Visiting Petra is a pretty popular jaunt especially among visitors from Israel. The ‘Lost city’, Petra is a sprawling wonderland of the beautiful ancient architecture and today, it’s among the Seven Wonders of the World. There are lots of companies offering tours and excursions from Israel to Petra every day and while it’s possible to travel independently via public transport or taxis, the tours come highly recommended.

Visiting Petra Independently You can travel from Israel to Jordan via one of the three open borders crossing between the 2 nations: the Beit Shean crossing (Jordan River Crossing), the central, Allenby/King Hussein crossing between Jerusalem and Amman, or the Wadi Arava crossing at Eliat.

Note that Wadi Arava crossing and Beit Shean crossing issues the Jordanian visas on the spot while you’ll need a pre-issued visa to enter Jordan via Allenby crossing. On spot visit visa (at the border) costs around $60 per person.

Independent travelers often find that the waiting time at the borders can be long plus the public transport in Israel can sometimes be hard to coordinate. A taxi would be an easier option and the simplest way to get to the border points. Once you’re in Jordan, public transportation and taxis are relatively cheaper compared to Israel. Private taxis from Amman to Petra charge around $75, then visitors can take a guide from Petra.

Issues encountered by independent travelers include longer transportation times, hold up at the border and it’s pretty hard to get quality on your tour since pre-booking an excellent guide in Jordan is problematic.

For these reasons, most people find organized tours favorable. Although, they’re slightly expensive they offer value for money by enhancing your Petra experience and they also incorporate other fabulous but hard-to-reach attractions such as Aqaba and Wadi Rum.

Joining A tour to Petra or Jordan Usually, short one or two days tours depart from Eilat in southern Israel to Petra while the longer three and four days tours usually depart from Jerusalem or Tel Aviv.

From Eilat There are daily tours departing from Eilat to Petra and Wadi Rum. The tours depart from Eilat because visas are issued on the spot at Wadi Arava crossing. The tours are door-to-door, completely guided and with the transfer on either side which offers travelers an easier and seamless travel experience, plus the tours offer extra attraction sites with most of them including the astounding Wadi Rum, a tour around the magical Jordanian city of Aqaba and many more.

Currently, we have three main one day or overnight tour options departing from Eilat to Petra and Wadi Rum.

• Petra day tour: $185 per person. further information and booking

• Petra two-day tour: $250 per person including overnight accommodation. further information and booking

• Petra and Wadi Rum two-day tour: $250 per person including overnight accommodation. further information and booking

From Jerusalem and Tel Aviv Every week, we have 2 or 3-day tour departing from Jerusalem and Tel Aviv to Jordan. In addition to visiting the fascinating city of Petra, these tours also incorporate many of the country’s awe-inspiring attractions such as the beautiful Amman city, Mount Nebo, Mabada and Jerash. These tours include door-to-door transfer as well as accommodation.

Currently, we have two main three or four-day tour options departing from Jerusalem or Tel Aviv to Jordan.

• Petra day tour from Tel Aviv: $250 per person. More information and booking • Petra day tour from Jerusalem: $250 per person. More information and booking • Petra and Wadi Rum two day tour from Tel Aviv: $280 per person. More information and booking • Petra and Wadi Rum two day tour from Jerusalem: $280 per person. More information and booking • Petra, Jerash, Amman, Mount Nebo, Wadi Rum, and Mabada, 3-day tour: $385 per person. More information and booking