Full Day Petra in Depth – the Lost City of Stone

Duration: 1 day

Highlights: The Siq, the Treasury, Ampitheatre, Royal Tombs.

The ancient Nabataean city of Petra comes to life on this full-day excursion to Jordan’s most impressive national attraction.

Itinerary

FULL LENGTH TOUR DESCRIPTION
Leaving Aqaba by deluxe motorcoach, take in the city views and mountain vistas on the approximate 2-hour drive that leads to today’s extraordinary destination. The fascinating excavated site of Petra consists of massive tombs carved from the sandstone hills more than 2,000 years ago. Lost for almost 12 centuries, these fantastic ruins were ‘discovered’ in 1812 by the Swiss explorer, Johann Ludwig Burckhardt. Today the ancient capital of Petra stands as a timeless tribute to the ingenuity and creativity of the Nabataeans.

Leaving the motorcoach, begin your walking tour down a long curving path to the Siq, the official entrance to this great monument. You may wish to go by horseback as far as the Siq, then it’s everyone on foot as your guide leads you into this natural rock channel. The passage, which is often no more than 16-feet wide with walls that tower over 650-feet high, eventually leads you to the magnificent Khazneh, or the Treasury, whose impressive red coloured façade was used in the final scenes of ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.’ Carved from solid sandstone for use as a tomb, the Khazneh received its name from a legend that pirates had hidden their treasure in the urn on the upper level. Bullet marks on the exterior of the urn remain as remnants of the many treasure seekers who have tried in vain to shoot open the solid container.

Your walking tour continues down the path to the impressive 8000-seat Roman Amphitheatre. Archaeologists first believed that the Romans constructed the site in the 2nd century; further excavations have now shown that the amphitheatre was actually carved out by the Nabataeans around the time of Jesus Christ.

The final point of your tour will be to view the Royal Tombs, which are considered to be the most impressive burial places in Petra. Carved into the face of Jebel Khubtha, the Royal Tombs consist of the vaulted Urn Tomb, the Corinthian Tomb and the three-storied Palace Tomb, which is one of the largest in the monument.

The return journey back to the entrance of the monument takes you by numerous carved temples, burial chambers, tombs, water channels, gates and arches. Once back at the visitor center, continue to a nearby hotel for a relaxing buffet lunch before returning to your ship in Aqaba.

SHORT LENGTH TOUR DESCRIPTION
The ancient Nabataean city of Petra comes to life on this full-day excursion with lunch to Jordan’s most impressive national attraction. Many are familiar with this spectacular monument from the final scenes of ‘Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.’ These legendary buildings, hewn from the valley’s solid sandstone, are beyond compare and a must-see for visitors to Jordan.
 
TIMING BREAKDOWN
00:00 – 00:15 Disembark, board deluxe air-conditioned motorcoaches
00:15 – 02:00 Departure Aqaba Port and drive to Petra
02:00 – 03:00 Arrive visitors centre at Petra. Horses can be used to ride as far as the entrance to the Siq. Carriages, although limited, can be used to transport guests with walking issues as far as the Treasury
03:00 – 05:00 Guided tour of Petra
05:00 – 05:15 Leave Petra, and walk back through the Siq
05:15 – 05:45 Group reassembles after walking through the Siq where guests, if they desire, mount horses and return to the visitors centre
05:45 – 07:15 Buffet lunch at the hotel
07:15 – 09:00 Guests board buses and drive back to Aqaba
09:00 Arrive Aqaba Port and re-embark

Approximate duration: 9 hours

OPERATIONAL NOTES
- Red carpet at dock on arrival
- Flowers for the ladies upon arrival
- Free bottled water on coaches
- Free postcards, one per person on board the coaches
- Free Arabic sweets to taste on board the coaches
- Pre-paid tickets to the sites, so there will be no queuing or waiting at the entrance
- Uniformed staff with clear nametags available at the pier, the site, and the restaurant to assist the guests at any time
- At Petra, Restrooms, bank and shopping facilities available (note additional restrooms and shopping facilities are available at the deluxe Petra Movenpick Resort 5 minutes walk from Visitors Centre)
- For the guests who want to take a horse, one of our staff will attend to them. The horse ride is around 800 metres only, after which the guests will have to walk
- For the guests who want to take a carriage to the site, we will arrange as many carriages as possible, however the total number of carriages at the site is only 9 and they are on first come first served basis, so we will try to restrict use to the neediest guests. The carriage goes all the way inside the ‘Siq’ to the Treasury and back. There is a USD 15.00 supplement per carriage
- Guests wanting to walk can join the guide on foot through the ‘Siq’. The walk through the ‘Siq’ to the Treasury is around 1,216 metres long and takes around half an hour – it is a flat and easy pace
- Lunch takes place at the main restaurant of Petra Movenpick Hotel, which is located very near to the entrance of the site
- Mineral water + one coffee or tea per person is included with lunch
- Time permitting, there is approximately 15 to 20 minutes of shopping at the handicraft stores at the entrance to Petra. There is also a gift-shop at the hotel where lunch is served
- Horse transfers from Petra entrance to/from the Siq are included in the excursion price, however, guests should be aware that horse owners frequently demand tips at the end of the ride
- Extensive Walking: there is approximately 3 to 5 miles of walking over uneven gravel and uneven packed sandy surfaces. There is a long, gradual decline/incline from the entrance of Petra to the Treasury and the Royal Tombs. Many guests prefer to spend free time around the Treasury area, and not explore the surrounding ruins, thereby cutting the distances walked considerably