Petra, Jordan

How to get to Petra?

Ready for the most interesting and perhaps the bumpiest ride in your life? Well, at least it was for me! Getting to Petra is little bit hard and tricky. It is located in a small town called Wadi Musa and as you have already guessed there is no airport in the town. Therefore you have to first fly to a nearby city with airport and then make your way to Wadi Musa.

I flew to Amman where is also the capital city of Jordan. Jordan? This is the country where Petra is located. Once you get to Amman, you can book a seat in a bus to Wadi Musa. As far as I remember, there are few companies which have daily bus trips to Wadi Musa. The company I rode with was called Jett. The bus takes off early in the morning and the trip to Petra takes somewhere between three to four hours. The ticket was around $15 one way.

Okay, about the bus companies… I have to say few words about them, pals. You should not expect too much, all right? Even though I called the company few weeks in advance to reserve a seat, once I get to the company office in Amman, I felt that it works as first come first serve basis.

And about the bus itself… Well, this is where it becomes more and more interesting. The bus was old and it was not well maintained. I mean it! Think about a bus trip that you were relocated few times although you booked the seats way before most of the passengers. Think about a bus ride where the seat cushion slips underneath your bottom and you have to adjust it once in every 10 minutes. I haven’t yet even mentioned the narrow leg room, poor air condition, etc…

Well, it was super annoying at the time but once I think about it now, it was actually one of the things that made my Petra trip unique and fun. It has turned out to be something funny to talk about and remember.

People were nice but how the company runs and the condition of buses were not. So don’t expect a lot of professionalism. Pay 15 bucks for the ticket, close your eyes & ears and be patient until you get to Wadi Musa. Good luck!

There are other options alongside the bus ride. Renting a car is one of them.  Of course, it would cost a lot more than bus option however gives you more flexibility. Assuming that you are going there only to visit Petra, I would say you don’t need a lot of flexibility though. You will have to just walk, pals. You are not allowed to drive within Petra. Since Wadi Musa is a very small town, taking a cab from your hotel to the Petra National Park only costs between three and five Jordanian Dinars (seven in USD). Well, if you booked a hotel close to the Petra entrance, you won’t even have to pay for the cab.

An alternate route from Amman to Wadi Musa would be Aqaba to Wadi Musa. The distance between Aqaba and Wadi Musa is half way shorter than Amman to Wadi Musa. However, Aqaba is a smaller city than Amman thus with limited flight options.

Quick Q&As

• How did I go to Petra?

From Amman by Bus / Jett

• How long did it take?

Three to four hours

• How much did it cost?

$15

• Overall Satisfaction

5 stars out of 10. Bring it on!

Where to stay in Petra?

I stayed in Seven Wonders Hotel. No complain about the hotel and services. The room, amenities, breakfast, restaurant and rooftop pool (I haven’t used it though).  Staff was very very nice. Receptionists were friendly, helpful and they all speak English very well. I don’t remember any moment when I was questioning my decision to stay in this hotel.

With one small caveat… I took cab from hotel to the entrance of Petra National Park and back. This added up around 10 bucks each day to the expenses leg on my budget. Otherwise, I had to walk for fifteen to twenty minutes. Well, twenty minutes is nothing thinking that you will have to walk whole day in Petra. However, I wanted to keep all my energy for Petra itself. Therefore this hotel may not be for those who don’t want to pay for intra-city cab. However, I bet the closer hotels wouldn’t match Seven Wonders Hotel when it comes to the value you get for the price you pay.

Quick Q&As

• Where did I stay in Petra?

Seven Wonders Hotel

• How did I book the hotel?

Booking.com

• How much did I pay?

$65 each night

• Overall Satisfaction

9 stars out of 10.

What to do in Petra?

What to do in Petra? Well, you just do Petra, when you are in Petra! The place is enormous and you should give yourself at least two or three days to cover the whole area. Think about a city of fifty thousand people around where you live right now and that you are sightseeing this city on foot. It is what Petra equals to. Petra used to host around fifty thousand residents during its heydays two thousand years ago.

Since you are already here and reading this post, you have probably researched about Petra and must know some facts about the place. Allow me fill you in little bit further details though.

Being one of the New7Wonders of the World along with Chichen Itza, Christ the Redeemer, Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu, Taj Mahal, and Colosseum, Petra was founded by Arabic Nabataeans circa 3^rd century BC as a hub and layover stop for traders. The place is full of rock-cut landmarks such as al-Khazne, the Monastery and the Tombs.

