From Eilat: 2-Day Petra & Wadi Rum Tour with Camp Stay

Petra’s rose-colored cliffs and Wadi Rum’s wide desert make a powerful two-day pairing. You get the Nabataean capital by day, a Bedouin camp under the stars at night, and a Jeep ride across the desert before returning to Eilat.

I like the efficient mix of major sights and local life, especially the three-hour guided Petra visit and the overnight camp rather than a quick day trip. The main caution is the border: the $372 price does not include Jordan’s $140 border fees, and delays or changes in transport can reduce your time at Petra.

Key points to know before booking

• Petra receives the full first-day focus: Plan on a three-hour guided visit with time for the Treasury, tombs, temples, caves, and other Nabataean remains.
• Wadi Rum is more than a photo stop: The included Jeep ride lasts about two hours and leads into the desert’s canyons and sandstone formations.
• The camp stay has two comfort levels: Standard tents place the shower and toilet outside, while the upgraded four-star tent includes both privately.
• Border fees are a major extra cost: Budget $140 per person, and remember this fee is non-refundable once paid.
• The schedule can be vulnerable to delays: A late departure, border wait, or long stop on the road can cut into your Petra time.
• This is an active trip: Comfortable closed shoes, sun protection, water, and warm clothes in winter matter.

Why Petra and Wadi Rum work well together

If you have only two days for Jordan from Eilat, this route covers the country’s two biggest draws without asking you to arrange separate transport, tickets, guides, and accommodation. Petra gives you archaeology and carved stone. Wadi Rum gives you open space, Bedouin culture, and a night far from city lights.

The contrast is the charm. Petra is a place you explore on foot, moving through a narrow passage and then among monuments cut into cliffs. Wadi Rum is experienced from the back of a Jeep, with the desert opening around you in broad views and rugged sandstone walls.

That contrast also makes the trip tiring. You cross a border, spend several hours on the road, walk around Petra, continue to Wadi Rum, and then return the next day. I would treat this as a compact Jordan sampler, not a slow holiday.

The published price is $372 per person, before the $140 border fee. That means the basic outlay is substantial, but it covers round-trip transport, one day of Petra admission, an English-speaking guide for three hours, lunch in Petra, the Wadi Rum transfer, a camp night, breakfast, and the Jeep tour. For someone who wants a ready-made trip from Eilat, that can be reasonable. If you prefer to control every stop and spend longer at Petra, independent planning may suit you better.

Starting in Eilat and crossing the Arava border

Pickup is listed from all Eilat hotels, with the meeting point given as Retamim Street 133 and a planned departure at 8:30 AM. Confirm the exact pickup point with the local partner before leaving your hotel, since the information asks you to do this directly.

Bring the passport or ID document required for your crossing, and send passport details for everyone in your party ahead of time. Visa rules can differ by nationality, and restricted nationalities must arrange visas through the relevant embassy.

The $140 border fee is not included. This is the single most important cost detail to understand before you reserve. The fee is also non-refundable after payment, even if bad weather or another cancellation later stops the trip.

Allow extra patience at the border. The crossing can involve a handoff to another vehicle or group, and the day may not run to the minute. One recorded departure included a 30-minute pickup delay, a wait before the bus left for Aqaba, and extra time spent at a shop. That may not happen on every trip, but it shows why you should avoid booking anything tight in Eilat after your return.

There can also be stops that are not part of the main sightseeing plan. A reported schedule included a restaurant stop described as expensive and industrial rather than local. You may want to carry snacks and your own drinking water, which the tour instructions specifically recommend.

Three hours among Petra’s Nabataean monuments

Petra is the heart of the trip. The Nabataeans built their capital into the sandstone, and the site contains more than 800 recorded objects, including the Treasury, temples, mourning houses, caves, and tombs.

Your Petra visit includes entrance for one day and a three-hour tour with an English-speaking guide. That guided time matters because the site is spread out, and the meaning of the carvings is not always clear when you are simply walking past them. You will get historical context about the Nabataeans, their art, gods, building work, and trade-based culture.

