My husband and I will be traveling to Israel in July of 2008. Because my husband is an avid diver and I really want to see Petra we calculated Eilat into our itinerary for at least 3 nights. In researching hotels and dive sites in the area I have read more and more positive info on Aqaba on the Jordanian side of the Red Sea. Since we will have an Israeli rental car we would have to leave the car at the border crossing parking lot, cross into Jordan on foot, and take a taxi into Aqaba for the 3 night stay. My question is, does anyone think this is worth the hassel? Are Eilat and Aqaba comprable in price, scenery and activities or is one better than the other? Please let me know any opinions, all feedback is greatly appreciated. Thanks!

Diving in Eilat proper is somewhat limited (though don't miss the acquarium south of downtown). Aqaba is one option, Taba (across the Egyptian border) is another. In either cases, you won't be able to drive your Israeli rental car. I haven't stayed at Aqaba so can't compare, but Taba was reasonable. (Probably not as good as further south, Sharm El Sheikh).

yes for diving, Daharb or Sharm El Sheikh is much better.
i prefer eilat to aqaba.

Although Aquaba is a much larger city than Eilat, it looks to me like they are just getting started in offering tourist amenities. We were recently given a tour of several gigantic resort construction sites which should make Aquaba a wonderful tourist destination in the near future. In terms of location, Aquaba is right next to Eilat, so there is little difference in the scenery. In terms of border crossing, if you go to Petra, you are going to have to cross the border anyway, so there is little difference in terms of hassle. Because you have to walk quite a distance to get fully through the check points, it would not be a lot of fun if you were laden with luggage.

For this summer, I would go to Eilat, which has more amenities and hotel choices. It is also more centrally located if you want to go to Petra and go diving. As noted above, the best diving is off Egypt's Sinai coast.

I too am an avid diver, and my wife wanted to go to Petra. I almost missed going to Petra, in favor of another day of diving - and my advice is to not miss Petra. The experience of walking down the narrow Siq and suddenly seeing the famous 'Treasury' for the first time is unforgettable.

As for the diving, it is definitely worth the money to take a boat to Egyptian dive sites. This can be done as a day trip, but would be much better as a 2-3 day trip. We just went with Aqua Sport, which has locations in Eilat and Taba. They have various local, Sinai, and multi-day options.

During my Israel trip a couple of years ago, we daytripped from Eilat to Petra, using a Jordanian guide and driver who met us on the Jordan side of the border. He was arranged for in Israel. Petra was one of the highlights of my travel life.
I have a file on the trip; if you are interested in having it, email me at [email protected]

Well, Eilat is really nice in the winter when its very cold elsewhere. I would not miss Eilat and you could visit the coral beach, the dolphin reef, and kings city- a new biblical theme park in Eilat
Read more about Eilat:

http://www.triptouch.com/israel/eila...nfo.php?wtid=1