Aqaba to Petra tour

The Aqaba to Petra Tour is a full-day journey from Aqaba to Petra, offering travelers a chance to explore Petra’s iconic rose-red rock architecture, ancient tombs, and historic trails after a scenic drive through southern Jordan’s desert landscapes.

Destinations
Jordan
Trip Type
Petra Tours
Difficulty
LEISURELY
Trip Tag
Independent

Overview

Itinerary

Trip Inclusions

FAQs

The Aqaba to Petra Tour is a full-day trip that starts from the coastal city of Aqaba, taking travelers through the dramatic desert scenery of southern Jordan before arriving at Petra, where they can explore its famous rose-red rock-cut architecture, ancient tombs, and hidden trails, experiencing the city’s history, culture, and breathtaking landscapes at their own pace.

Highlights

Scenic desert drive – Travel through southern Jordan’s dramatic desert landscapes
Explore Petra – Visit the iconic rose-red Treasury, ancient tombs, and rock-cut facades
Self-paced sightseeing – Discover Petra at your own pace without a guide
Full-day adventure – Combines travel, exploration, and cultural immersion in one trip

Day 1 :

Aqaba to Petra tour

Your driver will collect you from your hotel in Aqaba and drive about 1.5 hours to Petra. You can spend the day exploring the ruins on your own, or, if you prefer, you can tour Petra with a professional guide from the visitors' center. At the end of the day your driver will be waiting to take you back to Aqaba.

More on Petra
No matter how many times you've seen it reproduced on film, nothing can really prepare you for the first glimpse of Petra. The classic entry to the city takes you through the long twilight of the siq, a narrow canyon that twists for more than a mile through the red sandstone, and then stuns you into silence with the sunlit façade of the Treasury, a monument cut into the rock some 2000 years ago with a refinement that is scarcely believable.

From the postcards, you'd think this was what you'd come to see. But it's just the beginning. Petra is a vast archaeological site, most of it still unexcavated; you could spend days exploring the ruins and still not see it all. It was built by the Nabataeans, an Arab tribe who began as tent-dwelling Bedouin but soon came to dominate the most lucrative trade of the ancient world: incense. They used the money to create this city and to build an empire that extended from the Red Sea to Damascus. They also absorbed architectural ideas from Egypt, from the Babylonians, and from the Greek cities of the Mediterranean, using them to create the hybrid culture that you see in these ruins. The Temple of the Winged Lions, the High Place of Sacrifice, the Roman theatre, the Garden Tomb, the Byzantine church - any one of these monuments would be an archaeological treasure in its own right; in Petra, you can explore them one after another, and find them all set into one of the finest desert landscape in the Middle East.

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Emergency Contact

In case of an emergency Terhaal’s Amman Office can be reached on –

+962(0)77 751 5919
+962(0)79 879 5680
+962(0)79 778 4433
+962(0)79 5536351

Alternatively you can email emergency@terhaal.com

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance is compulsory for all our trips. We require that, at a minimum, you are covered for medical expenses including emergency repatriation. We strongly recommend that the policy also covers personal liability, cancellation, curtailment, and loss of luggage and personal effects. When travelling on a group trip, you will not be permitted to join the group until evidence of travel insurance (and the insurance company’s 24 hour emergency contact number) has been seen by your trip leader. If your insurance is provided through your credit card, your tour leader will require proof of purchase of the trip (a receipt or credit card statement) with the credit card in your name. Contact your bank for details of their participating insurer, the level of coverage and emergency contact telephone number.

Responsible Travel

We believe in low impact or ‘positive impact’ tourism. Broadly speaking, this means that we try to minimize the negative aspects of tourism on the local cultures and environments that we visit, while maximising the positive aspects of the encounter. Jordan is a small country with few natural resources. Water scarcity is a big issue in the region, so please go easy on the water. Terhaal designs these tours in a way that maximizes benefits for local communities. Whenever possible we hire local staff in the areas where we operate, and our guests stay in locally owned hotels. We also include some volunteering activities where appropriate, such helping farmers to harvest their olives. Terhaal also contributes towards efforts that strengthen environmental advocacy and the environmental education of Jordan’s children.

Our blog

Our blog – ‘Treks & Trails of Jordan’ – is a collection of stories posted by a variety of people that reflect the natural, environmental and cultural aspects of Jordan. It is also a great way to give feedback and to share your Jordan experience with others. All you need to do is write one or two paragraphs about your trip with Terhaal, attach some photos if available and send it to us at this email: team[at]terhaal.com
You can find the blog here –
blog.terhaal.com

Aqaba to Petra tour

Overview

Itinerary

Trip Inclusions

FAQs

Highlights

What's included

What's not included

You can send your enquiry via the form below.

Overview

Itinerary

Trip Inclusions

FAQs

Highlights

What's included

What's not included

You can send your enquiry via the form below.

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