The approach to the Treasury is one of Petra’s great visual reveals. The path leads through carved rock before opening onto the famous facade. After that first sight, the site continues with monuments and caves cut into different parts of the valley.

Three hours is useful, but it is not generous if transport delays have already eaten into the day. One problematic schedule left only about two and a half hours at Petra, with tickets and a guide arranged very late. I would confirm at the border that the Petra entry and guiding arrangements are in order, then keep track of the time once you arrive.

Wear proper walking shoes. Open-toed shoes are not allowed, and comfortable footwear will help on uneven ground. Bring a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen, and clothes that let you walk freely. Petra can feel exposed, so sun protection is not a minor detail.

Lunch in Petra is included, while other meals and drinks are not. The practical approach is to eat the provided lunch, carry water, and keep a small amount of cash for anything else you need.

From carved stone to Wadi Rum’s red desert

After Petra, the route continues to Wadi Rum. The transfer itself is part of the long travel day, but the setting changes completely as the carved urban remains give way to rock formations, sand, and open desert.

The description of Wadi Rum is not gentle, and that is fair. Summer heat can be extreme, while winter nights can be cold enough to catch unprepared campers off guard. The desert changes quickly with the light: rock faces sharpen at dawn, and at dusk the line between sand and stone can soften.

The included Jeep ride is described as two hours, making it one of the strongest parts of the second destination. A Jeep gives you access to areas that would be difficult to cover on foot, including sandstone formations and canyon-like spaces. The exact stops can vary, so you should not expect a fixed list of named sights from the information provided.

A shorter Jeep ride was reported on one departure, lasting about an hour and a half with two stops. That is another reason to confirm the plan when you reach the camp and to ask how much driving time is scheduled. The desert is worth seeing at an unhurried pace, and a shortened ride changes the value of the trip.

The tour includes a guide who explains the Bedouin way of life as well as Nabataean history. That cultural context helps keep Wadi Rum from becoming just a scenic drive. You are there to see how people adapt to a hard climate, not only to photograph the rocks.

Sleeping in a Bedouin camp

The overnight camp is what turns this from a long Petra transfer into a two-day Jordan experience. Instead of returning to a city hotel, you spend the night in Wadi Rum and see the desert after sunset.

The standard tent has the shower and toilet outside. That arrangement may be perfectly acceptable if you want the simple camp experience, but it is worth knowing before you book. The upgrade provides a four-star tent with a private shower and toilet inside, which is a sensible choice for anyone who values privacy or dislikes walking outside at night.

The camp includes breakfast, while additional meals and drinks are not included. Food quality can vary by departure, but one highly positive account described good food and a camp hotel with a swimming pool. The pool is not listed as a guaranteed feature in the tour inclusions, so treat it as a possible camp amenity rather than something to book around.

The desert night is the emotional payoff. With little artificial light, the sky can be full of stars, but comfort depends heavily on the season and tent category. Bring warm clothes for winter tours, and pack a change of clothes as requested. Summer demands light, practical clothing and strong sun protection.

Accommodation is arranged according to the number of people booked. A solo booking receives single accommodation, while a booking for three receives three-person accommodation. If you care about sharing arrangements, confirm them before payment rather than assuming the camp will reorganize the room.

The second morning and the return to Eilat

The second day includes more guided sightseeing in Wadi Rum, followed by the return journey to Eilat. The schedule provided does not give exact morning times, so ask the local partner how long you will have at the camp and when the Jeep activity begins.

The return drive may be long. A reported departure left for Petra at 9:00 AM instead of 8:00 AM and included a two-hour unexplained stop on the road. That kind of delay is especially costly on a short tour because every lost hour comes out of sightseeing rather than free time.

I would avoid planning an important evening appointment after the scheduled return. The tour ends back at Retamim Street 133, but border procedures and road delays are outside your control. A flexible final evening makes the trip much less stressful.

