Full-Day Private Trip To Petra, Wadi Rum

Quick review: 5/5. Exceeded my expectations. Driver was beyond generous and knowledgeable. I felt safe and like a VIP throughout. I will definitely come back and I highly recommend the experience to others! Detailed review: The booking experience: super quick online. Good description of the services provided. Download the app! Background: I had never been to Jordan bedore. I booked the one day tour of Petra and Wadi Rum, including a 2hour 4x4 adventure through Wadi Rum, from Amman + a day trip of the Dead Sea (including day access to the Holiday Inn Resort and a buffet lunch) from Amman. I went in early March. The Petra (50 JOD) and Wadi Rum (7 JOD) site entry fees were not included; the Holiday Inn Dead Sea entry fee (35 JOD) was included. The sites: Petra: it is as incredible as the pictures lead you to believe and more. Walking through this ancient city instantly connects you to a shared human history that is thousands of years old. Bring running or hiking shoes as the terrain is rocky, dusty, with steep elevation changes, and can get a little technical at times. Wadi Rum: a protected heritage site, as is Petra, it offers an other worldy experience and views of an important ancient trade route connecting the Levantine kingdoms. The crimson red sand on the dunes, giant rocky structures, and vast expanses of flat land in between make for fantastic photography. It is obvious why Wadi Rum was chosen as the film location for Star Wars and The Martian. Dead Sea + Holiday Inn: It was a fantastic experience. It is a private resort (as all properties along the Dead Sea are required to be) with access to a beach with lounge chairs and service. The water in the Dead Sea was warmer than I expected. The temperature in the Dead Sea in early March is 10-15 degrees Celsius warmer than Amman. It is surreal to float in the Dead Sea between Jordan and Palestine and to think of the immense history of humans in the area over several thousand years. It is not recommended to swim for more than 20 minutes as the salt can take a toll on your skin. The mud bath was a fun way to take it all in and speak to some of the other patrons at the resort. There are nice outdoor showers to wash off the salt and mud before heading into the swimming pool areas (areas, since there are about 8 or 9 pools). The pool was relaxing; the pool guard allowed me to have a drink poolside, which was nice. The experience ended with a buffet lunch inside which was good. The service: My driver Mohamed, arrived well in time for my day trip to Petra and Wadi Rum. He immediately was kind and generous, and offered cold bottled water. An hour into the journey, he offered to stop for Turkish coffee and also insisted that I have some Manakish, neither of which I had never tried before. Both were delicious and must haves when you're travelling in Jordan. The Turkish coffee especially is now in my top 3 coffees I've ever tried. We stopped at a souvenir store along the way where they had a large selection of Dead Sea products (face masks, lotions, bath salts etc) as well as many finely handcrafted items such as plates and vases. The prices are not cheap but the quality was very good. Though we stopped to just use the washrooms, I picked up a few items for my fiancee and family. All along the way, Mohamed offered numerous knowledgeable insights about the culture, history, and economy of the areas we passed through on the way to Petra, Wadi Rum, and back to Amman. He also gave me a detailed breakdown of what to expect at each site in terms of fees, washroom facilities, time to tour, temperature, where to eat etc. I would be happy to say that he is more of a tour guide than just a driver. From Petra, we drove to Wadi Rum (2 hour drive), along which he offered other Jordanian sweets for me to try. The hand off to my 4x4 driver, Tareq, in Wadi Rum was very smooth and I felt like a VIP the entire time. Tareq, the 4x4 driver took me on a great 2 hour tour of Wadi Rum with multiple stops along the way to enjoy the surroundings and to take spectacular pictures. He had a great sense of humor, especially while taking pics of me. The drive back from Wadi Rum to Amman was about 3.5 hours and along the way, Mohamed suggested that I try to see the Dead Sea the next day, and called the touring company to determine a good offer for me. He convinced me to do a trip the following day to the Holiday Inn at Dead Sea for a day visit (35 JOD for day entry to the resort, use of the pools, beach, mud bath and a full buffet). Upon return to Amman on the first night, as a gesture of generosity, even though it was nearly 11pm at this point and he had a family of 5 waiting at home for him, he offered to take my luggage from the hotel I was staying in at the time, to the next hotel I had booked in Amman. The next morning, he arrived again in good time and offered water right away. He offered to stop for a Jordanian breakfast along the way, but I refused as I had a late dinner the night before. On the way to the Dead Sea (a short 45 min drive), he was happy to stop at a sports shop so that I could buy a pair of swimming shorts, since I had forgotten to bring a pair. Once again he offered great insights about the profound history, culture, and challenges in the area surrounding the Dead Sea. Go see the Dead Sea as soon as you can as it is disappearing at an alarming rate (some say it'll dry up in 25 years without intervention)! At the Holiday Inn Dead Sea resort, Mohamed personally took me on a tour of the The Holiday Inn resort and showed me all of the facilities and left me to enjoy the beach. On the way back to Amman, Mohamed insisted that I should buy some Jordanian dates to take back to Canada. He bought some for himself as well and let me try one - they are the best dates I've ever had (I grew up in Dubai). I cannot thank Mohamed enough for such an amazing experience! I would recommend everything I did, as it exceeded my expectations. In retrospect, the only thing I would change is to spend more time. I highly recommend spending a night in Wadi Rum (in a bubble tent) and staying at the Holiday Inn Resort at the Dead Sea for a night to maximize your enjoyment.