Sign in with FacebookPO Box 121, Petra / Wadi Musa, 71810, Jordan
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Camel at the Treasury, 31 Dec 2010
Landscape
Theater
Theatre Square
Hi everybody. I am going to Egypt next june 2011. Could anybody give any advice about a day trip from Cairo to Petra? I travel alone and I really apreciated your help. Many thanks!!
Hi.
One day tour ?
No ; forget this.
If you are short in time, take a flight to Amman, than go to Petra ; but do it only if you can burn 3 days.
Max :-)
It's a LONG way from Cairo to Petra and even one whole day is not a lot for this enormous area - it's a whole city, you know, not just a couple of ruins. Also, deserts get rather warm in the middle of the summer, making travel more challenging. Egypt has plenty to keep anyone busy touring, so I suggest you stick to your main destination.
To put into clearer perspective what has already been posted:
(1) Travel overland from Cairo to Petra
---------------------------------------
- Bus Cairo -> Taba: 6-7 hours
- Border crossing into Israel, taxi to Jordan, and border crossing into Jordan: 2 hours
- Taxi to Petra: 2 hours
.....and all of the above is (timewise) the shortest way (not the least expensive). And, of course, this is only one way and assumes that there will be no hitches at the borders (there usually aren't).
(2) Travel by air (expensive)
-----------------
- Cairo -> Amman: 1 hour
- Disembarking and getting on a private taxi directly to Petra (expensive): 1 hour
- Airport to Petra: 2 hours
.........and this is only one way and ignores the added time needed for airport bureaucracy and security.
So you can see that the absolute minimum is 3 days.
It can be done IF you book a tour through the airline you are flying into Egypt with. With a bit of planning and a conversation with the travel agent you booked with - or are you organising this all yourself? - would role the whole cost of the tour into your the total cost of your airline ticket. You don't pay anything extra other than for meals not included or a tip to the tour leader. I strongly suggest IF this is the only time you will get to the Middle East and a chance to see Petra, go to a travel agent and discuss it. You say 'I travel alone' but don't mention if a budget is a concern.
The best time to see Petra, especially if you’re planning to take photographs, is either early to mid-morning or late afternoon, when the angled sun highlights and enhances the amazing natural colours of the rocks.
Avoid Petra in summer as it is awfully hot.
Nothing quite beats that first moment that you are reaching the end of the Siq and catch a glance of the Treasury. It is truly one of those "once in a lifetime" experiences that you can never replicate.
The site is enormous. Incredibly, many 'do' Petra in an exhausting one day trip - the highlights being the Siq, the Treasury, the Monastery and those remains in between. To put it into perspective, it took us one and half hours walking downhill from the Monastery to the entrance (and the directest route possible!).
The bets option if you have time is to stagger your trip over 2 or 3 days. Its not a cheap option - JD11,13,16 for 1,2 or 3 days off-peak, double during the high season (and days are consecutive) but it is worth it - Petra is one of the most extraordinary sites. Just about everything but the first view of the Treasury on Day 1 and the finally reaching the Monastery on Day 2 can not be bettered.
I love the Bedouin. They are so laid back and are some of the funniest people that I have ever met. I must have spent an hour talking to this Bedouin girl about life in Petra, her shop, and life in general. She was so funny. She told me that she didn't like speaking in Italian to Italians because if she did then they would "talk and talk so much that it makes me sick." She then proceeded to poke fun at every nationality that has come her way. I loved it. Political correctness went right out the window.
Then she started making fun of the stuff that she was selling. "This stuff is made in India. I don't know why people buy it. It's pretty, but not very real." She pointed out that only half the stuff that people were selling at the site were actually made by Bedouin or came from Petra.
By the way, if you want to meet this incredible person, she sets her shop up just before you hit the stairs to head up to the Monastery. Stop for some tea and maybe buy a couple of things.
Petra was a large nabatean city, built about 2000 years ago. It is situated in the south of Jordan. In 3 to 4 hours, you can reach the site comming from Jordans capital Amman, by public transport.
Petras monuments are spread over a large area. It is situated on the bottom of a valley, and many houses, most of them were tombs.
You can walk around for hours, and to have a good impression of the area you should have at least 2 days to spend there.
Accomodations are available in Wadi musa, the village just on the entrance to Petra. Walking around and explore the many sites
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Q: Have I left it a bit late? "I'm a lone female of 73 and have wanted to visit Petra all my life. Now I have the wherewithall to arrange my 'dream' tour I look..."
A: "well ballet barb i am sorry havent been there, but good on you, its never too late go and enjoy!!"
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