Day Tour to Petra from Eilat

My husband and I booked a 2 day tour to Petra because I had gone on a one day tour 3 years ago and by the time we arrived around 1:30 pm we only had about 3 hours! It took forever to pull all the different tour groups together that day. And when we did get there my son and I left the group and ran most of the way and only made it past the Treasury but not to the Amphitheater but we could see it. We had to get back in time to eat lunch and get on our bus. This time we met at the Yitzhak Rabin border and a representative with Tourist Israel showed up to take us across. We ended up going to Petra by car instead of a large bus since we were the only ones who booked any tour there that day! The guide Kereen was so nice and informative and the driver was very joyful too! So we got to Petra by 11 am! The Venus Hotel was perfect! And the buffet lunch included was so wonderful with so many great options and a pleasant atmosphere! The first day the guide stayed with us and then gave clear instructions on what we should do at the end of the second day. He recommended we start at Little Petra so we can get to the Monastery from their and not have to walk uphill. It took us an hour but was perfect! We had walked past the Treasury and the amphitheater on the first day so we were so glad to get to start at the other end of the Park on the second day! We met our driver at the same restaurant and the took us to the border where another representative with Jordan Experience guided us as we went back into Israel. I highly recommend leaving your rental car at the free car park near the border crossing in Israel when going. And if you really want to see all of Petra you will need to book the 2 day Petra tour! It was AMAZING!!!

We had a fantastic day in Petra with our guide and driver. We learned so much about the site, the history of the people as well as the Jordanian culture. When we went it was relatively empty which made for an amazing view everywhere we went. We spent about 3 hours in Petra and then had a great Jordanian lunch before being taken back to the border. The team was super helpful on both crossings as well. Highly recommended.

Our trip to Petra was amazing! We were met on the Israeli side by a driver who took us to the crossing and helped us cross through to Jordan, where we were met by a Jordanian who did the same to get us through the checkpoint on that side. It was quick and easy, and we were rewarded on the other side with Turkish coffee. Mohammed was the perfect guide for our trip and our driver brought baklava and basbousa (Jordanian honey cake) for us to enjoy on the ride to Petra. The site is obviously stunning, but Mohammed also did a great job explaining the geology, geography and history of the site so we understood what we were seeing and why the area was built the way it was. Highly recommend!!

+1

It was wonderful from start to finish. Seamless getting through border coming and going. Everyone hired by Tourist Israel was so helpful. Mohammed was so nice, personable and knowledgeable. Petra is not to be missed! No one should be concerned about traveling across the border or into Jordan. An experience of a lifetime!!

This tour is a must! It is safe, it is amazing and is not too crowded. The only thing I would do differently if I went again - I'd stay in Aqaba, Jordan instead of Eilat. Just because it would give me more time to explore as the border closes at 6. Petra is HUGE, it is much more than Treasury. Walk down was easy and very informative. Walk, don't take a ride. When you get there, Camel ride is $10, they will even take a lot of good pictures and videos with your phone. $10 more gets you a tour to a high viewing spot. Great pictures, breathtaking view. Not too hard and did not take long. Well worth it! Explore as much as you can, don't waste your time. Our group was set to meet at the entrance at 4. We decided to stay longer and take a ride back to our meeting spot. Golf cart ride is $35 per person. We stayed as long as we could and then took a ride. It is much harder to walk up in such heat, so golf carts are very handy. You will have to spare an hour for a walk back and only 20 min for a ride.

+14

The tour and tour guide were terrific. We used Tour Isreal. However when asking Vistor for specific questions about fee’s needed to be paid at the border our answer’s from Vistor were vague, although it seemed other tour operator’s gave their client’s the same vagueness. That was a bit frustrating as we were worried about not having the proper payment resdy.

Large group tours are hit or miss. This one was at best ok. The guide was nice enough, but had a very strong accent in English and was hard to understand. He also didn't share that much information even though there was lots of time to teach the group. We spent way too much time at "stops" that were really just tourist shopping traps. When we got to Petra, rather than have the tour guide explain everything we were looking at as we walked around as a group, he left each of us to explore on our own for over two hours. Without a map and no explanations at the location, we just walked around aimlessly without knowing any historical information about what we were seeing. We finally had "lunch" at nearly 4pm at a very mediocre restaurant. Petra was, of course, still breathtaking and impressive, but the tour was neither.

This was my second visit to Petra so I will keep my comments to the tour itself. I traveled with my brother who had never been and he was justifiably impressed with Petra and the area. We were both extremally impressed by Tourist Israel's organization and keeping with the schedule. The bus arrived 15 min early to the pick up point and we left exactly on time. It does take time crossing the border but that is not on Tourist Israel and patience is needed. Once we crossed the border our guide and driver were waiting for us. They offered us each a cold bottle of water and sweet cookies. The guide's English was good and he was friendly. We had one rest stop (around 15 min) in each direction where you could purchase something to drink or souvenirs. Lunch was quite good at a local restaurant which was included in the price of the tour. We stayed on track and returned to the border to cross back into Israel with time to spare. The only negative I can mention is that when we crossed back we waited for a passenger that hadn't crossed back into Israel from a different Tourist Israel trip. Instead of sending us on our way and dealing with that separately we all waited for about an hour before they sent us on our way without the missing passenger. All in all, I would absolutely recommend Tourist Israel and the trip to Petra and would use them again in the future.

Pleasant and smooth trip, highly professional and attentive organizers, guide and driver. Petra is spectacular. Can’t go wrong with this tour. We started in Eilat, got picked up at a meeting point and taken to the border where we were promptly processed through both the Israeli and the Jordanian side of the border. Then we met our guide Careem and our driver, who made sure our experience is as pleasant as can be throughout the day. The ride was smooth, the guidance in Petra was fascinating. Awesome trip!

+3

Both the guide and the driver were very kind; the view was wonderful; the lunch was great :) It was such a nice trip.