Petra, Jordan

The next stop on the cruise was Aqaba port, which is around a two hour drive from Petra. This meant another big day and another early morning off the ship.

We met our driver and made our journey through Wadi Rum, which is the famous Jordanian desert that’s been used in a number of Hollywood movies.

We reached Petra and got on a golf cart which took us about three kms through a rock valley towards Petra. Many people prefer to walk this track, but mum’s knees were playing up so we decided to catch the cart. Luckily, doing the tours privately meant that we were at the sites early enough to miss the cruise ship tours so Petra was relatively quiet on our arrival.

As the cart came around the last notch in the rock, the treasury facade of Petra became visible. The treasury is the first and most intricate of the rock carvings in Petra valley. As we walked around the area, we visited tombs, sculptures and homes which were set into the rock face. You can also climb up the cliffs, where you will find additional structures.Read more