Petra Was Worth It—But We Planned It Wrong

This post is part of my Egypt & Jordan series, following our family trip from Cairo’s pyramids and museums to Luxor’s temples, the Dead Sea, and Petra. Throughout the series, I share how we planned the trip, where we stayed, how we used points and travel credits, and what I’d do differently next time, including where I wish we’d slowed down. You’ll find more guides in the Continue Exploring Egypt & Jordan section at the end.

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Looking back, I think our biggest mistake in Jordan happened before we ever arrived.

When I originally planned our Egypt trip, Jordan wasn’t part of the itinerary. But then I realized the flight from Cairo to Amman was only about an hour, and suddenly adding another country felt almost too easy.

We’re already this close.

So we added Petra and the Dead Sea, giving ourselves barely two days to experience Jordan.

The flight itself was short, but surprisingly expensive. Fortunately, I was able to offset most of the cost using points, which made the addition easier to justify.

What I hadn’t really accounted for was time.

Even while we were there, driving between the Dead Sea and Petra, I remember thinking: this country deserved more time than we gave it.

By the time we left, I knew two things: Petra absolutely lived up to the hype and Jordan deserved more than being squeezed into our Egypt trip.

Arriving in Jordan and Planning Our Short Stay

We landed in Amman early in the morning after our flight from Cairo, and Jordan immediately felt different from Egypt. The airport was modern, calm, and incredibly easy to navigate. We quickly handled our visa on arrival, picked up our rental car, and started the drive toward the Dead Sea.

With only about two full days in Jordan, our priorities were clear: Petra, the Dead Sea, and hopefully enough downtime to enjoy the resort. On paper, that seemed manageable. The problem was everything in between.

Transportation was one of the trickiest parts of planning this portion of the trip. Petra is roughly a three-hour drive from the Dead Sea resorts, which meant visiting it as a day trip would require around six hours in the car before accounting for any stops along the way. I initially looked into guided transportation and private drivers, but for four people, the costs added up quickly. Renting a car made the most sense, and driving in Jordan ended up being more manageable than I expected.

But renting a car didn’t change the distances, and that’s what I underestimated. Petra and the Dead Sea absolutely can be combined into a short Jordan itinerary. We did it. But just because something fits on a schedule doesn’t necessarily mean that’s how I’d recommend experiencing it.

If I were planning this trip again, I wouldn’t try to squeeze Jordan into our Egypt itinerary at all. That one-hour flight from Cairo made it look like an easy addition, but Jordan deserves more than being treated as a quick side trip simply because you’re already nearby.

I’d give Jordan its own trip, with enough time to experience Petra properly and explore more of the country. Those two days could easily have become an extra day in Cairo and another in Luxor—two places where we’d already planned our time too tightly. Sometimes being close enough to add another country doesn’t mean you should.

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Hilton Dead Sea Resort & Spa

Choosing where to stay at the Dead Sea was the easy part.

There are several large resorts along the coastline, and since I had Hilton points available, the Hilton Dead Sea Resort & Spa became the obvious choice.

Originally, I’d planned to spend our first night at the Dead Sea and our second night in Amman. On paper, it seemed like a good way to experience two different parts of Jordan during such a short stay.

But as I finalized the itinerary, it stopped making sense.

We’d already committed to renting a car, Petra would take up our only full day, and moving to another hotel for our second night would mean packing up, checking out, driving to Amman, and checking in again, all for a city we wouldn’t really have time to experience anyway.

So I simplified the plan: two nights at the Hilton Dead Sea it was.

That turned out to be the right decision.

The Hilton Dead Sea had a completely different energy from the Hilton we’d just left in Luxor. Where Luxor felt quiet and almost retreat-like, this was a much livelier resort. There were noticeably more people around the pools and restaurants, families spending the day at the property, and generally more activity throughout the grounds.

It also felt newer and it actually is. The Hilton Dead Sea opened in 2017, and the property has a much more contemporary resort feel.

The resort itself is sprawling, with multiple pools and restaurants plus direct access to the Dead Sea. Because the property slopes down toward the shoreline, getting to the water isn’t quite as simple as walking out of the lobby and onto a beach, but elevators, ramps, and pathways make the descent manageable.

And surprisingly, this was one of the few hotels on the trip where our Hilton Diamond status resulted in a genuinely memorable upgrade.

My parents were upgraded to a massive suite with a huge balcony overlooking the water. It was the kind of hotel room that immediately makes you think, okay, maybe we shouldn’t spend the entire day sightseeing.

For once, we listened.

