Just a warning, we missed out on this trip as nobody advised us that we had to book 2 days ahead due to a list of names having to go to Jordan (something to do with Vias's I think). I think the list of names is submitted at 12 noon the day before the trip.

We spoke to the rep on the Sunday night (trip was Weds) to get all the info and said we would come back the next day to book. We went the next day (Monday) to book but he had gone to the airport. We went to see him on Tuesday to book and it was too late and we could not go.
We could have gone on the Thursday, but were told that there were no English speaking tours that day, and Friday was a no no as we were heading home early Saturday.

We were not Happy to say the least!!!

are you still not allowed to take drinks /snacks etc into jordan ?
assuming not are there places to buy drinks and snacks ? as you get off the boat ?

many thanks

My son and his girlfriend are going to Taba Heights and would love to do that trip to Petra. A couple of questions please if anyone can help out.

If this is a locally run ferry then why does one have to book through hotel reps?

Is it possible to organise the ferry crossing to Petra yourself? If so how much does the return crossing cost please.

Thanks.

We did the trip across to Jordan in September last year. The boat goes from Waterworld marina, sailing at about 8am. It was full of tourists from various hotels so I dont think you can organise your own crossing. We were provided with breakfast boxes from the hotel (bread, cheese, pastry - that kind of thing). If you have concepts on European ferries by the way, forget them. This ferry looks suspiciously like an old wooden boat.
If you are prone to sea sickness its probably advisable to try to get on the seats at the back of the boat - otherwise you will be (like us) asked to find a place on the deck floor at the front of the boat for the duration of the trip. We were given blankets (soon found out why) and set off - the crossing was very rough (took just over an hour) and I spent most of it lying down under the blanket trying not to be sick and watching the Saudi shoreline bob up and down in the distance. The blankets do keep the waves off, mind you On arrival it was a pretty quick transfer to the coach (no time for shopping and no shops on the quayside at the Royal Jordanian Yatcht Club anyway). The coach trip to Petra took a couple of hours with the inevitable stop off to buy bits and pieces from local sellers on the roadside. The coach loo was terrible. Thankfully we had loo paper with us, and a girl on the coach had some antiseptic hand gel which she kindly dished out.
Petra itself was VERY hot! You will need a hat, suncream and at least 2 litres of water each. The trip down to Petra itself is hot and dusty but downhill so not too bad. The first sight of the treasury is fantastic. Unfortunately, we only had 20 mins to look round before we had to head back up. This is not nearly enough time - you could spend days there and still not see it all. The walk back up to the main road through the cutting was torture - the heat was oppresive and we ran out of water. I didnt like seeing the poor thin horses being flogged either as they slipped on the uneven surface of the "road" carring cabs of tourists up and down.
We were directed to a nearby hotel for a meal though all we really wanted was a drink. The meal (hot food - yuk) and salad would have been very nice normally and there was plenty of it, but we were so tired and hot by this time we woud have preferred to get in the hotel pool (had we been advised to bring swimming things) We must have spent a considerable amount on drinks in the hotel to try to cool down.
After lunch we headed back to Aquaba where we stopped for about 45 mins. It was just getting dark and we had a lovely stroll through the market, bought some very cheap but lovely shell necklaces (these are ok to take though customs by the way) and had a coffee outside a restaurant. Would like to go back to Aquaba and explore further some time.
The crossing back was much calmer and we sat at the back of the boat - completely different experience from our trip out!
Got back to the hotel about 9.30pm.
Did we enjoy the trip? well we've ticked the box for seeing Petra, but its a long, hot trip for twenty minutes of viewing time, and I wouldnt go again. If you decide to go take lots of water, swimming gear, sun cream, a hat and a brush so you wont look like a scarecrow when you land in Jordan

hi we did the trip to petra 7th march form taba heights the boat trio was o.k but a little choppy try to sit inside or at the back righthand side of the boat or will get wet from the spray. the coach was o.k but didnt use the loo
there was a stop after 1 hour for w.c / smoke break. petra is good trip with a long walk down the gorge but worth the effort it was chilly once in the shade of the gorge so take a light jacket or jumper if you feel the cold also chilly on boat coming back. i would recommend this trip to anyone . kev