Day trip to Petra by ferry from Sharm el Sheikh

Petra is the star here: you leave Sharm el Sheikh after midnight, cross the Gulf of Aqaba by ferry, and reach Jordan’s rose-colored rock city by road. Walking through the Siq and seeing the Treasury appear at the far end is the payoff for a journey that can stretch to 22 to 25 hours.

I like the door-to-door pickup, which removes the headache of arranging transport to Taba. I also like the useful mix of experiences: a ferry ride, a guided walk through Petra, an open-buffet lunch, and an hour in Aqaba for shopping.

The drawback is plain: this is a punishing schedule. Border checks, bus transfers, waiting at the port, and several hours on the road leave only about three and a half to four hours inside Petra. You need stamina, patience, snacks, and plenty of water.

Key points to know before booking

• Petra by ferry: Travel from Sharm to Taba, cross by ferry to Aqaba, then continue by road to Petra.
• A 1:00 am start: Hotel pickup begins in the middle of the night, with the return to Sharm later the same day or early the next morning.
• About four hours at Petra: You see the Siq, Treasury, Colonnaded Street, Roman Theater, Royal Tombs, and Qasr al-Bint, but not the whole site.
• Lunch and admissions included: The price covers an open buffet lunch, entrance fees, and air-conditioned transport.
• Aqaba stop included: You get about one hour of free time for shopping before returning to the port.
• Good value only for the right person: At $337.31 per person, the package is convenient, but the long journey is a major part of what you are buying.

Why Petra is worth such a hard day

Petra is not a quick photo stop. It is a vast archaeological site cut into sandstone cliffs, and the approach makes the first sight especially powerful.

From the entrance, you walk or use the available horse option through the Siq, a narrow rock gorge that leads toward the Treasury. The route builds suspense. You see only fragments of carved stone and sky until the gorge opens and the Treasury fills your view.

That moment is the reason many people accept this tour’s exhausting timetable. The Treasury is familiar from photographs, yet its scale and setting are different in person. You can see how carefully the facade was carved into the rock, with the surrounding cliffs making it feel less like a freestanding building and more like part of the mountain.

Your guide then leads you along the Facade Street toward the Roman Theater, the Royal Tombs, and Qasr al-Bint. This gives you a useful first look at Petra’s main central sights, rather than leaving you to find your way through the site with limited time.

Still, keep your expectations sensible. Petra takes more than one visit to see properly. With only around three and a half to four hours on site, you will not reach every trail, tomb, or high viewpoint. Think of this as a strong introduction, not a full exploration.

The midnight pickup from Sharm el Sheikh

The listed start time is 1:00 am. Depending on your hotel and the pickup route, the vehicle may arrive around that time or slightly earlier. You are then collected from your hotel and driven toward Taba, the Egyptian port used for the crossing to Aqaba.

This first stretch is a major part of the day. One account puts the road journey to the ferry at about four and a half hours, while the full trip from hotel pickup to Petra can reach 11 or 12 hours once road travel, port procedures, and border checks are counted.

The air-conditioned vehicle matters here. You will spend many hours riding, and comfort becomes more important than it would on a normal half-day excursion. The advertised group limit is 30 people, though the pickup process can involve several hotel stops before the vehicle is full.

Bring a small bag rather than relying only on the vehicle. Pack water, snacks, a light layer for the ferry or bus, sunscreen, and comfortable walking shoes. Soft drinks are not included, and lunch comes much later than breakfast, so do not set off without food of your own.

Taba port and the ferry to Aqaba

At Taba, you go through Egyptian border and security procedures before boarding the ferry. This part can feel less polished than the sightseeing itself. Keep your passport and tour details ready, follow staff instructions, and expect some waiting.

The ferry ride is one of the more pleasant breaks in the schedule. It divides the long road journey and gives you a change of scenery before the Jordan section begins. The crossing also makes this feel like a genuine two-country day rather than simply a long bus ride to Petra.

The ferry is not the main attraction, and conditions can affect the timing. The tour requires good weather, so a cancellation or change of date is possible if the crossing cannot operate safely. Once you arrive at Aqaba, you are met by the Jordanian side of the operation.

