The hike descends 100 meters to the Petra Basin and then rises 370 Meters to the summit at 1270 meters. It is 11 kilometers one-way from the visitor center located in Wadi Musa, Jordan which is the easiest place to find and begin from. This requires 7 hours of hiking and you should be in good physical condition to attempt this journey. An entrance ticket is required to enter this area which is 1 JD for residents of Jordan and 50 JD for non-residents (as of 2012). Please do research before you go to ensure that this is not only a fun experience for you but also a safe one!
A slightly shorter route can be found from the city of B’doul outside of Petra, but this still requires you to present the full entrance ticket to Petra and it only saves you around 2 kilometers of hiking. With this option, park at the side entrance gate there below B’doul at the edge of the hill looking down into the Petra basin. There is an official entrance gate there with attendants. Sometimes you can catch a ride from a local Bedouin going to work like I did once and it can save your legs a bit more.
No matter which location you start your hike from, you must first buy a ticket from the visitor center area in Wadi Musa on the very day you will be hiking. They do not sell tickets ahead of time and they currently open at 6 AM. The earlier the better because in the warm months, the desert sun can be very harsh. Please be sure to bring plenty of water! If it’s your first time, I would recommend getting a guide as well who can save you plenty of steps by showing you the best trail. These guides are easily found in the city center or even cheaper below Umm Al-Biyara mountain or the Snake Monument on the way to Jebal Haroun. You can expect to pay around 20 JD there.
There are 3 trails up to the summit and to the tomb. One is gradual and long around the left of the mountain. The other is intermediate up the middle and the third is shortest but very steep and only marked by cairns (no trail). I would recommend ascending by the gradual or intermediate trails which are well-tread and only using the short trail for descent if you have a guide as the cairns are sometimes far apart.
Once you are at the tomb, the only way to enter the tomb proper is if you have a key. This is only available if you have a guide or if the Bedouin watch people have already come up to the summit. There is a tourist policeman and a Bedouin couple, Seriya and Mohammed, who oversea the tomb. However, I normally observe them getting there around 10 AM or later in the day.
The geocache is located at the same elevation as the lower floor of the actual tomb. From the tomb, walk 30 strides in a SE direction to get you on the right path towards a large boulder where the cache is located. It is the shape and size of a roll of film canister, clear in color.