Without question, Petra is the star of tourism in Jordan. It’s a sprawling open-air museum of ancient structures carved into sandstone canyon walls. All of our published Jordan tours include a day at Petra.
Petra was a city of 50,000 at its peak 2,000 years ago, built by the Nabateans, a nomadic Arab tribe that controlled the trade routes in the area. The city was established as a hub for traders traveling from the east and south to the Mediterranean port at Gaza. Imagine the camel caravans carrying exotic products from China, India, Arabia and Africa en route to points across the Roman Empire. They all passed through this crack in the mountains and they paid to do so. Petra was fabulously wealthy.
The freestanding buildings are mostly gone. What remains are hundreds of rock-cut tombs, temples, theaters and dwellings. A full day in Petra is recommended, at the very least. Those who really want to explore, can spend three days or more.
Petra is in southern Jordan, about 140 miles south of Amman and 80 miles north of Aqaba. It is possible to do a day trip from Eilat in Israel or Aqaba, but it makes for a very long day (it’s about a 2.5 hour drive each way). We recommend spending at least one night at Petra. The town of Wadi Musa sits just outside the ancient site, serving Petra visitors much as Petra served itinerant traders back in the day.
Book our Jordan tours, private tours and bus tours available, some including transfers from Israel.
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