
About This Tour
Step into one of the world's most iconic archaeological wonders — Petra, the ancient Nabataean city carved into rose-red rock. Your private driver will collect you from your Amman hotel and drive you the 3 hours south to Petra in comfort. Walk through the breathtaking Siq canyon, emerge before the Treasury, and explore at your own pace. Our English-speaking drivers are knowledgeable companions who will help you make the most of every moment.
Tour Highlights
- Private transport from Amman hotel
- The iconic Treasury (Al-Khazneh)
- The Siq — dramatic natural canyon entrance
- Royal Tombs & Colonnaded Street
- Optional certified Petra guide
- Return transfer to your hotel
How the Day Runs
Your driver knocks on the hour, not before, not after. We build in enough buffer for Amman traffic so you're not the reason the day starts late.
The two and a half hour drive down includes a short stop for coffee if you want it. We time arrival to beat the big tour buses, which usually roll in closer to 10.
About 25 minutes on foot through the canyon. Your driver waits at the entrance, this part you do at your own pace, which is exactly how it should be.
This is the part most day-trippers skip because they're rushing back to the entrance. You won't be, since your driver isn't waiting on a schedule but on you.
If your legs are up for it, the 800-odd steps up to the Monastery are worth every one. If not, there's shade, tea stalls, and no shortage of places to just sit with the view.
We'd rather you leave tired and happy than rushed. Departure time flexes around what your day actually looked like, within reason.
Same driver, same car, straight back to your hotel door.
What's Included
- Private air-conditioned vehicle
- English-speaking driver
- Bottled water
- Free WiFi in vehicle
- Phone charger
Not Included
- Petra entrance ticket (~$75/person)
- Meals
- Personal guide (optional add-on)
Available Vehicles
Questions People Actually Ask
Just you, your group, your driver, your car. Nobody else gets added to your booking, ever — that's the whole point of what we do. Unlike the group tours sold through hotel desks and travel agencies in Amman, which often combine several unrelated bookings into one minibus to fill seats, every vehicle we send is booked exclusively for your party. That means no waiting on strangers to finish photos, no fixed group itinerary you can't deviate from, and no rushing because someone else in the van wants to leave early. If you want to spend an extra hour in the Treasury plaza or skip a stop entirely, you can — it's your day, not a shared one.
The Siq and the main Petra sites are flat but long — expect a few kilometers on foot at minimum just to reach the Treasury and Royal Tombs, and more if you continue toward the amphitheater or Qasr al-Bint. The Monastery hike, if you choose to do it, adds roughly 800 steps of real elevation gain and takes most visitors 45-60 minutes each way, though donkey rides are available at the base for those who'd rather not. Wear proper closed-toe shoes with grip, not sandals — the stone paths are smooth from centuries of foot traffic and can be slippery, especially after rain. Bring water; there are vendors inside, but prices rise the further you walk from the entrance.
Yes, though it runs separately on Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings and needs its own ticket, purchased in addition to your standard daytime entry. Petra by Night is a candlelit walk through the Siq to the Treasury with traditional music, and it's a genuinely different experience from the daytime visit — quieter, more atmospheric, but with a much shorter, fixed route than a full day exploring the site. Tell us when you book and we'll build the timing around it, either by extending your stay in the Petra area for that evening or coordinating a same-day combination if your schedule allows. We can also advise on whether it's worth adding based on your travel dates, since it doesn't run every night.
Tell us your arrival time and we'll adjust pickup accordingly — a 6am start after a red-eye is rough, and we'd rather push it 30 minutes than have you sleepwalking through the Siq and missing what you came for. Petra genuinely rewards an early start (cooler temperatures, fewer crowds, better light for photos at the Treasury), so we won't push the departure much later than necessary, but we're realistic about what jet lag does to a first day. If you'd prefer, we can also suggest overnighting near Petra the night before instead of driving from Amman that same morning, which removes the early wake-up entirely and lets you start the walk fresh.