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Jordan and Petra

We awoke early in the morning from Eilat and set out to make our trip to Petra, not knowing exactly what to expect.  I had read that the best way to get to Petra is to take a taxi to the border with Jordan, then cross the border, then take a taxi on the Jordanian side to Petra.  The border itself was very strange, as almost no one was there.  The soldiers at the border were no nonsense, but otherwise it was not particularly scary and everything went according to plan.  The only slightly intense moment was just after we crossed the border into Jordan – as there was nothing there.  Slowly a car pulled out of an almost deserted parking lot and stopped by to pick us up.

We set out in the taxi towards our destination.  The trip took about three hours and was quite scenic as we passed by numerous wadis.  Ahead of us awaited one of the most amazing places on this planet, immortalized in the movie Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Petra is still little known to most Americans.  However, as it has recently been voted one of the new wonders of the world, it is unlikely to remain a secret for much longer.

There are a number of tips I would like to impart for those who would like to travel to Petra. 

First, do not take the day trip from Eilat or elsewhere.  These buses arrive during the hottest part of the day and see very little of Petra.  They basically walk the canyon, see the Treasury (above), then take a rest and see the rest of Petra from a distance – rarely getting a closeup view of the ruins.  Other places such as the Monastery are not visited at all.

However, when you visit Petra you will want at least two days there.  Petra is best visited in the morning or late afternoon, when the sun isn’t so strong.  During the day you will likely want to rest.

The other tip is to bring a lot of water.  I wore pants with deep pockets and always had at least three water bottle on me whenever embarking on a new hike.  At the base canyon level there are a number of shops you can stop at and pick up water for a low price.  This is absolutely essential, as the sun is extremely strong and when you rise above the canyon it is merciless.

In terms of photography, I used my 16-35mm 2.8L II on my Canon 5D the entire time.  There were times that I considered changing the lens, but with the large amount of dust there I did not feel comfortable.  Dust is everywhere there, and by the time I returned from a day’s hike my shoes and pants had changed color and Nelya felt the need to throw my socks out.  Therefore I did not trust that I would be able to change my lens without getting dust inside, so I left the wide angle lens on all of the time.  This didn’t turn out so bad, as the structures are huge and sometimes you are quite close to them due to the tightness of the Canyon.

Another suggestion is to make sure to visit Petra at night.  This is not offered every night, so make sure that it is being held one of the nights you plan to be there.  It is truly an amazing experience – you can almost hear the history in this place through the sheer silence.

Unfortunately I did not have time to see the place of high sacrifice, but I did see the Monastery – which is the tallest of the Nabatean structures at Petra.  The hike is long and requires going up quite a few steps.  There are donkeys you can rent to help you along the way – just make sure to bring exact change.

Petra was truly an amazing place and I took a lot of pictures while I was there.  It was easily the highlight of our trip to Israel and Jordan.  The hospitality was amazing there and the food was great.

I would also recommend that you check out Little Petra if you have time.  While Petra consists for the most part of tombs of important persons, Little Petra is where most of the population is believed to have lived.  The structures there are nowhere near as grand as Petra, but they are still very interesting. 

 

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Tags: jordan, petra, photography, Travel