impacked

In anticipation of our upcoming trip in May I wondered if I need to purchase a pair of hiking shoes to break in now or will a good pair of hiking shoes suffice? We plan to be in Petra, Jerash, Wadi Rum when I'm thinking I'll need these shoes. Thanks, for your time and any other hints you can offer.

impacked

Gosh darn it - sometimes I move too fast! I meant to say "or will a good pair of hiking sandals suffice??"

lerasp

jerash is flat - any regular shoes are fine (except some climbing of steps around/on temples).
Petra - i wore regular sneakers. there's quiet a lot of walking and distances are large, but no arduous climbing as such. I'd recommend wear whatever shoes you can walk comfortably the longest in. the climb to Monastery has a lot of steps, but it's well laid out.
Don't know about Wadi Rum.

sandi

I wore mocassins; friend wore sneakers. Don't recommend sandals as there's uneven ground some places along with sand/dirt and small pebbles. There are steps and long distances to walk, but not really too bad. Jerash was easy and mostly flat. Petra has a few slopping pathways, but not hills. Even walking thru the amphitheatre at both sites were easy.

For certain, be sure your footwear is broken in; you don't want blisters.

impacked

Thanks for your advice!

P_M

I second the advice not to wear sandals. I wore sandals to Wadi Rum and I was contantly taking them off to empty the dirt. I wore sneakers to Petra and those were much better.

impacked

oooh, good point Thanks!

LoriS

Yes, I'd also recommend NOT wearing sandals to Petra. There is a lot of sand and dust and my shoes/feet were really dirty when I got back to the hotel. If you ride the donkeys, sandals are also a bad idea as some of the donkeys have fleas and a few people in our group had loads of bites on their feet.

Elainee

I am so sorry I did not take a hiking pole with me to Jordan. Lots and lots of walking in the major sites and lots of hills and steps in Petra.