02 Days with 01 overnight Petra and Wadi Rum Tour from Eilat Border

Petra and Wadi Rum make a powerful pair: one is a vast ancient city carved into rose-colored cliffs, the other is a stark desert of sandstone towers and open sand. This two-day Jordan trip from Eilat handles the difficult parts, including transport, border assistance, meals, and overnight lodging.

I especially like the full Petra visit and the four to five-hour Wadi Rum Jeep ride. You get time for a proper look at Petra instead of a rushed photo stop, then a desert sunset and Bedouin-style camp experience. The main drawback is the price, $587 per person, plus possible tips and a Jordan departure tax.

• Petra gets about four hours, including an English-speaking guide and lunch.
• Wadi Rum receives a substantial Jeep tour, not just a quick drive-by.
• One night in a Bedouin camp includes barbecue dinner, breakfast, tea, and desert scenery.
• Border assistance at Eilat makes the international crossing less confusing.
• Optional extras include camel rides, a Petra carriage, and a hot-air balloon ride.
• Private group format means your party travels together rather than joining a large shared group.

Why This Eilat-to-Jordan trip works

Visiting Petra and Wadi Rum independently from Eilat requires you to coordinate transport, border formalities, Jordanian drivers, entrance fees, meals, and an overnight stay. This package puts those pieces under one roof.

You begin in Eilat, in Israel’s Southern District, and receive meet-and-assist service at the border. That help matters because an international land crossing can involve several steps, walking between areas, and questions about local fees. You still need your passport and any required documents, but you are not left to work out every transfer alone.

After entering Jordan, the tour uses a new car with an English-speaking driver and assistant driver. The private format is useful for families and small groups that prefer to keep their own pace. It also means the $587 price is easier to assess as a bundle rather than as the cost of a simple Petra ticket.

Included are transportation, Petra admission, a Wadi Rum Jeep tour, accommodation, breakfast, lunch, dinner, boxed food in Wadi Rum, mineral water, and guiding. Tips, personal spending, travel insurance, optional rides, and a possible $15 Jordan departure tax remain outside the package.

Wadi Rum Jeep hours and Bedouin camp night

Wadi Rum, also called the Valley of the Moon, lies about 60 kilometers east of Aqaba. It is Jordan’s largest wadi, a broad desert valley shaped by sandstone and granite.

The included Jeep tour lasts about four to five hours. Your English-speaking Wadi Rum guide is also your driver, so you get a direct explanation of the places you pass rather than simply being driven from one stop to another. The exact route is not listed, so you should ask about the planned stops when you meet your guide.

I like the length of this ride. One hour in Wadi Rum can give you a taste, but four to five hours gives the desert room to unfold. You have time for open views, rock formations, Bedouin tea, and the slower rhythm that makes this place different from Petra.

The tour also includes mineral water and what is described as genuine Bedouin hospitality. Keep your expectations sensible: this is a camp experience, not a resort stay. The value is the setting, the shared meal, and the chance to spend a night in the desert.

Dinner is a barbecue, followed by an overnight stay at the Bedouin camp. Breakfast comes the next morning. A boxed lunch is also included during the Wadi Rum portion, which saves you from having to arrange food in a remote area.

The most memorable part may be the timing. An overnight tour gives you a desert sunset and a full evening away from the road. It also avoids trying to cram Petra and Wadi Rum into one exhausting day.

Optional Wadi Rum add-ons

A camel ride is available for 10 Jordanian dinars, about $15, per camel per hour. You do not need to reserve it in advance, and you can ask your guide after arriving in Wadi Rum.

A hot-air balloon ride is offered in the early morning, between 6:00 and 7:00 a.m., for 130 Jordanian dinars, about $185 per person. Advance booking is required. This is a major extra cost, so I would treat it as an optional splurge rather than part of the basic tour value.

The included Jeep tour is enough to experience Wadi Rum. Add the camel ride if you like a traditional desert activity. Choose the balloon only if the aerial view matters enough to justify nearly $185 more.

