Excursion to Petra by plane from Sharm

About this tour

“A Rose-Red City half as old as time”

Petra remained unknown to the western world until it was discovered by Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt in 1812. Since then it has become Jordans most visited tourism attraction.

Described as “one of the most precious cultural properties of man’s cultural heritage”, and included in BBC’s “40 places you have to see before you die”, Petra is a must see on a vacation to Sharm, Egypt.

Lying on the slope of Mount Hor in a basin amongst the spectacular mountains of Wadi Araba, Petra is famous for its architecture and water conduits system, as well amazing Roman theatre and scenery.

The Plan

We will pick you up from your hotel in Sharm el Sheikh at 4.30am and transfer you to Sharm Airport where you will fly to Aqaba.

From there you will drive on an air conditioned coach to Petra where a guided tour begins. We will enter Petra on foot through the spectacularly beautiful narrow and winding gorge over 1kilomete in length, until the gorge opens out revealing the Great Treasury (which can be seen in the pictures below).

After visiting the Great Treasury your guide will take you around the grand Roman Theatre of Petra.

Roman Theatre

Beyond the Street of Facades lies the Theatre, which was constructed in the early 1st century AD by Nabataeans and enlarged and improved by the Romans shortly after their annexation of the Kingdom in 106 AD. They accomplished this by ruthlessly gouging away a street of houses or tombs in order to extend the rear of the auditorium, which could then accommodate 3000 people.

This also improved the acoustics of the theatre and supported a drain, which took the run-off water around the sides of the theatre. The standard Roman-design theatre today lies open to the Outer Siq, but would originally have been enclosed by a wall and completely cut off from the street.

Ancient Tombs of Petra

Next on your guided tour is the the Royal Tombs (the Rainbow Tomb is a must for photographers), as well as hundreds of monuments, tricliniums, and obelisks, all carved from the multi-shaded, rose red sandstone.

Lunch at the City Center

A walk through the colonnade of Roman Byzantine Petra brings us to the city centre for lunch. After lunch we continue our tour to the hill of Al-Habis (crowned with a crusader-era fort) for a breathtaking panoramic view of deep gullies and uniquely coloured rock formations.

Free time and Shopping in Aqaba

After you have seen the magnificent sights of Petra you will be driven back to Aqaba for an hour of free time, perfect for shopping or if your prefer having a drink and relaxing.

After seeing Aqaba you will be transferred to Aqaba airport for your flight back to Sharm el Sheikh where you will be transferred to your hotel.