Petra Tour

We are considering the Petra walking tour. Has anyone, 70+, done this tour before? What should we know about the conditions on site that might impact our ability to do the tour?

We are considering the Petra walking tour. Has anyone, 70+, done this tour before? What should we know about the conditions on site that might impact our ability to do the tour?

Yes, we are over 70. It is about a mile walking into the site, slightly downhill before you reach the famous "Treasury". I believe they now provide some horse carts all the way down close to entrance channel now, but you will need to walk the rest of the way. Then you can walk around the Valley floor as much as you want.

There are steeper hikes to more remote sights which can be challenging - up stairs or long trails - but still well within a moderate level of activity. Walking from one end of the valley from the entrance to the other end is probably another mile to get to the museum and refreshment place under the few trees. It is mainly a hot and open, little shade the rest of the area

There is quite a lot to see just in the area around the "Treasury" and where it opens into the full valley -a row of rock "tombs" that are very dramatic - which you can choose to climb up into or not. The place is stunning and they have been making it easier for all levels of visitors of late, but it is still a place that you can only see by walking around or hiring one of the donkeys the locals offer.

Trick is that relatively easy walk down hill into the Valley now becomes a more demanding walk back up since it is now slightly uphill, after a long day walking around the Valley itself. So you can count on at least 2-3 miles of walking on fairly level terrain, in the heat and sun. If you are up to it, there is a lot more to see but day excursions don't give you a lot of extra time so you will be limited anyway.

Petra is on our bucket list. Hope to some day have the opportunity to see it.

Its not that easy for us "mature" folks. The best is to overnight in hotel in the town and go very early in the morning. It can get very warm (hot). A good option is to walk down and ride back up. It is a place not to be missed.

We've done the donkey cart twice. It is a really jarring, rough ride, think stone washboard. If you have back problems it would really hurt. The first time we only took the cart back up. It costs the same one way as round trip. Last time we were there about midway through my husband's knees (he was 81 at the time) balked so we engaged donkeys to take us back to the Treasury where we caught a donkey cart out and back to the top. The donkey ride wasn't very comfortable, but it beat walking for him, and we did get to see a lot of stuff. As I remember the donkey cart was $40 and the donkey ride was $10 each. The donkey's minder walks along beside you, so it is fairly safe. They also have camels that you can ride, but they are mainly for picture taking, I think. Petra is amazing, so you shouldn't miss it.

leslie

We've done the donkey cart twice. It is a really jarring, rough ride, think stone washboard. If you have back problems it would really hurt.

 

leslie

I was wondering about that. I walked through the siq coming and going but we watched those carts hurtle by over the rough road and it looked extremely jarring. At least when we were there, the drivers seemed to be taking it much too fast -- walkers sometimes had to scramble out of the way.

I have traveled with those in their 70s and on my trip, they did fine walking in. Some rode donkeys on the way out. I would recommend looking up some of the “Petra Siq” videos / virtual tours on You Tube to give an idea of what to expect walking in. Fascinating place!

Petra is spectacular and a not to be missed stop. As mentioned above the walk down isn’t that bad. If you’re part of a guided tour, ship or private, the guide will probably stop a number of times on the way down so it’s really more of a stroll than an all out walk. The walk back up out of the valley is not horrible but it’s not easy either and we were there last November so it was fairly mild weather. Wife and I (ages 57 and 70) “trained” hard for several months for this trip that included the Giza Plateau (pyramids and the Sphinx) and Luxor (Luxor Temple and Valley of the Kings) so we were ready as best we could be at our age, well at least at my age. Petra alone made the preparation worth it.

When we did it in October 2016 I thought I drank enough water but I should have had more! I felt faint as we made it back to the entrance by the ticket area. So be sure you have about 4 bottles of water per person and DRINK IT! As regular gym users we were in good enough shape to walk it, but the heat can take a toll on you. We were mid 60's then. DH says it is more than 2-3 miles though, closer to 5. (checked my IPhone and it definitely was). It is truly worth the visit though, so enjoy!

I'll join the chorus ...there's lots of good information above . I do think the cart ride is up to $50 now and as mentioned it's the same price round trip or one way.

My husband is in his 70's I'm in my 60's and we try to keep in good shape and we do 'extra ' exercise before a big trip. Only the OP can know what kind of shape they're in . We did fine for the whole 4-5 miles.

It has nothing to do with age (almost ). We had overweight folks in their thirties on our tour. They couldn't make it back and were on the donkeys (my sympathy was with those animals).

I was over 75 when I did it and wouldn’t have missed it for the world. On the other hand I’m not rushing to do it again. The walk, through the cliffs, was as spectacular as the buildings. I took two 50 oz bottles of water in my backpack and also drank water in a cafe at the bottom. On the way up I drank from one bottle and kept pouring the other on my head to stay cool. When we got back to the top I needed to buy more water. Just take your time. No need to race. It is fabulous.

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It’s a bit of a walk in and back. The idea of staying in the hotel by the entrance and going in early is the best. There is much more to see then just the treasury. You can spend hours going deeper into the ravine.