behind the shop and cafe area. You will see a sign and some steps leading up the cliff to this viewpoint. It is important to recognize that locals will try and charge you to enter the cliff viewpoints. We will discuss this more soon. Bear in mind that there are no handrails or safety fences at this viewpoint, so you really do need to take care. Your life is worth more than your selfie.
4 The High Cliff Viewpoint
This is the most classic and iconic view of the treasury in Petra. If you have researched the treasury on Instagram, you will almost certainly have seen many photos of this spot. To get to the High Cliff viewpoint, imagine that you were stood in front of the treasury, facing the main structure. Behind you and to the right, there is a small path that leads a steep rocky hill.
The path goes round to the right and loops back along a ledge until you reach the viewpoint. It is normally quite easy to spot this viewpoint, as there will be many people walking up this way. It is also important to recognize that there are no handrails or safety fences, so you really do need to take care. Just like the lower viewpoint, locals will try and charge you to enter.
The locals at the top ask for 1JOD (£1 or $1.20) and will give you a cup of black tea and sage.
What about entry fees to the viewpoints?
There are also a couple of viewpoints situated on the cliffs opposite the Treasury. However, the locals in the area are very intense and often will not allow people to walk up to the viewpoint without paying. We heard a range of prices from 5 JOD – 20 JOD to go to the viewpoints (£5 – £20 or $6 – $25).
Officially, locals shouldn’t charge for this, but they do. And they can be very intense too. If you are very calm, strong, and firm and insist you don’t need to pay, the locals may let you through. A friendly guide let us through without paying. This was just based on having a good rapport with him. We also saw one woman very firmly saying that she didn’t need to pay, and she was allowed through with some resistance from the locals.
How do you get “the classic” Treasury Camel shot?
Another classic treasury shot is the camel shot straight in front of the main structure. If you are hoping to get the camel shot, we recommend arriving nice and early before this area gets too busy. If you arrive first thing, there may not be camels straight away, but if you wait around a little while, the camels will invariably arrive. In order to get the camel shot, you will need to speak to one of the camel owners and negotiate a price for a photo shoot. We found that they generally charged around 2 – 3 JOD (£2 – £3 or $2.50 – $4).
Once you have agreed on the price, you should get a good 15 or 20 minutes of photography. Don’t feel pressured, take your time, and remember that many of your shots will probably have people behind you. So just keep trying and keep being patient. Some of the camel owners may also be able and willing to help you with photography. In other cases, you may need to operate your own camera.
If you’re paying to get the camel shot, we recommend taking a little time to speak to the camel owner about where to position the camel and make sure that you are happy with the shot. Camel owners may also be able to provide head scarfs and help you tie your own head scarf. They may also provide a mat for you to sit on next to the camel. They are normally happy to let people sit on a camel to pose.
Are the animals at the treasury well looked after?
There are plenty of animals around the treasury. The camels tend to be the best looked after. Camels are a valuable commodity in Jordan, and the camels in Petra spend a lot of time posing for photos in front of the main structure rather than doing rides. The camels seem to be reasonably well looked after and have a good life. However, horses and donkeys are used for transport in the area. The horses and donkeys did not seem to be very well looked after. They are generally overworked, and we even noticed wounds on some of the donkeys. It was very sad to see both donkeys and horses with their ribs showing. Horse rides and donkey rides around Petra are not ethical because these animals are not well looked after.
Are drones allowed in the treasury?
I wouldn’t mess with a sign that looks like that. Would you?
And finally, we wanted to say a word about drones. You may be wondering whether drones are allowed in Petra. Although this would be an amazing place for drone film and photography, unfortunately, drones are not allowed in this area. We would strongly advise against bringing a drone into Petra. It is also worth recognizing that the signal would be quite weak around these cliffs, so even if drones were allowed, we probably wouldn’t recommend flying in a crowded valley like this.
We have found the Insta360 camera to be an epic alternative to a drone, and Insta360 is totally allowed into Petra. The extendable invisible selfie stick and 360 lens create a dramatic impression, and it is almost better than the drone. So if you’re looking for those impressive drone-like shots, you may want to consider hooking yourself up with an Insta360. In our opinion, The Insta360 is one of the best action cameras for families, and you could get some amazing shots of Petra with an Insta360.
BEFORE YOU GO… don’t miss these stunning Luxury Hotels in Petra Jordan
