Dubai --> Athens .. thoughts?

[CASHIPman]

I did receive very quick responses to my questions from Amani tours.

 

Here are the specifics:

- 10 hour tour Aqaba-Petra-Wadi Rum-Aqaba with van and driver for $300.

- We will pay directly all entry fees, horse/carriage rides, local guide and lunch.

- We opted for a brief 1 hour tour at Wadi Rum, staying on the main road (without using 4X4) with a visit at a desert camp.

 

We are quite satisfied with the itinerary and the quote.

 

Here are the questions:

- How important is a local guide at Petra (if we use a guide book)? We can identify the sights and read up on the history but do not want to get lost.

- Full prepayment is requested. Is this ususual?

- We are scheduled to arrive back at port 5:30 pm, way before 7:00 pm sailing. However, I wonder about the traffic conditions on the highway and if there are any rush hour traffic jams.

 

Any thoughts/comments are welcomed. Thanks.

 

I've been to Petra twice and didn't use a guide either time. A guide book will be fine.

 

With Amani I do recall that we gave a credit card via the 'net/fax and there was no issues around that.

 

I don't know about traffic/distances from Wadi Rum back to the port but when we went from Petra to Aqaba we didn't have any traffic issues. The only (minor) hold up was entering the port zone.

[unfathomable]

Petra is a big site and you may get more out of it in a single day with a guide. Whether you take a guide or not, it is worth reading up in advance and working out which of the "highlights" you want to see. Two or three of them (the "Monastery", the "biblical" High Place and the "Snake" monument, for example) are quite a long way from the centre of the site, and you will need lots of energy for climbing the slopes/steps to reach one of them in a day as well as to see the more-accessible sights.

[decocamp]

Thanks for the all the feedback.

 

We gernerally move very slowly (with elderlies). A private tour is therefore very helpful. I also appreciate knowing more details beforehand to reduce surprises.

 

Unfortunately the monastery (or any climbing) will be out of our range. We hope to get to the colonnade area if not the restaurant/museum, enough to get a feel of the open areas and see the surrounding caves from a distance.