For camping inside Petra proper, write to the Minister of Antiquities in Amman (Dept. of Antiquities, P.O. Box 88, Amman, Jordan) at least three weeks ahead of time for a permit. Although you’ll probably never be found if you illegally hole yourself up in one of Petra’s vacant caves, security has been tighter in recent years. Explaining your story to Jordanian police could turn you pinker than the ruins.

The Rest House Restaurant is worth a visit only because it was built into one of Petra’s Nabatean tombs; have a drink in the tomb’s lively inner chamber-cum-bar. In the separate eatery, a filling meal costs JD3.850 (both open until 1 lpm daily). The Rest House has a brand-new restaurant. About JD2.500 gets you a tasty meal at the Sunset Hotel, and at the New Petra Restaurant, adjoining the Al-Anbat Hotel, you can get grilled meat and salad for JD2.5OO or a breakfast of eggs, hummus, and tea for JD1.250- The only place to grab a bite in Petra itself is a small and expensive sandwich shop below the museum.