Petra & Wadi Rum | Jordan - Lonely Planet Forum

ONLINE

Sun, 26 Jul 2009 12:57:34 +0000

Hi all,

I'll arrive to Amman the 29th of July (in just a couple of days!) and should be in Cairo on the 3rd of August, that lets me 5-6 days in Jordan & Sinai peninsula. I'm thinking about spending my time in Petra - Wadi Rum - Dahab (Egypt).

I have some questions:

a) I'm reserved one day and a half to visit Petra, but I could extend it one more day (or even two). What do you think, is that time enough or should I stay longer in Petra? I know I'm going to like it and would be the only time I'll be there. But I don't know if staying one more day I will spend it just watching things not so amazing as the things I would have already seen during the first day and a half. Maybe some treks are worthy?

b) The second thing I may be visiting in Jordan is Wadi Rum. Is heat a reason not to go during August? Will it be impossible to do some trekking, or just quite harder?

c) I've been in Sahara dessert twice (in Morroco and Tunicia) and know that the one-day-experience of the dessert is no real experience. Do you think that a couple of days would be enough to wonder around the beautiful views of Wadi Rum. How much can it cost?

If not going to Wadi Rum I guess I spend some days in Sinai diving (some more days as I'll spend 4-5 days diving at the end of August) or in Cairo.

Thanks in advance for your answers

ONLINE

Sun, 26 Jul 2009 15:45:21 +0000

A lot depends on what transport you would be using. Neither Petra nor Wadi Rum are very easy to get away from during the day or the evening, so a day and a half might give you a problem.

In any case, most people advise two full days for Petra, and walking in the heat will surely slow you down. There is more than enough there to occupy most people for four or five days! The site is enormous, although the majority of tourists content themselves with the high spots.

Wadi Rum is of course, even more enormous, and ditto the tourists. Were you planning to hike there on your own? Where had you thought of sleeping?

Have you looked at www.jordanjubilee.com which gives a fair amount of information for the independent traveller about both of these places?

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ONLINE

Sun, 26 Jul 2009 20:57:37 +0000

Thanks for your quick answer.

I'm going to use public transport. I do arrive at Amman early in the morning and I guess I'll be in Wadi Musa around lunch time. Watching Petra during the afternoon and the whole next day, and leaving the third day in the morning. I've heard bad reviews about "Petra by night" show, so I think I'll skip it. Too touristic, they say. Maybe I could make it a day longer.

About Wadi Rum.

It seems there's not a lot of public transport for getting there from Wadi Musa-Petra. What's the best option for getting there?
I thought buying a tour for a day & night in the dessert. Do you think it's possible to do in a day: moving from Petra to Wadi Rum, buying a tour & sleep that night in the desert?

Thank you

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ONLINE

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 06:05:23 +0000

Just about every hotel in Petra will offer "to arrange a tour in Wadi Rum" for you. Most of these tours do not go to the Protected Area, but to Disseh where you would sleep in one of the huge camps there.

It would be better to get yourself to Wadi Rum and pick up a tour at the Resthouse. The problem is that the price is based on the number of people in the jeep and if you are alone, especially at this season which is slow on tourists, you would be relying on luck.

There is a morning bus from Petra to Wadi Rum, provided there are enough people to take it. Ask your hotel to arrange this for you and the bus would pass to collect you. If they make difficulties, the driver's phone number is 0795.235.257 and his name is Mahmoud Asri.

Some hotels send you with taxis ("bus not running") and collect a commission from the taxi driver.

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