Jordan
Petra in December
🌤️ Cool seasonCool and mostly dry.
🎒 Pack: warm jacket for evenings
Why December scores 8.4What goes into the score
How it works- Weather comfort8.2
- !Cool (13°C highs / 3°C lows)
- ✓Comfortable humidity (dew point 2.2°C)
- ✓Mostly dry (~41 mm rain)
- Air quality9.0
- ✓Good (within WHO guideline) (PM2.5 ~11 µg/m³)
- Seasonal hazards10.0
- ·No notable seasonal hazards
- Safety baseline5.0
- ·High caution
| Dec | Sep | |
|---|---|---|
| Score | 8.4 Very good | 9.3 Excellent |
| Season | 🌤️ Cool season | ☀️ Warm dry season |
| High / low | 13° / 3° | 28° / 14° |
| Rain | 41 mm | 0 mm |
| Humidity | dew pt 2° | dew pt 10° |
| PM2.5 | 11 µg/m³ | 9 µg/m³ |
Typical-month data: NASA POWER (MERRA-2 reanalysis) 2015–2024 (modelled, not a forecast). Temperatures: Petra weather-station normals. Rainfall: Petra weather-station normals (national met service).
Holidays & crowdsDecember 2026
No long holidaysNo long public-holiday weekends this month. School holidays aren't counted, so check those if you want to avoid family crowds.
Other public holidays: Christmas Day (25 Dec)
National holidays only; regional holidays and school breaks aren't included. Source: holidays (open-source public-holiday calendar).
Explore PetraEvents, sights, food & souvenirs
Check event dates locallyThe rock-cut capital of the ancient Nabataean kingdom in southern Jordan, with tombs and temples carved into rose-red sandstone cliffs.
No major events on our calendar for December.
Coming up later
Ramadan and Eid al-FitrDate variesIslamic lunar calendar — moves about 11 days earlier each year; around February to March in 2026–2027
The month of daytime fasting, ending with Eid celebrations.
Why go: Restaurant hours change; eating in public in daylight is frowned upon, though tourist sites stay open.
Where: Nationwide
Independence DayEvery year25 May every year
Jordan's national day marking independence in 1946.
Why go: Public holiday; expect domestic visitors at major sites.
Where: Nationwide
The Siq
A narrow, winding canyon over a kilometre long that leads into the city.
The Treasury (Al-Khazneh)
Petra's famous carved facade, revealed at the end of the Siq.
The Monastery (Ad Deir)
A huge carved facade reached by a climb of around 800 rock-cut steps.
💡 Climb in the morning or late afternoon to avoid the heat.
Royal Tombs
A row of large tomb facades carved into the mountainside.
High Place of Sacrifice
A hilltop ritual site reached by a steep trail, with views over the city.
Little Petra
A smaller Nabataean site a short drive north, usually less crowded.
Mansaf
Jordan's national dish of lamb cooked in fermented dried yoghurt and served over rice.
Maqluba
An upside-down dish of rice, meat and vegetables.
Zarb
Meat and vegetables cooked in a Bedouin underground oven.
💡 Camps in Wadi Rum and some Wadi Musa restaurants
Galayet bandora
Tomatoes cooked with olive oil, garlic and chilli.
Bedouin tea
Sweet black tea brewed with sage or other herbs.
Sand bottles
Bottles filled with layers of coloured sand arranged into designs.
Bedouin silver jewellery
Traditional silver pieces sold by local traders.
Dead Sea products
Mud and salt-based skincare from Jordan's Dead Sea.
Keffiyeh
The red-and-white checked Jordanian headscarf.