TinyDiverGirl
19 Jun 2023
This trip was advertised at a good price, add in the extras for visa and ferry ($150), and you end up much the same price as other agents. The visa was £30 cheaper to do online from UK, but I didn't risk it as the company held all the strings!
Pros: well organised, knowledgeable guide, good lunch, charming skipper on the ferry to meet and greet, fascinating journey through desert countryside. Petra was, of course, stunning.
Cons: add up to 2 hours for hotel pick up either end - and my bus was full of Russians so guide spoke instructions in Russian and I had to ask him for English version. Arriving in the midday sun in that heat! The usual over-charging en route for coffee/snacks. I would have liked to ask the guide a few things, but another guest was rather hogging as if the guide was his own private guide, so it was difficult to get a word in. Unpleasantness from some of the horsemen (see below re tipping). Despite a long day there wasn't enough time to get right to the bottom and see it all, and no time for the Petra Museum at the top/end of the walk. There was an option to go independent without the guide, and that may have allowed more time.
We had hotel pick up (mine was first, at 12:20 midnight, which was a bummer as we drove around for 1.5 hours collecting from other hotels, before liaising with the main coach for the journey. Mine was also last to drop off so I got back to my hotel at gone 02:00 the next morning). Coach up via Dahab, with ample comfort stops, took 4+ hours. Ferry 2 hours, coach to Petra another 2.5 hours. And the reverse trip coming back - it's a long day.
You will need water, sunhat, cover for shoulders if you arrive in the midday sun, loo paper, something a bit warmer for the night time ferry crossing. I was glad I wore walking shoes and proper walking socks, as the first mile is stoney ground in open sun.
The walk down is about 2 miles, first mile open, hot and stoney, 2nd mile through the canyon which offers some shady spots and a welcome breeze filtering up through. It is downhill - so the treck back up is hot and hard. There are electric buggies for extra cost (I think $30 return?), there are also horseback rides either way INCLUDED in your ticket ...... BEWARE! they ask for a 'from the heart tip' but then hanker and argue about the tip. I only had Egyptian £, no Jordanian Dinar, they didn't want my money and asked for my credit card - I found out later on the bus they had asked others for their credit card, so it clearly wasn't about the currency!
They are charging 4 euro for a small bottle of water (in Egypt it was 9 English pence). I took plenty of water and snacks, as lunch isn't until 4pm, and it was fine to leave things on the bus.
When you arrive in the open arena, there are camels for rides, Bohemian stalls, and guides to take you up the side of the mountain to get photos from a higher view. There are good toilets near the bottom of the valley, and more walking after the main event to an amphitheatre and tombs.
Overall a good trip, long and hot but amazing to see Petra. In hindsight I would prefer a short stay to visit the Starwars village especially, and one or two other famous spots used in filming Indiana Jones.
Please don't use this operator. They will lie to and manipulate you. Unfortunately due to the airline changing the size of their plane I was unable to get on my flight. I messaged the operator immediately and he told me that they couldn't reschedule until 25 June and that they had already paid for my visa and ferry. I accepted this, and then when rebooking I saw availability for 10 June. I paid again, and then the night before I was meant to make the trip to Petra, the operator said that whack to pay $150 in cash to the driver of the coach to cover the cost of the visa and the ferry. I was promised a full refund of both bookings but I have only received a full refund for one and the operator is unable to take responsibility or accountability for the deception. I am a travel agent/advisor from the UK and would advise against using this service provider as they are thieves.
Definitely positive experience. Our tour guide in Jordan, Hamza, wealth of knowledge and good sense of humour. Time with guide and also plenty of time to explore Petra on your own. Beautiful place, had a great time.