Whether you are in the city of Amman, exploring Petra, or trekking the desert valley of Wadi Rum, men should refrain from wearing shorts as it is seen as disrespectful.
As I've mentioned, Israel has more beaches and is more commercially developed, but Jordan has beautiful views and salt formations plus plenty of resorts to choose from too. In the end, the best place to visit the Dead Sea is whichever country you are planning to visit.
Distance and Difficulty: The Petra Main Trail is 8km / 5 miles return from the Visitors Centre. Easy walk, largely flat. Allow 3 – 4 hours return, including time to see the sites along the way.
The entrance into Petra is in the town Wadi Musa, a great place to stay overnight when visiting Petra. The walk from the entrance of Petra to the Treasury (the iconic facade that is the highlight on a visit to Petra), is 2km long, or just over one mile.
It is fine to travel in Jordan in jeans most of the time, and you can, of course, wear them in Petra as well, in case this is the piece you never leave your home without, but as the visit of Petra requires quite a lot of walking, we think hiking trousers are a much better choice.
The best time to see Petra is in the early morning or late afternoon, so plan for an early start, or arrive the evening before to stay in one of the comfortable hotels in Petra.
The easiest way to get to Petra is to join a guided tour. This option is much more expensive, but it's the most convenient one. You let someone else do all the planning and you sit back and enjoy your day. There are tour packages available from Amman and Aqaba in Jordan, or Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and Eilat in Israel.
Do I Need A Guide Or A Tour? You can totally visit Petra by yourself?we did! If you're visiting several areas in Jordan, a tour guide and driver may simplify things, but it's certainly not a requirement. You can consider hiring a guide at the entrance to Petra, which I would have considered if we'd had more time.
Our Petra & Wadi Rum Day Trip gives travelers staying in Amman and the Dead Sea the opportunity to see the wondrous sites of Jordan all in one day. This adventure will take you to two of the world's most impressive and unforgettable sites.
Wadi Musa – translated to the Valley of Moses – is a town that is set within a valley that surrounds the ancient city of Petra. With a large number of hotels and plenty of local restaurants to match, in recent years Wadi Musa has seen a tourism boom with visitors choosing to use the town as a base to explore Petra.