Petra in four hours

Petra is the tour’s main event. The ancient city takes its nickname, the rose-red city, from the color of the sandstone cliffs and monuments. Nabataean tombs were carved into the mountainsides, while the city also included temples, a theater, a colonnaded street, and churches linked to later Roman and Byzantine periods.

The site reflects more than 10,000 years of human settlement and land use. Petra became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1985, and its importance comes from the way geology, archaeology, and human history meet in one dramatic setting.

You receive about four hours inside Petra, with admission included and an English-speaking guide for three hours. That is enough time for a meaningful introduction and a substantial walk, though Petra is large and uneven. You should not expect to see every corner in this time.

A 700-meter horse ride from the main gate is included, but it is not mandatory. The horse handler expects a tip. Since the ride is optional, you can decline it and continue on foot if that feels more comfortable.

The horse ride should not be confused with the Petra carriage. A horse-drawn carriage costs $40 for a carriage carrying up to two people. It can be arranged at the Petra gate without advance booking.

You can also arrange a camel ride in Petra for 10 Jordanian dinars, about $15, per camel per hour. Ask your Petra guide about the current options and route before agreeing. The guide can help you understand what is included in the price and where the ride will take you.

Lunch is included at Al Qantara Restaurant or a similar restaurant. That is practical after several hours at the site, since you do not need to leave Petra to find a meal. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner are all covered within the stated food arrangements, though the exact timing depends on the crossing and daily schedule.

What the Petra guide adds

Petra can be visually overwhelming. Without context, you may spend your time photographing carved facades without understanding who built them or how the city changed over time.

The three-hour English-language guiding period gives structure to the visit. You can ask about the Nabataeans, the tombs, the Roman additions, and the Byzantine churches rather than trying to piece everything together from signs.

The guide is not with you for the entire four-hour period, so use those three hours wisely. Ask questions early and make clear which parts of Petra matter most to you. If you want time for quiet photographs or independent walking, the final hour gives you some room to do that.

A basic point about Petra: the famous carved monuments are only part of the site. The city extends through valleys and up rocky routes. Wear shoes suitable for uneven ground, carry the supplied water, and pace yourself. The tour says most people can participate, but it does not promise a flat or effortless visit.

Transport, border support, and private travel

The tour begins and ends in Eilat, with transfers in a new vehicle. An English-speaking driver and assistant driver are included, and the private arrangement means only your own group takes part.

That setup is helpful if you are traveling with family or friends. You can ask questions, keep your group together, and avoid the stop-and-go routine of a large coach. The tradeoff is that the advertised price is not budget transport. You are paying for coordination and convenience as much as for the sightseeing.

Border assistance is one of the strongest practical features. The crossing from Israel into Jordan is not just another hotel transfer, and first-time visitors may find the process unfamiliar. Meet-and-assist service helps you know where to go and what happens next.

The tour does not include every possible border expense. A Jordan departure tax of 10 Jordanian dinars, about $15, may apply. Tips for the drivers and guides are also excluded, as are travel insurance and personal expenses. Keep extra cash available for those items and for optional rides.

The tour confirmation is subject to availability and is expected within 48 hours of booking. It also requires a minimum number of participants, even though your confirmed activity is private to your group. If the minimum is not met and the operator cancels, you are offered another date or experience, or a full refund.

Is $587 a fair price?

At first glance, $587 per person sounds expensive for two days. The price makes more sense when you add up what is bundled: private transfers, border assistance, Petra admission, a three-hour Petra guide, a four-to-five-hour Wadi Rum Jeep tour, one night at camp, breakfast, lunch, dinner, boxed food, water, and the horse ride from Petra’s main gate.

You are also buying time. Planning Petra and Wadi Rum separately from Eilat can involve several bookings and a careful study of border procedures. Here, those pieces are organized into one trip.

The package is not all-inclusive in the resort sense. Tips, insurance, personal spending, the possible departure tax, carriage rides, camel rides, and the balloon trip cost extra. If you want the balloon, the added $185 changes the total substantially.

I see the strongest value for visitors who have limited time in Israel and want Jordan without building the trip themselves. Independent planners who already have Jordan transport or accommodation will probably find less value in paying for services they do not need.

