Petra & Wadi Rum

Meet your guide, walk to Petra visitor center to start your tour in the archaeological site. Begin your visit with an optional horse ride from the main gate of Petra to the entrance of the old city. Then walk on foot along to the Siq (entrance). The ancient city of Petra was built between 800 BC to AD 100 by Nabatean Arabs. In this era Petra was a fortress, carved out of the jagged rocks in an area, which was virtually inaccessible. In the first and second century, after the Romans invaded, the city reached the peak of its fame. Petra covers an area of about 100 square kilometers (62 miles), where over 800 monuments can be found.  When shipping slowly displaced caravan routes, the city's importance gradually dwindled and it fell into disuse and was lost to the world until 1812, when it was re-discovered by the Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burkhart. Nowadays Petra is a popular tourist attraction, known as the "rose-red city half as old as time". The Khazneh (the Treasury), featured in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.   Your lunch will be served at the Qantarah Restaurant in Petra After lunch, drive to visit wadi Rum (around 2 hours from Petra) Otherwise known as Valley of the Moon, Wadi Rum is the largest - and most magnificent - of Jordan's desert landscapes and has been virtually untouched by humans. A maze of monolithic rock formations rises up from the desert floor to heights of 1,750 meters (5,740 feet), creating a natural challenge for serious mountaineers. However, Wadi Rum may be best known for its connection with British officer T. E. Lawrence, who passed through several times during the Arab Revolt of 1917–18. In the 1980s one of the rock formations in Wadi Rum was named "The Seven Pillars of Wisdom" after Lawrence's book penned in the aftermath of the war, although the 'Seven Pillars' referred to in the book have no connection with Rum. Excursion in Wadi Rum for 2 hours by a 4x4 vehicle. (Please note: The Wadi Rum 4x4 excursion is conducted on-board a basic but comfortable vehicle which is operated by a local charity foundation. Drive to Aqaba Port