I have kept saying that you are going to walk the all day however there are donkeys, camels and horses for rental. If you like to have a full Indiana Jones experience, I recommend you a ride on horseback to the Monastery. The trip is scary since you are going to ride on a narrow path at the edge of a cliff. There are literally only few centimeters between the shoe of horse that you are on and the tip of the edge, thus between life and death. At the same time, it could be the most adventurous experience of your life though. Have you ever ridden on a roller-coaster? Do you remember the feeling that comes as combination of excitement and fear? Now multiply that by hundred!

Another highlight that you must not miss is the trial to the High Place of Sacrifice. The sacrifice spot is on the peak of a hill and the route is nothing but breathtaking. No worries, you are not going to be sacrificed there. Well, perhaps you would if it was two thousand years ago. It took me around two hours to climb up and down back but it is completely worth it. When you are at the top of the hill, the whole city is in your sight. It is very picturesque up there and makes you feel fulfilled.

I am not even talking about the Al Khazneh because there is no way to miss it. Al Khazneh is going to greet you at the end of the only entrance to the Petra.  You have to walk through a narrow passage which is also called Siq in order to be able to reach Petra and first thing you are going to see at the end of Siq is Al Khazneh. Al Khazneh and Siq are the two most famous landmarks of Petra because they appear in Indiana Jones – Last Crusade movie. No need to mention, Petra owes a lot to that movie for its popularity. Of course, it was still known by tourists before but the movie brought the place to the attention of tourists and started a tourism boom in the area. It still motivates many people to visit Petra.

This is the scene I am talking about:

Quick Q&As

• What to do in Petra?

Do Petra. Be prepared for a lot of walking.

• What not to miss in Petra?

The Monastery,

The High Place of Sacrifice,

Horse or Donkey Ride to Monastery

• How much does it cost?

One day ticket is 50 Jordanian Dinar which is around 75USD. However, I strongly recommend you to buy a three day ticket which is around 90USD. No way that you can do all the sightseeing in Petra in a single day.

• Overall Satisfaction

10 stars out of 10. The ticket may sound expensive but I think it is worth more than that. Just think that you are visiting a historical theme park. Well, but remember that this is not exactly a fabricated theme park, it is a real historical park.

Where/what to eat/drink in Petra?

Needless to say when you are in Wadi Musa, your primary concern shouldn’t be food, it has to be Petra! But indeed, you still would like to eat well and try the local cuisine. There are nice restaurants scattered around in Wadi Musa. Oriental Restaurant is one of them and where I ate when I wanted to have nice local dish.

I had a Jordanian lamb dish called Mansaf. It is marinated with yoghurt and spices and comes on rice with toppings like nuts and parsley. I was talking to a Palestinian on my shuttle ride from Amman airport to city center and Mansaf was what he told me that I had to eat. Certainly, he was not overstating.

Talking about the shuttle from Airport to city center, I had a comic book like experience with one of the cab drivers. Okay… There is a small shuttle bus running between airport and city center in about every thirty minutes. It is a fifteen to twenty minutes drive and costs around 5 Jordanian Dinars (around 7USD).

Just out of curiosity, I asked one of the cab drivers how much he would charge me for the ride and he said that the price is 30 JDs which equals to 50USD for only fifteen minutes ride. When I told him that it is over expensive, he replied saying that it is because there is time difference between the airport and city center.

Well, of course, I didn’t take it and waited for the shuttle. But, the time difference between the airport and city center? Ugh! I guess Amman is the only city on Earth where its center and its airport are located in different time zones. 😉

Another funny story… Economy in Wadi Musa is very fragile and prices may fluctuate between the day and night. I think the basic economics laws don’t apply there. Forget the Economics 101 class that you took at the college. The very same shop may charge you 1 JD for a bottle of water in the morning and ask 3 JD for the same bottle of water later in the afternoon. No, this is not fiction. It happened to me in Wadi Musa. Well, the keeper was different though. I have to say that.

Anyways, there are nice restaurants and others where you can just have quick and cheaper eats like shawarma, humus, etc … However I recommend you to try Mansaf at Oriental Restaurant at least once. You may find Mansaf at the Middle Eastern restaurant in your neighborhood but you know the local dishes always taste the best at their homeland.

Quick Q&As

• Where/what did I eat/drink in Petra?

Mansaf at Oriental Restaurant. There are nice restaurants where you can sit down and have nice local dishes with your partner or friends in addition to smaller and cheaper restaurants where you can have regular Middle Eastern food if you want to go super budget.

• How much did it cost?

Eating local dish at a nice restaurant would cost between twenty and thirty JDs which is around thirty to fifty US dollars. Remember, Wadi Musa is the most touristy place in all Jordan. However, you can still get regular Middle Eastern food at smaller and cheaper restaurants for lower than 10 JDs.

• Overall Satisfaction

8 out of 10 for Mansaf at Oriental Restaurant.