Full-Day Petra Tour from Aqaba
Description
Discover the ancient jewel in Jordan’s crown on by joining a small group on this day trip to Petra from Aqaba. Visit the UNESCO–listed city of the red rose city of Petra and explore deep canyons beneath soaring sandstone cliffs. Marvel at the intricately carved face of the Treasury “Al-Khazneh” after walking the narrow “Siq”, as your guide shares details of its glorious past. Learn of the 6th-century Nabataean people who lived in this marvelous place, and admire other top attractions such as the ancient theater and the royal tombs. Enjoy free time to explore Petra at your leisure before continuing to see lesser-known Little Petra, whose sculpted rock buildings were a suburb of the main city. Board back to Aqaba with your leisure vehicle and English-Speaking Driver who doubles up as your guide.
Tour Options
Itinerary
You will leave the hotel early in the morning to joining a small group and drive with your informative English-Speaking Driver to the Nabatean Red Rose City of Petra, one of the Seven Wonders of the World, for a classic visit. As you travel, gaze at the desert landscapes and hear tales of Jordan’s history. Hewn into a sandstone valley carved by the Nabataean people some 2,000 years ago, this ancient rose-red rock city located 125 kilometers from Aqaba at the crossroads of age-old trading routes, to dominate ancient Arabia.
Continue to Petra main site to learn more about its magnificent history. On arrival, leave your vehicle, and enjoy a 2-hour tour of this UNESCO Heritage listed wonder with a local guide. First, walk through the famous “Siq”, a narrow path of 1.2 kilometers; rock fissure that was once the main entrance to the city, and marvel at your first glimpse of the hauntingly beautiful Treasury “El - Khazneh” as the canyon suddenly opens up.
Admire this rose-pink masterpiece, originally built to house priceless treasures and capture it on camera. Then, proceed through the widening canyon to witness other monuments such as the 3,000-seater Theater, the Royal Tombs, and the Byzantine Church. As you explore, listen as your guide describes how the Nabateans sculpted the buildings, and learn how they mastered the harsh desert conditions to make their lives here. After around two hours of exploring, enjoy free time. If time permits you can climb up the Monastery on your own or the High Place of Sacrifice: a clifftop altar that was once used for animal sacrifices and other ceremonies. Free time to visit the Petra Museum; if there is time, then rejoin your vehicle and driver.
Pass by Little Petra, a small rocky valley with carvings, that archaeologists believe acted as the Nabatean’s caravan before heading to the main city and as an accommodation stop for the traders who traveled through the city. Then, journey back to Aqaba, where your day trip ends with a hotel drop off. Please wear comfortable shoes and bring a sunhat for this unforgettable adventure. Come and explore one of the world’s wonders of architectural engineering combined with the ingenuity of carving for an unforgettable adventure just like that of Indiana Jones!
Highlights
What's included
Pickup Locations & Times
Departure Point: Hotels in Aqaba Dates: Thursdays Return point: Returns to original departure point
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Specialized infant seats are available
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
- Confirmation will be received at the time of booking.
- Airport Pick-up and Drop-off by request.
- Contact your local operator (office phone number, emergency mobile number – out of office hours, or email address) a day before to reconfirm pick-up arrangements provided in your voucher.
- For Jordan Pass holders that purchased tour activity with entrance fees, please inform us to reimburse the entrance fees in destination.
- Tour activity is provided in English. For other languages by request.
- Clients with mobility issues, please contact us.
- For Golf Cart service at Petra, by request.
- Strollers and car seats for infants, please contact us.
- Most local tourist restaurants in Jordan do not serve alcohol, if you do not want a dry restaurant that does not serve alcohol, please contact us.
- For Arab and G.C.C. nationals, please book Jordan Pass option; visits without entrance fees included, as reduced entrance fees apply. It is better for Arab and G.C.C. passport holders to pay directly in destination their entrance fees.
- Clients are advised to bring hats, sunscreen, and comfortable walking shoes.
- Indicate special dietary requirements at the time of booking.
Reviews(1)
Booking tours in the Middle East from the US can be challenging but we had an excellent experience with Zaid Tours. The website was clear and allowed me to pay online, and communication was prompt. I was initially a little worried that I had to provide passport info but we were doing a shore excursion from a cruise and this was indeed required. I can't recommend strongly enough the benefits of doing a private tour over the cruise's own excursions for Petra. Our driver Muhammed picked us up right outside port security and left well in advance of the the cruise buses; with his smaller car he was able to take back roads that saved us quite a bit of time. It took us around two hours to get to Petra and we spent 2-3 hours there in relative peace; as we were on our way out we saw hundreds of our fellow cruise passengers just arriving! Muhammed was also great, spoke good English and provided us with bottled water and even Wifi in a clean, comfortable car; he answered lots of questions about Jordan and then took us on a quick tour of Aqaba on our way home. He also found us a fantastic guide, Iman, who had worked as an archeologist for UNESCO and was incredibly knowledgeable. Well worth the small premium over the ship excursion. Tour details: -Pickup right outside of port customs office according to your schedule -Approx. 2-hour drive to Petra, we made a rest stop at a scenic viewpoint. -Includes tickets to Petra, guide and optional horse ride. At Petra, the guide takes you through the main park one way and then you walk out by yourself (you can pay your guide extra to accompany you if needed). There is a pool of guides speaking various languages there and the driver organizes everything for you. -After spending 2-3 hours at Petra we had an included lunch with our tour. We went to Alqantarah which is a short drive from the visitor center. -The driver was flexible to stay with us through our 8PM deadline to get back to the ship (our pickup was 10:30AM) but we wanted to be back for our 7PM dinner. He showed us around Aqaba and then got us back in plenty of time. Hope this is helpful, and don't hesitate to book through Zaid!
Thank you. Looking forward to having you, your family, and friends with us again
