We left Amman for Petra in our rental car. It was a brand new Hyundai Elantra (March 2014 model) which I managed to rent through one of my colleagues' contact. We pay 30 JD for a day and it was open mileage. We were both quite nervous operating the car as none of us had ever driven on the right (since in both Japan and Malaysia we drive on the left) and this was our first time to Petra. We decided that I would be the one to drive the car while my beloved, Mr F would navigate the route to Petra from Amman. I had a faint idea of how to get to Petra from Firas, our taxi drive who went to pick up Mr F from the airport the night before. He told me it was an easy journey as I had to follow the route to the airport and then looked out for Aqaba. The journey was smooth but we almost missed the right junction. Fortunately I was able to recognise some Arabic words and Firas had told me the night before what the airport was called in Arabic. Otherwise we would have ended up in Madaba instead of Petra.
The journey was quite long as it took us about 3.5 hours or a little more (since we were not familiar with the way and driving on the right) to get to Petra. We stopped by a coffee shop to have some coffee and tea. I was pretty pleased that I could get by with some limited Arabic by now.
Est. 0930
We arrived in Petra. Mr F tried to look for our hotel but could not find it. We decided that we should visit Petra first as I heard it was a huge area and we were trying to make the best of our limited there. I had spoken to my colleagues earlier if I should spend a day or two in Petra. One of the
m told me that it would be better to spend two days there as there were lots to see. We parked our car opposite the parking area for buses, which I had read about from a travel blog. It was free.
Background about Petra
According to the 2008 article published by Smithsonian Magazine, Petra is one of the 28 places that you have to visit before you die, and it is also one of the new Seven Wonders of the World. If you want to read more about Petra, click here.
Ticket prices and Opening hours
The entrance fees into Petra are as follows -
- 1 Day - 50 JD
- 2 Days - 55 JD
- 3 Days - 60 JD
- Visitors who do not stay overnight or for more nights in Jordan (crossing from the borders) - 90 JD
- Jordanians and residents - 1 JD
We bought out tickets at a ticket counter near the Visitors Centre. Frankly the entrance fees are really steep but you get more value for your money the longer your stay in Petra is. Mr F had to present his passport when we purchased the tickets. If you are buying the 2 Days/3 Days, you need to present your passport when you enter the site. Mr F's name was recorded on his ticket. The entrance to the site is nearby Petra Guest House Hotel, where we stayed. It is about 5 minutes from the ticket counter. Fortunately for me, I paid only 1 JD. Mr F, no doubt, had to pay 55 JD.
If I am not wrong, Petra opens at 6 am and closes at around 6 pm or sunset.
Petra by Night
Since our visit to Petra coincided with Petra by Night (available on every Monday, Wednesday and Thursday), we decided to also do this on Monday night. We had to buy our tickets from Petra Bookshop, not at the ticket counter. The entrance fee was 12 JD per person. You do not need a day ticket for Petra by Night.
What you need in Petra
From our experience, it is advisable to -
From our experience, it is advisable to -
- wear comfortable shoes as there will be a lot of walking
- wear light and comfortable clothes. You may want a thin long sleeved shirt to prevent sunburn
- wear cap/hat/scarf
- wear sunglasses (the latter is optional)
- put on sunscreen to avoid getting burned
- have water (stay hydrated. don't worry, there are many clean toilets inside the site)
For your eyes only
 |
| One of the first sights that greets you as you enter Petra |
 |
| The Siq |
 | ||
The Siq
|
No comments:
Post a Comment