This handoff is important. You may transfer from the Egyptian vehicle to another bus or guide, so pay attention to instructions and remember the name or description of your vehicle. The operation involves several teams, and clear communication helps you stay with the correct group.

From Aqaba to Petra by road

After the ferry, the road transfer to Petra takes about two hours according to the planned itinerary. The route is another long sitting period, but it gets you from the port city of Aqaba into the inland mountains where Petra is located.

You are met by a professional local guide after a roughly 40-minute drive from the port area, then continue toward the archaeological site. Guide names can vary. Guides identified in past departures include Ibrahim and Meskal, while Rana has handled pre-trip communication for some bookings. Do not assume you will have one of these people, but the examples show that the Jordan section is managed by a separate local team.

A good guide is especially useful when time is short. You need someone who can explain what you are seeing without turning the visit into a lecture, keep the group moving, and tell you where to meet after free time. The strongest experiences described by participants included guides who were humorous, attentive, and clear about the route.

The quality can vary, however. One particularly poor account describes an arrogant guide and a badly timed lunch arrangement. That is a reminder to ask practical questions at the start: how long is the guided walk, when is lunch, where is the meeting point, and how much independent time will you have?

Walking through the Siq to the Treasury

Petra begins with the Siq, the narrow gorge leading into the city. This is not just a path between the entrance and the monuments. It is part of the drama of Petra, with tall rock walls closing in around you before the Treasury appears.

The route is manageable for most people who can walk, but it is not effortless. You should expect several hours on your feet, uneven ground, heat depending on the season, and a brisk pace if the group must meet a tight departure time.

The itinerary says you can go through the gorge on foot or by horse. Any extra riding cost is not included in the stated price, so ask before accepting an optional service. A few people who found walking difficult paid extra for a golf cart and considered it worthwhile. This is not a standard inclusion, so treat it as an additional expense rather than part of the package.

At the Treasury, allow time to look up and around, not just to take the expected photograph. The facade is the visual high point, but the setting is what gives it force. You are standing at the end of a natural corridor with a monumental carved facade directly ahead.

Be cautious with unofficial photo offers and aggressive sellers. One account describes paying $7 for a photograph, and other practical advice is to avoid unapproved carriage and camel rides. If you want to walk, the best approach is to keep your plans simple and stay with the official route.

The Roman Theater, Royal Tombs, and Qasr al-Bint

After the Treasury, the guided route continues along the Facade Street. The name fits the place: tomb facades line the rock, showing how extensively Petra was carved and used.

The Roman Theater is another useful stop because it helps you understand Petra as a functioning city, not only as a collection of dramatic tombs. The Royal Tombs bring you back to the site’s carved architecture, with broad facades cut into the cliffs.

Qasr al-Bint is included in the planned visit as well. It gives the route a different kind of monument and helps round out the central portion of Petra. You will see more than the famous Treasury, but the timetable does not leave room for every side path.

This is where a short tour can be both satisfying and frustrating. You get a guided introduction to the major core sights, which is much better than rushing straight to the Treasury and back. But you will probably leave aware that Petra deserves a longer stay.

Lunch inside Petra and the Aqaba break

Lunch is included as an open buffet at a restaurant in Petra. That is welcome after the early pickup and long walk. The meal is described as plentiful, with enough variety to suit different food preferences, though soft drinks are extra.

Timing is the key issue. The schedule needs to balance lunch with the limited time at the site, and one poor experience involved frustration over when the group stopped to eat. Ask your guide early so you know how lunch affects your remaining sightseeing time.

After Petra, you are driven back to Aqaba. The itinerary allows about one hour of free time for shopping. This is a short stop, not a full tour of the city, so use it for a quick purchase, a drink, or a look around rather than expecting a relaxed afternoon.

Aqaba adds variety to the day, but it also makes the schedule tighter. If Petra is your only reason for booking, you may prefer to use the hour to rest and refuel. If you enjoy collecting local products or want a brief look at Jordan’s port city, the stop gives you that chance.

You then return to Aqaba port, board the ferry to Taba, and take the vehicle back to your Sharm hotel. Depending on border processing and traffic, the return can carry you into the next day.

