Sofitel Petra Taybet Zaman, Petra

Advantages: stunning sites, wonderful walks, petra by night fantastic experience
Disadvantages: need to be pretty fit, hassle to buy things

...Stunning and magical, especially worth doing the walk in on the evening when the central area is lit up with hundreds of candle lanterns, and there is music and entertainment for visitors. During the day, climbing up to the top and looking down into Petra is also fantastic but not for the unfit! You also get quite a lot of hassle from local people trying to sell jewellery and stuff which can be trying after a while, but the actual place and all the sites more than make up for it. The walk in is quite long and hard going in places, and you will need to carry plenty of water with you. It photographs beautifully well, and the colours really are amazing.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful

Advantages: Hours of exploration if you like archaeology and some spectacular rock formations
Disadvantages: A lot of walking

...~Introduction~ Petra is the ruined capital city of the Nabataeans Arabs, it was built in the 3rd century BC by carving the city out of the cliffs and rocks. It is located some 262km or 160 miles south of Amman. A Victorian traveller Dean Burgon described Petra as ' a rose-red city half as old a time'. The most famous ruin is El Khazneh (Treasury), which was used as the entrance to the caverns of the Holy Grail in the film 'Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade'. El Khazneh is only one of a number a temple type structures in Petra alongside other smaller caves and holes that have been dug out of the rocks. ~Arriving in Petra~ I arrived from Eilat in Israel on a tour bus. The journey included a stop at the Israel/Jordan border, and long drive across the desert to Petra. The whole trip around Petra was done in the course of one day... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: a unique experience
Disadvantages: may be a hard journey for some

..."... match me such a marvel, save in Eastern clime A rose-red city, half as old as time." These are the words that Dean Burgen was inspired to write about one of the most mystical and magical locations of the ancient near east. The Jordanian site known to history as Petra, lies about 3-5 hours south of modern capital of Amman and about 2 hours north of Aqaba, the countries only port, on the edges of the mountainous desert of the Wadi Araba. There is a modern town of about 15 thousand inhabitants perched on the mountainsides and valley floor of the region and the landscape alone is breathtaking before you even consider the ancient grandeur that lies hidden within its keep. The surrounding mountains are of such scale and otherworldly design that the film "Mission to Mars" was actually filmed here to simulate the geography of the red... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful