Petra Tour from Tel-Aviv or Jerusalem by Bus

This full day tour from Tel-Aviv or Jerusalem to Petra, Jordan sets off in the early hours of the morning. You are picked up at convenient pick-up points in Tel-Aviv or Jerusalem and travel south in a comfortable, air-conditioned bus. Driving past the Dead Sea, Masada and through the Aravah Valley we see the sun rise. We reach Eilat, Israel’s southernmost city on the shore of the Red Sea and make our way to the Aravah border crossing. Our representative will help with the border crossing into Jordan.
Once in Jordan the tour takes you along the Desert Highway past stunning desert scenery which takes on many shades of red, god and brown in the morning sunlight. On arrival at Petra we enter through the Siq, a 1,200m-long narrow gorge flaked by towering rock cliffs. You have the option of entering Petra on foot or horseback as merchants did over 2,000 years ago.
In Petra you will be given an in-depth tour by a knowledgeable guide who will show you the highlights of this ancient city and fill you in about Petra’s history.  The city of Petra was built by the Nabataean people in the 1st century BC. They carved their buildings out of the pink-hued rock cliffs creating intricately decorated facades. Thanks to their ingenious water gathering system the Nabataeans of Petra managed to survive and even prosper in the harsh desert environment. Petra became an important haven along the ancient trade route from the Arabian Peninsula and at its peak Petra was home to 20,000 people. Your Petra guide will show you sites like the Treasury; obelisk; tombs; colonnaded street and ancient Roman amphitheatre.
After lunch at an authentic local eatery we begin our return journey stopping at several observation points in Wadi Rum, a desert wilderness with dramatic rock formations that once enchanted Lawrence of Arabia. Time permitting we may fit in a brief panoramic tour of Aqaba, Jordan’s only Red Sea port city. The tour draws to an end as we cross back into Israel and return to Tel-Aviv and Jerusalem.