Petra and Wadi Rum 2 day tour from Eilat

Your Petra and Wadi Rum 2 day tour from Eilat begins with pickup from your hotel or a central meeting point. Our representative briefs you on the border crossing procedure. Bring your passport, cash for border/visa fees ($140), comfortable shoes, and an overnight bag.

Arrive at the Arava/Wadi Araba border crossing, the fastest Israel-Jordan crossing point. Our border assistance representative guides you through the process. Border and visa fees total approximately $140 per person, paid in cash at the crossing. The process takes 45-60 minutes including passport control and vehicle change to a Jordanian coach.

The Petra and Wadi Rum 2 day tour from Eilat crosses into Aqaba, Jordan's only coastal city on the Red Sea. Walk through the scenic street passages to the Mamluk Castle, a 16th-century Ottoman fort offering a stunning panoramic view where you can see four countries at once: Israel, Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia.

After the castle visit, enjoy free time to explore Aqaba at your own pace. Optional activities available for an additional charge include visiting a private beach with pool and Jacuzzi, Red Sea boat rides, and snorkeling in Aqaba's crystal-clear waters, known for some of the best coral reefs in the region.

Leave Aqaba and head into the dramatic desert landscape toward Wadi Rum. The drive takes approximately 45 minutes as the terrain transforms from coastal town to vast red desert wilderness.

The highlight of Day 1 on this Petra and Wadi Rum 2 day tour from Eilat. Board a powerful open-top Jeep driven by a local Bedouin guide and explore the "Valley of the Moon," a distinctive desert wilderness with towering sandstone formations that rise hundreds of meters from the desert floor.

Your Jeep safari covers major Wadi Rum landmarks: natural rock bridges you can climb, ancient Nabataean and Thamudic rock inscriptions, narrow canyon passages called siqs, and vast open plains that stretch to the horizon. The red, orange, and yellow rock formations create an otherworldly landscape that has served as the backdrop for Lawrence of Arabia, The Martian, Star Wars: Rogue One, and Aladdin.

The Jeep safari is timed for the cooler afternoon hours, which is also the best time for photography as the low sun paints the sandstone in deep warm colors.

Arrive at the Bedouin glamping camp. The Petra and Wadi Rum 2 day tour from Eilat includes overnight accommodation in a deluxe tent with a real bed, private bathroom, electricity, heating, and air conditioning. This is not basic camping. It's a comfortable glamping experience that preserves the authenticity of sleeping in the desert while providing modern amenities.

The standard camp is Luxury Rum Magic Camp or similar (subject to availability). Upgrades to a futuristic Martian Bubble Tent are available on request for a supplement, offering a transparent dome ceiling for stargazing from your bed.

• Free Evening

The camp prepares a traditional Jordanian feast including Zarb, the famous Bedouin barbecue cooked underground in a sand pit. The meal includes grilled meats, rice, traditional spreads, fresh salads, flatbread, and dessert. Eat under the desert sky with Bedouin tea served afterward.

Optional activities available at the camp (additional charge, arranged on the spot): stargazing experience with telescope, and sunrise camel ride (booked for the following morning).

• Evening

Wake up to a Wadi Rum sunrise as light transforms the desert landscape. The Petra and Wadi Rum 2 day tour from Eilat includes breakfast at the camp before departure.

Leave Wadi Rum and drive north to Petra (approximately 1.5-2 hours). En route, catch a view of Jebel Haroun (Mount Aaron), traditionally believed to be the burial site of Aaron, brother of Moses. The mountain's white shrine is visible from the road.

The Petra and Wadi Rum 2 day tour from Eilat arrives at Petra Archaeological Park. Your licensed English-speaking guide collects entrance tickets (included) and leads you into one of the most extraordinary archaeological sites on earth.

The Siq: Walk 1.2 kilometers through a narrow gorge with walls rising 80 meters on each side. Your guide points out Nabataean water channels, religious niches, and remnants of the original paved road. At the end of the Siq, the Treasury (Al-Khazneh) appears through a narrow gap in the cliff, a 40-meter-high masterpiece carved top-down into the sandstone around the 1st century BCE.

The Street of Facades and Roman Theater: Continue deeper into Petra past monumental tomb facades lining the main path to the Roman Theater carved into the hillside, seating 8,500 spectators with tombs carved above the upper rows.

The Royal Tombs: Four massive facades high on the cliff face of Jabal al-Khubtha. The Urn Tomb, converted to a Byzantine church in 446 CE, is the most impressive.

The Colonnaded Street and Qasr al-Bint: The main civic thoroughfare of ancient Petra, leading to one of the few freestanding temples in the city.

Your guide explains how the Nabataeans controlled ancient trade routes and engineered water systems in the desert, building a city of 20,000-30,000 people.

After the guided tour, the Petra and Wadi Rum 2 day tour from Eilat gives you free time to explore at your own pace. The most popular option is hiking to the Monastery (Ad Deir), Petra's largest monument at 47 meters wide. The hike involves approximately 800 rock-cut steps (30-45 minutes up) and rewards you with a massive facade and panoramic views over the Wadi Araba valley. Alternatively, explore the High Place of Sacrifice, the Tomb of the Roman Soldier, or simply revisit your favorite spots for photos.

Lunch is at your own expense. There are restaurants near the Petra visitor center and food stalls inside the park.

Meet your driver at the Petra visitor center. The Petra and Wadi Rum 2 day tour from Eilat heads south toward the Arava border. The drive takes approximately 2-2.5 hours.

Cross back into Israel at the Arava border. The return crossing typically takes 30-45 minutes.

The Petra and Wadi Rum 2 day tour from Eilat concludes with drop-off at your hotel or a central point in Eilat.

If you're continuing your vacation, check our Eilat day tours for Red Canyon, Timna Park, or Red Sea snorkeling. Heading north? See our Masada and Dead Sea tour or Jerusalem Full Day Tour.

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