The people and service details

The company is Jordan Horizons Tours. Andrea and Mohammed are associated with the booking communication and are described as responsive contacts. That matters when you are arranging an international border crossing and need clear answers before departure.

Your Wadi Rum guide also drives the Jeep, while Petra has a separate English-speaking guide for about three hours. The structure gives you local help in both main destinations instead of relying on one guide to cover every part of the trip.

Service animals are allowed, and the starting point is near public transportation. Most people can take part. Still, Petra’s walking demands and the desert camp setting are worth considering carefully if anyone in your group has mobility or medical concerns.

The mobile ticket format is convenient for a phone-based booking. Bring the information needed for the border crossing, and check the final confirmation for meeting instructions, timing, and any document requirements.

Who should book this tour?

I would choose this tour if you are staying in Eilat, want both Petra and Wadi Rum, and value an organized crossing over the lowest possible price.

It suits:

• First-time visitors to Jordan
• Families and small private groups
• People who want a desert night rather than a same-day Petra trip
• Visitors who prefer included meals and arranged transfers
• Anyone uneasy about coordinating an international land border

I would think twice if you want a slow, multi-day Petra visit, a luxury desert camp, or a very low-cost independent trip. Four hours at Petra is useful, but it is not enough for every trail and monument. The Bedouin camp offers atmosphere and hospitality, but the description does not promise high-end facilities.

Practical ways to get more from the two days

Use the Petra guide time for questions, not just a walk from one famous facade to the next. Tell the guide whether you care most about tombs, temples, Roman remains, churches, or photography.

Do not assume optional rides are included just because a horse ride is listed. The 700-meter horse ride is included but not required, and the handler expects a tip. Carriages and camel rides have separate prices.

If you want the hot-air balloon, reserve it in advance and budget the extra 130 Jordanian dinars. For a simpler desert experience, the included Jeep tour, tea, dinner, and overnight camp are already the core of the Wadi Rum visit.

Keep some money for tips and the possible Jordan departure tax. Also remember that free cancellation applies only when you cancel at least 24 hours before the start time. Changes made inside that period are not accepted, and a late cancellation is not refunded.

Should you book it?

Book this trip if convenience, border support, and a well-rounded first look at Jordan matter more to you than saving every dollar. The combination of Petra, a substantial Wadi Rum Jeep ride, and one desert night is the right shape for a short visit.

The $587 price is fair for the amount of transport, guiding, food, admission, and lodging included, but only if you plan to use those services. If your priority is a deep exploration of Petra or a luxury stay, choose a longer or more specialized trip.

For an Eilat-based visitor who wants the two headline sights in a compact private package, this is a strong choice. The perfect rating from 12 submitted ratings and the company’s highly praised communication with Andrea and Mohammed support confidence, while the extra costs and limited Petra hours are the details you should weigh before paying.

FAQ

Where does the tour start?

The tour starts in Eilat, in Israel’s Southern District, with meet-and-assist service at the Eilat border.

How long does the experience last?

The experience lasts approximately two to three days and includes one overnight stay at a Bedouin camp in Wadi Rum.

Is transportation included?

Yes. Transfers are provided in a new car with an English-speaking driver and assistant driver.

Is the border crossing assisted?

Yes. Meet-and-assist service is included when you arrive at the Eilat border.

How long is the Wadi Rum Jeep tour?

The Wadi Rum Jeep tour lasts approximately four to five hours and includes an English-speaking guide who is also the driver.

How much time is provided at Petra?

The Petra visit lasts about four hours and includes an English-speaking guide for approximately three hours.

Are meals included?

Yes. The package includes breakfast, lunch, dinner, a barbecue dinner at the Bedouin camp, and a boxed lunch in Wadi Rum. Mineral water is also provided.

Are camel rides and the Petra carriage included?

No. Camel rides cost 10 Jordanian dinars, about $15, per camel per hour. A Petra horse-drawn carriage costs $40 for up to two people. These options can be arranged on arrival.

Can I cancel for a full refund?

Yes, if you cancel at least 24 hours before the experience start time. Cancellations made less than 24 hours in advance are not refunded, and changes inside that period are not accepted.