Petra from Israel
 

Will be in Israel for a week in Oct. for our 4/5 time there. We want to take a 2-3 day trip to Petra, etc. Recommendations? Two 67 year olds in good physical condition. We will be in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv prior to the trip.

ttt

Several firms offer 1- or 2+ day tours from Eilat, and there are also tours from Tel Aviv, for example run by the big Israeli bus company Egged - http://www.eggedtours.com/Jordan/All

A company that receives many recommendations on the travel forums is "Desert Eco":
https://www.desertecotours.com/Engli.../1-2-day-tours

We're considering Abraham tours, which goes by land through the north (rather than flying to Eilat).

https://abrahamtours.com/tours/petra-tour-tel-aviv/

Opinions?

Thanks. Looking into your great suggestions!

We flew to Eilat and overnighted there. We also used Desert,Eco Tours 2 years ago. They were truly amazing. They picked us up from our hotel, drove us to the border, walked with us until we left Israel. We then walked for perhaps 2 or,3 minutes to the Jordanian border and we were met with the local representatives who walked us thru Jordanian immigration. At that point our personal guide and driver met us . His name was Mohamed and he was an amazing guide. He stayed with us the entire day. We left hotel about 6:30 a,m and arrived to Petra before most tourists so it was pretty empty . We left Petra about 2pm and then we were driven about 20 minutes away for lunch which was included. We arrived back into Eilat about 5 or 6 pm. It was a wonderful day and we did not feel rushed at all. We also felt completely safe. It was weird because our passport was never stamped in the airport but it was stamped at the Israeli border. From there we spent s couple of,days at The Beresheet hotel in the desert. Petra is amazing and memorable

Thank you!

Questioning if a day in Petra is too short?

Definitely. You need at least three nights/two days.

thanks. that is helpful.

Realize that was a bit abrupt, sorry. These may help explain why:

https://kwilhelm.smugmug.com/Travel/...st-2009/Petra/

I just did ten days in Jordan so my trip is a little bit different from what you are planning.

I would suggest trying to get to Petra as early as possible. It was a long day. We had budgeted 4 hours and it was not enough. Take plenty of cash. We tipped the horse guy, the guide, the donkey guy who carried my 5 year old son the whole morning. another donkey guy when we were out of time and exhausted and couldn't walk back to the Treasury. and then we paid for a carriage ride out.

Mind you, if I hadn't had a 5 year old who is averse to walking long distances, and a whole day, I could have done it all myself.

If you go overland from the north of Jordan, I assume you will stop at Jerash. Jerash was fascinating and one of the high lights of our trip. Ancient Roman ruins with one of the largest areas of only ruins in the world. Those Romans, they got around.

We also spent the afternoon at Little Petra first and really enjoyed it. It was isolated and not near as overwhelming.

Take a tour! Don't do it by public transportation. The price will end up being very similar but the advantage of taking the tour is that all the border fees/taxes are sorted out for you. And the entrance fees to Petra are included. Doing that yourself can be a real pain. Hours of the border crossing often change at short notice, and prices can vary at the crossings. And very often the bus services are not great, especially on the Jordanian side.
You'd do yourself a favour taking a tour.

I recommend petrafromisrael.com which is the leading operator for these sorts of trips.

We rented a car from Jerusalem and drove to Eilat. Getting out of Jerusalem was a little confusing but once on the main highway the drive south was easy, great roads and beautiful. We stopped at the Dead Sea but it was a little chilly to get in. Also stopped and hiked the Masada Snake Pass which was enjoyable. There's also a tram if you don't like to hike. Continued our drive to Eilat. We did a day tour with Desert Eco Tours to Petra with a private guide. Highly recommend a private guide. I can't remember the cost but it was worth it. We walked across the border first thing in the morning when it opened and he was there waiting for us. We were there in March 2012 and Petra was almost deserted - and very cold. We did a full day including a hike to the treasury. They have donkeys to take you up but they aren't treated very well and they slip a lot on the rocks so if you're in good shape (or an animal lover) I would forgo that. The area is much larger than I expected so if you like to take things slower or really see everything you could probably do 2 days. We move pretty quick so 1 long day was good. Drove back to Eilat in a rush to get to the border before it closed for the night. In hind sight I would have done Israel first (Tel Aviv-Jerusalem, Eilat and then spent a day in Petra and continue on to Amman and fly out of Jordan doing an open-jaw flight.

Thanks for all of this help! Still working out options. Any ideas for where to stay in Eilat?

Hello Virginiafish! Have you decided how you will enter Jordan? We are interested in 2-3 nights in Jordan, including an early-morning start in Petra. Especially interested in private guides. Very much appreciate this thread! Thank you!

i will likely be there at the same time! very timely thread!
do any of these tours include a hotel booking in petra? or should i book that separately?

bookmarking.