What the $372 price really covers

At $372 per person, this is not a cheap excursion once the border fee is added. Still, it bundles the parts that are hardest to arrange across two countries:

• Pickup and round-trip transportation
• One-day Petra entrance
• Three-hour English-language Petra guiding
• Lunch in Petra
• Transfer to Wadi Rum
• Bedouin camp accommodation
• Breakfast
• Wadi Rum Jeep tour

The private-bathroom tent costs extra, though the amount is not provided. Ask for the exact upgrade price before booking. The standard tent is the better value if you mainly want a place to sleep and do not mind shared or outdoor facilities. The upgrade is worth considering if you want a more comfortable night after Petra’s walking and the long road journey.

The border fee changes the calculation. At $140 per person, it is large enough to affect a couple or family budget. Because it cannot be refunded after payment, confirm your documents, nationality requirements, pickup point, and travel dates first.

The score attached to this activity is 4.2 out of 5 from 45 ratings, which suggests a generally positive but uneven experience. The strongest praise centers on safety for a solo participant, the camp setting, the stars, food, and the pool. The sharpest criticism concerns lateness, border handling, unexpected stops, meals, and reduced time at Petra. Those are not small details. They define how much value you receive.

Who will get the most from this tour

I would recommend this trip to you if you want Jordan’s main sights without renting a car or building a cross-border plan yourself. It suits a solo visitor who wants organized transport, a couple seeking one memorable desert night, and anyone who values having an English-speaking guide at Petra.

It is also a good match if you want both archaeology and desert scenery. The camp and Jeep ride add something that a Petra-only day trip cannot provide.

I would hesitate if you have limited walking ability. The activity is specifically not suitable for people with mobility impairments, and Petra requires substantial movement over uneven ground. I would also hesitate if you need strict timing, dislike border uncertainty, or want a long, quiet visit at Petra.

Families and groups should check the accommodation setup carefully. The information specifies single accommodation for single bookings and matching arrangements for group size, but it does not explain every room configuration. Ask before you commit if sleeping arrangements matter.

Practical packing advice for two very different days

Pack light, but do not pack carelessly. You will need items for walking in Petra, desert travel, and an overnight stay.

Bring:

• Passport or required ID
• Closed, comfortable walking shoes
• Sunglasses and a sun hat
• Sunscreen
• Comfortable clothes
• A change of clothes
• Warm layers for winter
• Your own drinking water

Avoid open-toed shoes, which are not permitted, and leave pets at home. A small day bag is easier than carrying a large suitcase through transfers and around the camp.

Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before departure, and you can reserve while delaying payment. Those terms help if your plans are still moving, but they do not remove the border-fee risk after that fee has been paid.

Should you book this Petra and Wadi Rum tour?

Book it if your priority is seeing Petra and Wadi Rum in two days with transport, tickets, guiding, a camp night, breakfast, and a Jeep ride handled for you. The combination is excellent, and the desert stay gives the trip a sense of place that a rushed Petra day lacks.

Before paying, confirm four things in writing: the exact pickup point, the $140 border fee and payment procedure, the amount of Petra sightseeing time, and whether you are receiving a standard tent or the private-bathroom upgrade. If the operator can keep those details clear, this is a strong short Jordan trip.

Skip it if you need guaranteed punctuality, dislike uncertain border procedures, or want to explore Petra at your own slow pace. The sights are remarkable, but the schedule can be fragile. Go with patience, good shoes, water, and realistic expectations, and the Treasury, desert Jeep ride, and star-filled camp night can make the high price worthwhile.

FAQ

How long is the tour?

The tour lasts two days and includes one overnight stay in Wadi Rum.

Where does pickup take place?

Pickup is available from all hotels in Eilat. The listed pickup location is Retamim Street 133, and you should confirm the exact location with the local partner.

Is a guide included at Petra?

Yes. The tour includes a three-hour Petra visit with an English-speaking guide.

Are Petra entrance tickets included?

Yes. Entrance for one day at Petra is included.

What is included at the Bedouin camp?

The package includes overnight accommodation in a Bedouin tent and breakfast. The standard tent has the shower and toilet outside.

Can I get a private bathroom at the camp?

Yes. You can upgrade to a four-star tent with a private shower and toilet, though the upgrade price is not provided.

Are Jordan border fees included?

No. Border fees are listed as $140 per person. They are non-refundable after payment, even if the tour is cancelled because of weather or another circumstance.