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Petra Travel Guide


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Petra Tourist Traps

Tips and photos of Petra tourist attractions and tourist traps, posted by real travelers and Petra locals.
Local Time 12:15 pm Thursday, May 15, 2008
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Popular Tourist Traps | Miscellaneous Tourist Traps Tips | All Tips (17)
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Horse riding
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  • There are essentially 5 official methods of transport once you have passed through the gates: 1: Walk 2: Horse 3: Horse & Cart 4: Camel 5: Donkey 1: You have complete control, its the cheapest option but be prepared to be exhausted at the end of the day -:) 2: The biggest tourist trap. Horses are to be found at the entrance of the site, some 500 metres from the entrance to the Siq. Horses can only take you as far as the Siq. 3: Horse & Cart - also to be found at the entrance to the site - at least they can take you from the entrance, through the Siq and as far as the Treasury (the beginning of the ruins). Probably more interesting as an option at the end of the day LOL. 4: Camels are to be found at the Treasury and can take you all round the site on the level 5: Donkeys also to be found at Treasury - usually used to ascend and descend all or part of the route up to the Monastery (and it can be terrifying!). There appears to be no set price - you simply need to haggle.

    Part of the delight of Petra is the air of expectation as you walk through the Siq, sheer cliff faces towering above you. To experience this to the full, walk it. From my mind, best thing to do is to walk the entire site. If you need a little bestial help, take it at the end. If you plan to go to the Monastery, take a donkey part or all the way up. It is an exhausting and pretty sheer climb. BUt remember to hold on to that donkey! It is scary going up - if you chose to come down, believe me we saw people white with terror!!

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    The "secret way"
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  • Looking for
    Looking for "the secret
    way"....
    by dabuwan
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    The entrance ticket to Petra is expensive: about 25 EUR for one day. Some young guys in Wadi Musa stop tourists pretending they know a "secret way" to enter Petra without paying and that they would tell you for 10 EUR. Of course it's not true. Once you pay, they walk with you 5 min. on some rocks and give you the directions to walk in Petra but... you arrive nowhere. Pay your regular ticket to Petra: it's expensive but it's worth it.

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    A stone: 5 euro or more....
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  • One of the nice things that you find in Petra are children selling pieces of stones. These are very nice, but they ask you 1 euro, 5 euro and one time also 100 euro!!! You can find a lot of strange stones in Petra and it's not necessary to buy them because beduins catch the same stone that you find on the ground!!!!

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    VERY expensive restaurants!
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  • A warning about the restaurants down by the Basin: they look very attractive, and in fact they are, but they are also extremely expensive! The prices don't seem to be posted, so beware of an unpleasant surprise! (I was charged 7.50JD for fish and rice only when I sat at one of the tables under the trees - no dessert, and no drinks since I had my own bottle of water. To be fair it was a buffet and I could probably have eaten more for the same price). They are largely used by groups, and if you are travelling alone I strongly advise you to supply yourselves with picnic food before heading down into the site. The photo inside is of the Crowne Plaza restaurant in the Basin - no need to mention the prices charged by a 5 star hotel.

    The toilets are decent at the Crowne Plaza restaurant, and nobody checks to see that you are actually eating there!!

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    If visiting Petra, avoid long...
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  • If visiting Petra, avoid long distance tour buses from Eilat in Israel. Crossing the border seems to take forever and is expensive. Our guide seemed to be more interested in showing us his buddies' souvenir shops than taking us around the site itself. It best to stay at Petra itself where you can take a couple of day to visit. There are now lots of hotels nearby

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    buy your water
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  • Water in Petra is very expensive.. so buy at least two bottles before entering if you expect to do serious walking.

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    Be guided by the price!
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  • Indiana Jones has a lot to answer for! - Petra
    Indiana Jones has a lot to
    answer for!
    by Axholmemiller
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    At Petra, you aree encouraged to have an official guide, no probelm as they escort you through the magnificent sights. Watch out for the two tier pricing system. You pay about 20 Jirdanian Dinars, about £19 GBP but bewrae that the guide then tries to charge a surcharge as "I want to show you my Petra!" This extra can cost more than double the readies and isn't worth it . Watch out too for the throngs of locals who harrass you at every opportunity to purchase so called geniune 1,000 year old coins found at the historic site.

    A firm but polite "No" ought o put most of them off but beware of stragglers and the pickpockets amongst them

    Having said all that, the coins though worthless are quite good to look at and are intersting so if you want some then go ahead and buy, they cost very little.

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    Don't Take the Horse Ride
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  • The narrow path between the mountains - Petra
    The narrow path between
    the mountains
    by Lebanese
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    At the gate you would be offered a horse ride to take on site. Make sure to agree on going all the way to the safe location as most horse rides ends before the long path starts...

    Make sure to take you all the way down...

    Make sure you start early in the morning as it is a long walk and the site takes time to go through. Also, different time of the day you'll get to see the surrounding mountains in different colors! Magificient sight. You need at least 2-3 days in Petra

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    Local Merchants
    As cute or as pushy as they are, we all know that these are not real antiques right?

    If you really cannot shake a pushy vendor tell them you will be back tomorrow.

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    petrol station
    Beware in Petra and other place in Jordan, Petrol station attendants are trying very hard to cheat the tourists. The master of that is the owner or attendant of Petra petrol station. They have several trick in their pocket and the most common is to simulate a break down of the petrol dispenser, start it again but at the end charging you an extra 5 or 10 JOD. Just watch the info on the gas dispenser and the manipulation of the attendant. Also, wait as much as needed to get your money back !! Do not leave anything as tip !!!!

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    More Petra Tips
    Overview
     
    General Tips
    Tips: 49 - Photos: 47
    Restaurants
    Tips: 21 - Photos: 13
    Hotels and Accommodations
    Tips: 64 - Photos: 44
    Things To Do
    Tips: 504 - Photos: 501
    Nightlife
    Tips: 24 - Photos: 21
    Off the Beaten Path
    Tips: 43 - Photos: 42
    Tourist Traps
    Tips: 17 - Photos: 14
    Warnings or Dangers
    Tips: 21 - Photos: 10
    Transportation
    Tips: 67 - Photos: 53
    Local Customs
    Tips: 14 - Photos: 13
    Packing Lists
    Tips: 14 - Photos: 9
    Shopping
    Tips: 21 - Photos: 15
    Sports Travel
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