We were told it would cost 70JD for cab from Amman to Petra but ended up paying 160JD because we required two cars and had to go the long way due to snow and road closings. It was a five-plus hour trip in some nasty weather, going the "long way," down Dead Sea Road and then across to Petra over sand/gravel "paths" that are roads that are used mainly by Bedouins. It was scary to say the least.
Petra is beyond amazing. One day is NOT enough time to see Petra, but you'll be able to see a lot if that's all the time you have. We spent two full days there. A ticket is 21JD for one-day and for an extra 5JD you can get a two-day ticket, which is what we did. [I'm not good with converting the money - there are plenty of money converters on the web - but know that 70JD is about $100.00 US.] Please do not encourage more animal abuse by riding the horses in. It will cost between 10 and 20JD for a buggy. A horse died on our second day there. The animal abuse is more than I can handle - they do not treat the horses or the donkeys very well at all - nor the camels. I was in tears a good part of the morning over the dead horse. It is not a difficult walk in or out of Petra - wear good soled shoes. I am an almost 50-year-old woman who had walking boots on - NO HEELS - that would be asking for an injury - and was able to climb the 800 steps to the Monastery - and back down - on day one, and then on day two a much steeper climb up and perilous climb down to visit the High Sacrifice - well, well worth some shaky knees and sore leg muscles. All of Petra can be walked and I will be thrilled the day I hear that they no longer allow the animals to do the work. [We spent February 1st and 2nd in Petra - we have just returned from our trip to Jordan.] The Bedouin's are amongst some of the most friendly people I have ever met. The children were delightful - the little boys great little salesmen with boundless energy, the young teenage girls very, very nice and will enjoy just talking with you, the old women are nice, and the men will talk and talk and talk as long as you want to stay and hang out with them - we met a man who was born in one of the caves there, and a young woman - Rutha - at the High Sacrifice who told me that her aunt still lives in the caves there along with about 25 other families - and we saw evidence of this with laundry hanging out to dry on a line hung between two rocks climbing down from The High Sacrifice the back way to see The Garden Tomb. They understand that you can't buy something from all of them and seemed genuinely pleased if you just bought from someone else - they will all chant, "There's no charge for looking." Most of the locals we talked to spoke very, very good English. The hospitality is incredibly welcoming and it only seemed right to take the Turkish coffee or tea that you will be offered time and time again - it was 1.50JD for a coffee. The postcards the little kids are selling are only one JD - and not of the best quality - but you will need to buy a set anyway. The camel bone necklaces were not expensive and you can bargain with everyone. The Bedouins will be all over Petra so don't be overwhelmed with making purchases on the way in. Put a few packages of chewing gum in your pockets and you'll make little Bedouin children very, very, very happy! One of the things we did that I am glad we did was get our own personal 4-hour tour guide on day one. This cost 50JD and I will say he was worth it! They'll ask you when you purchase your tickets if you'd like a guide and they offer two and four hour guides. You will have things pointed out to you that you probably won't notice on your own - and he will explain everything and answer questions. There is one restaurant there - but we had a big breakfast before we went and only purchased water and, of course, the Turkish coffees [there are restrooms - but make sure you have tissues in your pocket as well - there was NO tissue in one of the women's restrooms - none - and thankfully as we were on the way out for the day I was able to wait until we returned to our hotel - and being quite a traveler, I know better than to go anywhere without tissues!]. Wear sturdy shoes! Dress in layers for this time of year. I had a long-sleeved tee shirt on, a heavy sweater and a lightweight jacket, along with a scarf and gloves. You get hot "hiking," and can then remove layers and put them on again when you're not hot and there are some places where not a lot of sun will shine in as you're climbing up the "hills" on rock steps and it can be quite cool - downright cold! It is definitely low season in Petra right now and on our fist day there we had the place to ourselves! Your pictures won't be full of tourists. They say about 350 to 400 people a day right now and 4000-5000 a day in the summer [I can't imagine the narrow pathways UP steep rocks with NO guardrails or handrails with this many people. We were very blessed with our timing. On our first full day in Wadi Moussa - where we stayed at the Marriott - it snowed and all the roads were closed. No one - NO ONE - was able to leave the hotel to go anywhere. We bought a deck of cards in the hotel gift shop and made the best of it. Nothing you can do about weather - and you do NOT want to be on the sand stone in the snow.] On our second full day in Jordan, the sky was perfectly blue and the sun was out and we left our hotel at 9 and went to Petra and enjoyed the entire day with virtually no tourists, and on day three - or the second day of our two-day ticket - there were a lot more tourists who had finally made it in - this was the morning that the horse died and that afternoon a man slipped off a bridge not far from the Collanaded Street in Petra and died [http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2008/02/03/africa/ME-GEN-Jordan-US-Tourist-Death.php and http://www.individual.com/story.php?story=77286705]. We went earlier on day two and it wasn't until about mid-morning that we noticed that there were a lot more people there than had been there the day before. It really is truly beautiful and amazing and with a little planning - putting one dollar bills in your pockets to give to the children to take their photos or buy their postcards - this is how they make their living, after all - and handing out chewing gum - and take tissues! Wear good shoes to do some heavy-duty walking, eat a good breakfast in the morning - you'll be fine for the day. [If the hotel you're staying at has a buffet breakfast - grab an apple and banana to put in your pocket.] I have the number for our driver, Mamoud, if you need it - to arrange for transportation to and from Petra from Amman. We got there when the storm was just hitting Jordan and although we were told it would be one driver - it required two to make the five-plus hour trip. And, the roads we traversed on for the last two hours weren't even roads - they are sand/gravel winding paths over the mountains. You will be hard-pressed to find a driver anywhere in Petra that does not smoke and Mamoud smoked the entire two hours with his car window open and talking on his cell phone but he did get us to our hotel safely when others were being advised to remain in Amman so I am not going to complain. If you go to Yahoo travel you'll find five, four and three star hotels. I saw some of the three-star hotels from the outside and don't know that I'd recommend saving the money but the saying goes, "You can't judge a book by its cover" so I could be all wrong. The local Jordanian red wine - vin-something-rouge - is really quite good! Have a safe and wonderful trip!!! Let me know if you need Mamoud's number - and I have Jpreel's number as well - who drove us while in Petra.