After checking in, we had lunch at one of the resort restaurants, spent time by the pool, and eventually made our way down to the Dead Sea itself.

That afternoon ended up being one of the few times on this trip when we intentionally slowed down and considering everything we’d packed into the itinerary, we needed it.

Explore Hilton Dead Sea Resort & Spa and check current rates →

Our first evening at the Dead Sea—calm water, fading sunlight, and finally a little time to slow down before our very full day at Petra.

Floating in the Dead Sea

The Dead Sea experience feels surreal the first time you step into it.

The water has an extremely high salt concentration, which makes it much denser than ordinary seawater. That extra density increases buoyancy, so instead of having to tread water or actively keep yourself afloat, your body naturally rises toward the surface.

And it happens almost instantly.

It’s one of those travel experiences you’ve seen in photos forever, but actually leaning back and realizing the water is holding you up is still pretty wild.

But before floating came the mud.

And honestly?

I did not love it.

My mom, sister, and even my dad seemed perfectly happy covering themselves in the thick Dead Sea mud and letting it dry in the sun. I participated because obviously I’d come all this way and was going to try it.

Once was enough.

The floating itself was much more interesting. Leaning back and realizing the water is actually holding you up is undeniably cool.

But the water also felt surprisingly slimy on my skin, which I wasn’t expecting. Between that and the mud, the whole experience fell firmly into the category of I’m glad I did this once.

There are also a few things worth knowing before getting in. Any small cuts or freshly shaved skin can sting, and you definitely want to avoid getting the salty water in your eyes. This isn’t really a place for swimming, either. You get in, lean back, and let the water do the work.

And that’s probably exactly how I’d describe floating in the Dead Sea: cool, weird, absolutely worth trying and something I personally have no need to do twice.

We went closer to sunset, when the temperature had started to cool and the light over the water became softer. Afterward, we rinsed off and stayed near the shoreline watching the sun go down.

If I returned, I’d absolutely come back to the Dead Sea. I just don’t think I’d get back in.

I’d happily claim a lounger, enjoy the view, and watch the sunset while everyone else floated and covered themselves in mud.

Because as unusual as the floating experience was, sitting beside the Dead Sea as the sun went down was actually my favorite part.

It ended up being one of the calmest moments of the entire trip.

And we needed that calm, because the next day would easily become one of the longest.

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Petra as a Day Trip from the Dead Sea: Our Drive There and Back

Our only full day in Jordan was dedicated entirely to Petra, which probably tells you how tightly we’d planned this trip. With Petra roughly a three-hour drive from the Dead Sea, we were committing to around six hours in the car on top of the time we’d spend exploring the site itself.

On the way there, we took a scenic route through Jordan’s mountains and desert landscapes. The views were beautiful, but at times the drive was slightly terrifying. As the elevation changed, the roads became tighter and more winding, with steep drop-offs that made me very grateful I wasn’t the one driving.

A brief checkpoint stop added another moment of panic when officials asked to see our passports and I became convinced I’d left them at the hotel. Thankfully, I hadn’t. Between those moments and the scenery, the drive became part of the experience. Jordan feels vast in a way that’s difficult to understand until you’re moving through it by car.

After a full day walking around Petra, though, the return journey felt much less appealing. We were exhausted, and none of us wanted to retrace those winding mountain roads after dark. Instead, we chose a longer highway route that looped us closer toward Amman before taking us back to the Dead Sea. It added time, but we felt much more comfortable taking that route at night.

By the time we reached the Hilton, we were ready to stop. We ordered room service, gathered in my parents’ enormous suite, and spent the rest of the evening doing absolutely nothing. Honestly, that quiet time together became one of my favorite parts of Jordan.

It was also another sign that our itinerary wasn’t quite right. Petra was absolutely worth visiting, but combining that much driving with a full day at one of the world’s great archaeological sites isn’t how I’d choose to experience it again. Next time, I’d stay near Petra.

Walking through the narrow walls of the Siq before emerging at the Treasury is part of what makes arriving in Petra feel so dramatic, even when you know exactly what’s waiting at the end.

Visiting Petra on a Short Jordan Itinerary

Eventually, after several hours on the road, we arrived in Petra, and almost immediately, the exhaustion of the drive faded into excitement.

The walk into Petra is part of what makes the experience so memorable. At first, the entrance feels relatively open, but gradually the rock walls begin closing in around you until you’re walking through the Siq, the narrow, winding gorge that serves as the main eastern entrance into the ancient city.

