Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
the 'rose red city' is that despite many years of scrutiny, Petra still has many secrets yet to
be discovered.
Nature Reserves
Petra is a protected area although it comes under a different administration from Jordan's
other nature reserves. Given the number of visitors it hosts each year, the area has its own
challenges (see the boxed text,
Click here
)
, particularly erosion and damage to antiquities.
For the longevity of this extraordinary site, it's important to pay it the same respect as any
other reserve and avoid littering, wandering off paths, picking flowers or uprooting plants,
marking the monuments or disappearing behind a rock instead of using the toilet facilities.
Dangers & Annoyances
Some travellers have complained of overcharging and hard-sell techniques (not to men-
tion persistent local children!). This is rarely aggressive, and waxes and wanes with the
fortunes of local traders. If you visit in winter, people are too busy keeping warm to worry
about sales. In the competitive high season, however, traders and animal handlers make up
for lost time. Invariably, after establishing contact with a smile, greeting or snippet of con-
versation, you'll find almost all will reciprocate in kind.
When hiking from November to March and in September and October, pay careful at-
tention to the weather as the narrow wadis are susceptible to flash flooding.
Getting There & Away
Petra is a three-hour drive from Amman, two hours from Aqaba and 1½ hours from Wadi
Rum. See
Click here
for transport details. If driving to or from the Dead Sea, consider
travelling along the spectacular and seldom-used road that links Little Petra with Wadi
Araba. See the boxed text (
Click here
)
for details.
Getting Around
There are usually plenty of private (yellow) unmetered taxis travelling up and down the
main road of Wadi Musa towards the entrance for Petra, especially in the early morning
and late afternoon. The taxi fare around central Wadi Musa is JD2 to JD3; it costs a little
more if you go as far as 'Ain Musa. See
Click here
for transport within the Ancient City.
