Disappointing travel destination: Petra, Jordan

Disappointing travel destination Petra Jordan
Disappointing travel destination Petra Jordan

Disappointing travel destination Petra Jordan | Our last disappointing travel destination is Petra in Jordan. Petra, the mysterious city of the Nabataeans, came to prominence as a powerful trading post on the Silk Route, reaching its zenith around the 1st century AD before disappearing into the mists of legend. Known only to local Bedouin, it was kind of “rediscovered” by a Swiss traveler in the year 1812.

Disappointing travel destination Petra Jordan
Indiana Jones really was in Petra. This is the proof of evidence.

Petra is a huge let down, simply because of extremely high prices charged. The entrance fee to Petra per person per day is US$70 (50 Jordanian Dinar). Most tourists travel to Jordan primarily to see Petra and its Treasury (-> greetings from Indiana Jones). On average, Petra visitors only stay for 2.5 hours. But hold on. The ticket also includes a map and a horse ride! Yey! until you find out that the horse ride is not really for free, because you definitely end up negotiating an extra tip with the driver. And even after having successfully negotiated that tip, you might be held hostage on the top of the horse until you agree to pay more. Last not least: don’t google information about the treatment of the animals. It will leave you very unhappy.

No wonder that tourists feel defensive the entire time at Petra. Seeing the Treasury might be fun, and taking the obligatory Petra selfie is a must. But all that is not worth the money. “Attempts” by the Jordanian government to ease the pain for tourists only made matters worse. Earlier this year a so-called “Jordan Pass” was introduced. The idea of this pass: combining the country’s tourist attractions via a fee of 40 JD (=US$56) with the notoriously costly Petra entrance fee. However users have reported problems making use of the Jordan Pass because local staff at some tourist attractions and border points were unaware of its existence.

Disappointing travel destination Petra Jordan

More Disappointing Travel Destinations 2018

Giza, Egypt
Los Angeles, US
Four Corner Monument, US
Naples, Italy
Male, Maldives
Casablanca, Morocco
Sakura bloom, Japan


Disappointing travel destination Petra Jordan. By Chili and Churp | © International Destinations | more Travel News here. Header image by Diego Delso ” El Deir – The Monastery (wikipedia CC BY-SA 3.0)