Petra

Holidays to Petra

No tour of Jordan is complete without a trip to Petra, the iconic desert city. The Lost City of Petra is an archaeological site in southwestern Jordan, lying on the slope of Mount Hor in a basin among the mountains that form the eastern flank of Arabah, the large valley running from the Dead Sea to the Gulf of Aqaba. It's famous for its many stone structures carved into the rock and wonderful Treasury. It was hidden to the Western world until 1812, when young Swiss explorer Johann Ludwig Burckhardt – who was hoping to discover the source of the Nile – stumbled across it. The site was designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985 when it was described as "one of the most precious cultural properties of man's cultural heritage".

Our Petra tours include cycling trips, and you can travel around the Wadi Rum valley by bike too, taking in the spectacular desert scenery. On Petra holidays you can also take a guided trek in the desert and spend the night in a traditional Bedouin camp.