Petra - one day or two

Old Nov 22nd, 2009, 09:02 AM
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Petra - one day or two

I am currently working on an independent trip to Jordan. I plan on visiting Petra and I am unsure if I should spend two nights or three nights there. I would like to stay near the entrance to Petra (near the visitors centre) in Wadi Musa . Can the sight be seen properly in one day?

Also, is little Petra worthwhile?
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Old Nov 22nd, 2009, 10:13 AM
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I was there for three nights, and thought that was the minimum for a good visit. It really depends on how energetic you plan to be. Aside from the iconic view of the Treasury from the Sik, the best views require trekking up a bunch of steps. If you just want to see the Treasury and the Royal tombs, one day is plenty.

We went up to the High Place of Sacrifice, the Monastery, and a viewpoint behind the Royal Tombs. Aside from the Monastery, there were very few people around, and we ate picnic lunches at the High Place of Sacrifice and the viewpoint mostly alone.

Views on "Petra at night" are mixed, but I enjoyed the walk in by candlelight - you need to hang back so you are ahead of the avid photographers, and behind everyone else. It doesn't happen every night, so you need to pick the right days if you want to do it.

I didn't do Little Petra - the reports weren't especially encouraging, and I didn't have enough time.
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Old Nov 28th, 2009, 07:15 AM
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It all depends on your energy level. We did Petra pretty fully in one day, but we were definitely tuckered out by the end. Two days would allow for a slower pace. But if you are tight on time, one is definitely possible! Info and pics in our Petra post at http://patrinadoestheglobe.blogspot.com/
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Old Nov 28th, 2009, 11:02 AM
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We had one full day in Petra (with a guide) which was great for us and the next morning went to Little Petra on our way to Wadi Rum. We really enjoyed Little Petra - spent the whole time there alone with our guide which really added to our enjoyment.

Here's a link to our Jordan blog - scroll down for Petra/Little Petra commentary

http://lizandrichardsa.typepad.com/l..._adv/d_jordan/
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Old Nov 29th, 2009, 08:11 PM
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Hi
We returned from Petra after spent 3 nights there in the beginning of October. We enjoyed it very much and is really a site not to be missed. We also went to "Petra at Night". We did not enjoy it as the walk by candlelight is very dim and the walk itself is very uneven and felt the "entertainment" was not good either. Stayed at the Movenpick which is steps away from the entrance to Petra. After much walking you come to appreciate the convenience. The hotel is very nice with a professional staff, good rooms and a great lobby. After one buffet supper, where we felt the food was not good, poorly prepared etc. we decided to eat supper in Wadi Musa. Much better there. One of the better restaurants there is the "Red Cave." Whether you go with a guide or not pick up the book "Petra" A Travellers Guide by Rosalyn Maqsood. The book is invaluable and if you read it before you get there, you will have a better historical perspective as well as walks etc. We picked it up on amazon. Have a great trip.
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Old Nov 30th, 2009, 08:20 AM
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bookmarking
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Old Dec 26th, 2009, 07:39 PM
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I'm thinking about visiting Petra in May 2010. I've been reading about it in guide books. The site is huge. I think if you can devote 3 days to it then that would be better to also give you time to explore less tourisy sites in Petra.
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Old Dec 28th, 2009, 07:01 AM
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Hi
Axel if you are reading guide books, I don't know if you've seen "Petra-A Travellers's Guide" by Rosalyn Maqsood, pulished by Garnet in the UK. I used it for our trip in October and found it very helpful Some of her writing seemed biased at times but the information icluding the history and walking tours were invaluable. I ordered it from Amazon prior to our trip so that I was able to acqaint myself with history and other information. Petra was a very exciting place to visit. We spent 3 nights at the Movenpick right at the entrance.
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Old Dec 28th, 2009, 04:59 PM
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Thanks for the tip alan. I'll check it out.

I currently have "The Rough Guide to Jordan" and also a Lonely Planet book on Egypt that has a section on Petra. I'm still trying to decide between Egypt and Petra at this point. Don't think I'll have time to do both justice in a two weeks period.
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