And even though you know the reveal is coming, that first glimpse of the Treasury still catches you off guard. You see just a sliver of its carved facade appear between the canyon walls before the entire structure comes into view.

It genuinely feels cinematic.

The Treasury—or Al-Khazneh—is obviously Petra’s most photographed landmark, but one thing I hadn’t fully appreciated before visiting was that Petra was an entire city, not just this one famous facade. It was the rock-cut capital of the Nabataeans and became an important trading crossroads connecting Arabia with Egypt and the Mediterranean world. Throughout the site are tombs, temples, streets, religious sites, and remnants of an impressive water-management system that allowed a major settlement to thrive in such an arid landscape.

Seeing the Treasury in person still felt different from seeing it in photos. The scale, the color of the sandstone, and especially the way it emerges from the Siq make the whole experience far more dramatic than I’d expected.

Surprisingly, it didn’t feel overwhelmingly crowded, either. We visited in October, and while there were definitely people gathered around the Treasury, much of our walk through Petra felt peaceful and spacious. We had time to stop for photos, slowly make our way through the canyon, and actually take in where we were.

What I did underestimate was just how physically large Petra is.

The Treasury is really only the beginning of what there is to explore. We could have continued much farther into the archaeological site, including toward the Monastery, another monumental rock-cut facade deeper within Petra. But by that point it was already hot, we knew reaching it meant considerably more walking and climbing, and we still had roughly three hours of driving back to the Dead Sea ahead of us.

Realistically, we knew attempting it wasn’t the right decision that day.

That’s probably my biggest Petra regret. Not because what we did see wasn’t worth it—it absolutely was—but because our itinerary forced us to choose between seeing more of Petra and making the long drive back before it got too late.

I’d love to return, stay near Petra instead of treating it as a day trip from the Dead Sea, and give the site the time it deserves. Petra lived up to the hype. Our itinerary was the problem.

Beyond the Treasury, Petra opens into a sprawling ancient city filled with rock-cut tombs, monuments, and trails, a glimpse of just how much we left unexplored on this trip.

What I’d Change About This Petra Jordan Itinerary

The biggest takeaway from Jordan was simple: everything we did was worth it, but we tried to compress too much into too little time.

Petra deserved more than a rushed day trip from the Dead Sea. The Hilton Dead Sea Resort deserved more downtime. And honestly, we probably deserved a slower pace too.

But looking back, I don’t think the solution would have been to rearrange those two days or somehow make the itinerary more efficient. I wouldn’t have added Jordan to this Egypt trip at all.

That one-hour flight from Cairo made Jordan look like an easy addition, but being close enough to visit another country doesn’t necessarily mean you should. I would have given those two days back to Egypt, probably one more day in Cairo and one more in Luxor and saved Jordan for a trip of its own.

Because now that I’ve been there, there’s so much I’d want to do differently. I’d stay near Petra instead of driving back to the Dead Sea that night, give myself enough time to explore beyond the Treasury, actually experience Amman, and build in places we missed completely, like Wadi Rum.

Official Jordan tourism itineraries reinforce just how much there is to build a longer trip around, commonly pairing Petra with Amman, Wadi Rum, the Dead Sea, Aqaba, Jerash and other stops rather than treating Petra as an isolated excursion.

Traveling this trip with my parents made every early morning, long drive, and overpacked day worth it, so I wouldn’t trade the memories we made. But if I could change one thing, I’d stop treating a long-haul trip like I have to see everything while I’m already nearby.

Egypt deserved more time. Jordan deserved more time.

And luckily, I already know there will be a next time.

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Final Thoughts on Our Egypt & Jordan Trip

Jordan was the final stop of our trip, following Cairo and Luxor, and looking back, what stands out is how different each destination felt. Cairo was chaotic and fascinating, Luxor brought ancient Egypt to life through its temples and tombs, and Jordan introduced us to a country I now want to explore much more deeply.

More than anything, I’m grateful I got to experience it with my family. The early mornings, long drives, incredible hotels, questionable planning decisions, and moments when we were all completely exhausted are now part of the memories that make me smile.

I’d change the pace, but I’m so glad we took the trip. We saw places we’d imagined for years, and we came home with a much better understanding of what we’d want from another visit. For me, that means giving Egypt more time and returning to Jordan for a trip of its own, with room to experience more than Petra and the Dead Sea.

If you’re planning something similar, I hope our experience helps you leave space for both the places you’ve dreamed of seeing and the quieter moments you might not think to put on an itinerary.

And if you’d like help shaping that trip—from a points strategy to an itinerary with a more comfortable pace—you can learn more on my Work with Me page.