What the $337.31 price really buys you

At $337.31 per person, this is an expensive day trip. The value comes from convenience and coordination, not from the number of relaxed hours you spend sightseeing.

The price includes hotel pickup, air-conditioned transport, the ferry connection, transfers between Taba, Aqaba, and Petra, all listed admission fees, a guide, and lunch. Arranging those parts independently would require more planning, especially with a border crossing and a same-day return.

The cost is harder to justify if you measure only time at Petra. You may spend close to a full day in transit for roughly four hours at the site. The tour is best viewed as a way to reach Petra from a Sharm beach holiday when you do not have enough vacation time to stay overnight in Jordan.

The 4.5 rating from 67 reviews and 90 percent recommendation rate suggest that many people find the tradeoff acceptable. The praise focuses on organization, attentive staff, capable guides, good lunch, and the feeling that Petra was worth every tiring hour.

The lower ratings focus on the same predictable risks: a very long day, unclear communication during transfers, limited time inside Petra, and uneven guide quality. Those are not minor complaints. They are the central conditions of the trip.

Who should book this Petra day trip

I would consider it if you are staying in Sharm and Petra is high on your personal list. It gives you a practical way to see one of the world’s most famous archaeological sites without changing hotels or arranging a complicated international route yourself.

It suits people who can tolerate an early start, long bus rides, border procedures, and several hours of walking. Families can participate, and most people can take part, but a child or older family member may find the schedule hard. One family completed the trip with an eight-year-old, while older visitors found an optional golf cart useful.

You should think twice if you dislike organized groups, need a slow pace, or want time to explore Petra’s higher trails and less-visited monuments. You should also avoid booking it immediately before an important flight or a full day of activities, since the return time can run long.

At booking, confirmation is normally issued at once. If you book within one day of departure, confirmation comes as soon as possible and depends on availability. The tour requires a minimum number of participants, and poor weather can lead to a different date or a full refund.

Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before the start time. Changes or cancellations inside that window are not accepted for a refund.

Final verdict: a hard-earned Petra visit

I would book this tour for access, not comfort. The ferry route, included transport, lunch, admissions, and local guide remove much of the planning burden, and the first view of the Treasury can make the exhausting schedule feel worthwhile.

But go in with open eyes. This is not a leisurely day trip. It may involve 22 to 25 hours from pickup to return, long waits at borders, several vehicle changes, limited time in Petra, and extra spending for drinks or optional rides.

If Petra is a once-in-a-lifetime priority and you are based in Sharm, this is a reasonable way to make it happen. Bring supplies, wear sturdy shoes, stay alert during transfers, and confirm the day’s meeting points with your guide. If you can spend more time in Jordan, an overnight visit would give Petra the attention it deserves. If you cannot, this demanding ferry trip can still deliver a remarkable day at one of the ancient world’s great sights.

FAQ

What time does the Petra tour start?

The listed start time is 1:00 am. Hotel pickup takes place from Sharm el Sheikh before the road transfer to Taba.

How long does the full experience take?

The advertised duration is about 22 hours to one day. Actual accounts describe the full journey taking around 24 to 25 hours, depending on road travel, border procedures, ferry timing, and transfers.

How do I travel from Sharm el Sheikh to Petra?

You are picked up at your hotel, driven to Taba, and taken by ferry to Aqaba in Jordan. From Aqaba, a transfer takes you to Petra, which is about two hours away by road after the port transfer.

What sights are visited in Petra?

The route includes the Siq, the Treasury, Facade Street, the Roman Theater, the Royal Tombs, and Qasr al-Bint.

Is lunch included?

Yes. Lunch is an open buffet at a restaurant in Petra. Soft drinks are not included.

Are Petra entrance fees included?

Yes. The listed price includes admission to the sights.

Is hotel pickup available?

Yes. Pickup is offered from hotels in Sharm el Sheikh.

Can I cancel for a full refund?

You can cancel at least 24 hours before the local start time for a full refund. Cancellations or changes made less than 24 hours before departure are not accepted for a refund. If poor weather or insufficient bookings cancel the trip, you are offered another date, another experience, or a full refund.