Wonderful

[Roxburgh]

Lincslady,

It is long, but doable and if you take it slow, you will be fine. You can pick up a horse cart at any point so do as much as you can and just know you can always get a cart if you need. The tour guide (through the ship excursion) walked very very slowly. The walk going is downhill but then you have to deal with the walk back. What makes the walk challenging overall are the cobblestones / uneven footing. I saw a fair number of people with walking sticks so you may want to take one along. Just take it nice and slow and you will be fine, and you will love it.

 

 

 

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Bear in mind that the walk down to the Treasury is only the first part of a Petra visit which continues on downhill with lots to see. Altogether, I would say that the full visit there and back is around seven miles.

 

You can get a horse drawn buggy down to the Treasury and there are camels available to go on (or back) further.

 

The camels, horses and other concessions are operated by the local Bedouins. These are the people who used to live in the caves at Petra. When it was declared a UNESCO Heritage Site, they were moved out to a new town not far away. As part of the deal, they got to keep the concessions.

 

There is a interesting book 'I married a Bedouin' by a New Zealand lady who lived with her husband in Petra. Her son operates one of the book/souvenir stalls. A very nice man with a strong New Zealand accent when he speaks English. I would recommend stopping at his stall.

[Hobar]

Hobar, thanks for your insights: What did you do in Salalah and Muscat? And after talking to others on the cruise, did you wish you opted for other adventures at these locations? Looking forward to our cruise there in May.

 

 

In Salalah, we did a ship excursion to the Beach, a shopping area (not very nice but that made for fun with fellow passengers) and Job's Tomb. It was not all that interesting but we still has lots of fun seeing the area which itself was interesting. In Salalah, you really need to do an excursion with ship or third party if you find in advance since there is nothing in area of port for you to do on your own and I hear (but could not confirm) that taxis overcharge. In Muscat, we did Hop On Hop Off Bus that we picked up at the Souk where the ship shuttle dropped us off. There is a whole big city beyond the Souk. I don't know that anyone else we spoke with who did other excursions raved about them. Depends what you like. We are not museum people and have seen enough mosques that we don't care to see more. We like seeing how people live rather than going on detailed tours so what we did was fine for us and I don't wish I did anything other than what we did so all depends on personal preference. On a side note, if you will be staying is Athens, I highly recommend he Electra Palace Hotel. It is the most perfect location and book a room facing the Acropolis. See attached photo taken from our room. It is walking distance to everything. My husband had stayed at the Grand Bretagne (spelling?) years ago and much preferred the Electra. And also, I suggest you stay overnight in Israel and if are inclined to do on your own, stay at The Harmony Hotel.

 

 

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Edited November 26, 2015 by Hobar

[notjaded]

In Salalah, we did a ship excursion to the Beach, a shopping area (not very nice but that made for fun with fellow passengers) and Job's Tomb. It was not all that interesting but we still has lots of fun seeing the area which itself was interesting. In Salalah, you really need to do an excursion with ship or third party if you find in advance since there is nothing in area of port for you to do on your own and I hear (but could not confirm) that taxis overcharge. In Muscat, we did Hop On Hop Off Bus that we picked up at the Souk where the ship shuttle dropped us off. There is a whole big city beyond the Souk. I don't know that anyone else we spoke with who did other excursions raved about them. Depends what you like. We are not museum people and have seen enough mosques that we don't care to see more. We like seeing how people live rather than going on detailed tours so what we did was fine for us and I don't wish I did anything other than what we did so all depends on personal preference. On a side note, if you will be staying is Athens, I highly recommend he Electra Palace Hotel. It is the most perfect location and book a room facing the Acropolis. See attached photo taken from our room. It is walking distance to everything. My husband had stayed at the Grand Bretagne (spelling?) years ago and much preferred the Electra. And also, I suggest you stay overnight in Israel and if are inclined to do on your own, stay at The Harmony Hotel.

 

Many thanks for the information and suggestions!

[lincslady]

Hobar and Laylam - thanks for the useful advice re Petra. I think we would find the trip tiring, but obviously well worthwhile, and hope to be fit enough to do it when we cruise the area. Thanks again for that and the other tips about the itinerary.

[galeforce9]

Hobar and Laylam - thanks for the useful advice re Petra. I think we would find the trip tiring, but obviously well worthwhile, and hope to be fit enough to do it when we cruise the area. Thanks again for that and the other tips about the itinerary.

 

 

Hi lincslady

 

Did you see my info on page 1?

[lincslady]

Oops! so sorry, galeforce 9. And you practically a neighbour! No, I didn't at the time - don't know how I missed it, but put it down to old age.

 

Very helpful advice - we too have stayed at the Grande Bretagne and loved it, though others prefer more modern hotels. The breakfast on the top floor, both food and views, was fantastic. And thanks for all the other info; will now study it in full.

[claudiaYVR]

Hi there,

 

We did a similar itinerary on the Sojourn in April of this year. It was a fantastic and memorable trip. I thought some of you may want to read my blog which has some info about the ports:

 

http://claudiayvr.blogspot.ca/2015/03/third-times-charm.html

[notjaded]

Hi there,

 

We did a similar itinerary on the Sojourn in April of this year. It was a fantastic and memorable trip. I thought some of you may want to read my blog which has some info about the ports:

 

http://claudiayvr.blogspot.ca/2015/03/third-times-charm.html

 

Awesome. Thanks for sharing.