03/02/2025
Our Side Trip to Petra: A Wild, Wonderful, and Exhausting Adventure (Plus Some Travel Tips!)
After 12 unforgettable days in Egypt, we figured—why not keep the adventure going? Since we were practically next door to Jordan, we decided to hop over to see Petra, one of the New Seven Wonders of the World. A 1.5-hour flight to Amman, followed by a three-hour drive, and we rolled into the Mövenpick Hotel, which is right at the entrance to Petra. Perfect!
Travel Tip: Renting a Car in Amman—Patience Required
Renting a car in Amman for our drive to Petra was a bit of a test in patience—the process took longer than expected, but nothing we couldn’t handle. We eventually secured a BMW and, before taking off, did what we always do:
We walked around the car and took photos from all angles and checked for any pre-existing damage.
After years of renting cars, I’ve learned this is a must, no matter where in the world you rent. The last thing you want is a surprise charge for something you didn’t do.
Driving in Jordan: A Crash Course (Without the Crash!)
Our first challenge was finding a gas station. But after surviving the chaos of Cairo’s streets, driving in Jordan felt surprisingly manageable. I even had a New York City moment, where I had to push my way through traffic because nobody was letting me in. I won, they lost, we made it to the gas station.
Then came a little math problem. The price of fuel in Jordan is listed per liter, not per gallon. My quick conversion skills were off, and for a moment, I thought we had just dropped $700 on gas. Turns out, it was only $70.
The car was nearly empty when we got it, and we only had to return it with the same fuel level. No full-tank stress.
Petra by Night: A Magical (and Unexpectedly Long) Stroll
We arrived at 7:15 PM, just in time for the front desk to hit us with, “Hey, want to see Petra by Night? It’s only available three nights a week, and tonight’s one of them.” Well, how could we say no? Little did we realize what we were signing up for.
A two-mile walk into the depths of Petra, in near total darkness, guided only by candles in paper bags lighting the path. It was surreal. By the time we reached the famous Treasury, the scene was straight out of Indiana Jones—except with a touch of Jordanian hospitality, as we were handed cups of local tea and settled in for a mesmerizing sound and light show.
Of course, what goes down must come back up. Another two-mile hike back to the entrance wasn’t exactly the way we envisioned ending our travel day, but luckily, we found a guy with a golf cart who saved us from certain exhaustion. We made it back to the Mövenpick, grabbed a bite to eat, and collapsed into bed.
The Day of Absolute Nothingness
The next morning, we felt like we had been run over by a freight train, twice. Every muscle in our bodies ached, our energy levels were at zero, and sightseeing was out of the question. Instead, we spent the day lounging by the pool, napping in our room, and doing a whole lot of nothing. And you know what? It was glorious.
Exploring (Slowly) & Little Petra
By the next day, we were slightly more human and decided to venture out in our car. First stop: the Marriott, perched high above Petra, offering stunning views of the valley. After soaking in the scenery, we headed back to the Mövenpick for a late lunch, a nap, and then set out for Little Petra, about nine kilometers away.
We were met by our guide, a 20-year-old local with braces, who lived outside Petra’s downtown area in the mountains with his family, in what he described as a very primitive dwelling. His English was surprisingly fluent but wildly unpredictable, sometimes sounding Australian, other times like a deep European Brit. He was incredibly knowledgeable about the area and explained in detail how ancient civilizations collected and stored water in the desert, channeling it down mountain cliffs into natural cisterns for their tribes to use over the centuries.
The best part was that the cost for the guide at Little Petra was only 20 Jordanian Dinars, about $25 USD. To put that into perspective, entering main Petra would have cost 25 Jordanian Dinars—with no guide, no explanations, and no services. This turned out to be a fantastic way to see Petra’s ruins while getting personal insights at a lower cost.
At one point, we saw a hand-painted wooden sign that read: “Great View - 10 Minutes.”
That was all the encouragement we needed.
We followed our guide through a narrow path, past locals selling trinkets and antiques, and then came the final challenge: a staircase wedged between two massive rock crevices. The steps were uneven, the ground was rocky, and the climb was more of a workout than we anticipated. But when we reached the top, the view was spectacular.
To mark the moment, we picked up some small perfume bottles and pill case necklaces as souvenirs for the little girls back in Colorado.
Heading Home: One Last Adventure
After one last power nap, we made it to dinner by 8 PM, reminiscing about the whirlwind of the past few days. Tomorrow, we start the long trek home—Austrian Airlines to Vienna, an overnight at the airport Hilton, then back to the U.S.
This trip was absolutely incredible. Would we do it again? In a heartbeat, minus the post-Petra exhaustion.
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