Aqaba - Petra (Silver Cloud)

We're on the Silver Cloud which calls at Aqaba, Jordan (port for Petra). The ship offers a tour of Petra and as part of the tour we spend three hours at Petra. Ideally, we'd like to spend longer there. I've been to Petra before and my recollection is that 3 hours isn't enough time to explore. (One of our party is into archaeology and has never been)

Petra closes at 6PM and the ship overnights at Aqaba so I'm not overwhelmingly concerned about 'missing the boat'.

Does anyone have any experience with a private car/driver from Aqaba to Petra? Any guidance pro or con would be gratefully accepted.

Thanks!

I expect the hotel near the entrance (at the top of the hill, used to be called the Petra Forum) could arrange a car, probably an unairconditioned taxi. A gift to the concierge would help. However, expect a higher price because the driver will have to pay a kickback to the hotel.

I have travelled by taxi from Amman to Petra and whilst road safety is not all that you might expect at home, in other respects you'd be fine.

Thanks for this, jgibbs!

WHat I'm thinking of doing is having a car pick us up at the ship and do the round-trip. I did a quick 'google' on "Aqaba Petra Chauffeur" and a carservice (Heart Rent a car) advertise a full day private car from Aqaba to Petra for USD 150.00 which is less than the ship's bus tour.

Check with Isram tours in Manhattan.I think there at 630 3rd ave.I used them when i went to India.I think they can arrange a tour for the day.Just a suggestion.

I've booked a car and driver for the 3 of us through an agency (Amani Tours) based in Jordan. The car is an air conditioned Merc and, for the 3 of us still works out to be half the cost of the ship sponsored tour and we get to spend longer in Petra.

I'm taking the same itenary on Shadow in November. I'll be most interested to know how your private arrangement works out. We've never been to this part of the world, so I'd appreciate reading about your experience on this itenary. Be sure to post comments.

Petra is a big site but you can just do the major highlights in a short day if you are energetic and determined. Everybody does the Siq (the chasm leading into the city) and the mis-named Treasury of Indiana Jones fame, the Roman theatre and street and other readily accessible tombs near the Treasury. It takes more effort -- but it's worth it! -- to reach the Biblical High Place (think Moses and the tablets -- Aaaron's tomb is not far away) and the Monastery, each of which is at the top of a significant climb with many steps. Personally, I avoid guides and enjoy my "own" discoveries more. I also cover more ground that way.

"It seems no work of man's creative hand,

By labour wrought as wavering fancy planned.

But from the rock as if by magic grown,

Eternal, silent, beautiful, alone!

Not virgin-white like that old Doric shrine,

Where erst Athena held her rites divine.

Not saintly-grey, like many minster fane,

That crowns the hill and consecrates the plain.

But rose-red as if the blush of dawn,

That first beheld them were not yet withdrawn.

The hues of youth upon a brown of woe,

Which man deemed old two thousand years ago.

Match me such a marvel save in Eastern clime,

A rose-red city half as old as Time."

-Dean John William Burgon, "Petra" (1845)

He won the Newdigate Prize for poetry at Oxford University with this poem. However, he had not actually visited Petra at the time he wrote it!

It was a wonderful text amongst many from the great man.

Interested to hear that you say he hadn't visited Petra before he wrote it. He was a terrible straight person so where was that sourced from?

Fans may learn more about him from:

http://www.deanburgonsociety.org/DeanBurgon/whowasdb.htm

Jeff