Day Tour to Petra from Aqaba

Petra

Petra spectacular, a bucket list essential, messy start with 30 min wait, guide OK but needs to be more lively to create an atmosphere and failed tell us of visitor centre and museum which were more informative than him, coach poor and very well worn, lunch poor and not worth the bother, just some fresh fruit and stodgy bread

via Viator

Great trip

I booked the two day tour to Petra and Wadi Rum with Tourist Israel and was really happy with the experience. I found the customer support really helpful in answering my questions before the trip and the whole trip was really well organized. I enjoyed the guide, he was informative but funny and made us feel safe and well cared for. Thank you Tourist Israel for a great experience, I definitely would recommend this trip.

Response from the operator: Thanks, Ron, for your kind words and review of the two-day Petra and Wadi Rum tour. We are so happy to hear you enjoyed the overall experience and that your guide was informative and friendly and made you feel well-cared for. It is also great to hear that our reservation team was helpful prior to your trip to help answer questions. We thank you for choosing Tourist Israel and hope to see you again in the future. Thanks again, Ron!

via Tripadvisor

Highlights of Jordan

Of all the 17 Countries that I have explored, Jordan certainly left it's mark. Our tour guide Nizar was very knowledgeable, well spoken, helpful and a great sense of humor kept us entertained. Great air-conditioned bus with a friendly driver. Our Accommodation was authentic in the middle of the desert where the staff were friendly. Food always fantastic. Spectacular sunset views with the evening spent star gazing in the outdoor auditorium. Wadi Rum Jeep safari were amazing, felt as though we really were on planet Mars. Petra transports you back in time. First view of the Treasury was unforgettable. Always a friendly local to take a snapshot or offer a camel ride. Afternoon at the Dead Sea was therapeutic, offering the best sunset. Jordanians are extremely hospitable, friendly and I have and will keep encouraging friends and family to experience the 'Real Middle East'. Israel on the otherhand was a disappointment. 4 bus changes the last one went up in smoke. We had seen almost every church in the country; one too many. Many of the once Holy places have now been covered with shrines of modern day idol worship. Disgusting. View from Capernaum, Caesarea, Jaffa, Sea of Galilee were beautiful. Israeli's in general are very arrogant not to friendly apart from the resorts. Food was fantastic. Red Canyon & Eilat were beautiful holiday spots. A total nightmare being interrogated by immigration whilst on Departure at Ben Gurion Airport just because my passport was stamped with a Jordanian stamp. I have never been so grateful & happy to leave.

Response from the operator: Thanks, Melodie for your feedback! We are so happy to hear you enjoyed your experience in Jordan and that Nizar made the experience extra special! It is great to hear you enjoyed the sites, the natural beauty and the hospitality of the Jordanians. We are disappointed to hear you felt less comfortable in Israel, and it is worth noting the that Ben Gurion Airport is one of the most secure airports in the world. It is quite common for travelers to answer these types of questions, we are sorry to hear it was an unpleasant experience but we are happy it did not take away from the overall experience. Thanks again for choosing Tourist Israel!

via Tripadvisor

"If my customer is unhappy, I am happy"

Where do I begin with this tour company!? We did 2 trips with this company, both of which were an utter shambles, and we almost experienced the worst customer service we have ever experienced on vacation, ever. The first trip was to Jerusalem, Bethlehem & the Dead Sea. The trip was horrifically disorganised, and despite threatening in the itinerary that we would be left if we we're late, the trip left late! The driver was easily the rudest we have ever experienced. When there was a lady who missed the 2AM sunrise trip because she was late, and booked the next trip immediately, he told her she couldn't come despite there being space on the bus. She wanted to go to the Dead Sea, but when we got to Jeruselum (the first stop, despite the tour stating we do the Dead Sea first [although this was better for us this way]) the driver JUST LEFT HER IN JERUSALEM AND TOLD HER IT'S NOT HIS PROBLEM!!!! wow. After completing the tour of Jerusalem, the guide took everyone who wanted to go to Bethlehem back to the bus, which was left in a different location that none of us had been to before. He then told the people that we're staying in Jerusalem to meet at the bus at 1:30/2:00PM, and gave a very loose explanation of where to meet. We did the Bethlehem trip, and got back at 1:35PM - the coach driver then LEFT EVERYONE HE WASN'T ALREADY THERE IN JERUSALEM AND THEY DIDN'T GET TO GO TO THE DEAD SEA!!! Despite me telling the driver that the guide said 1:30/2PM and he didn't explain very well where to meet, but the driver didn't seem to care. The next trip we did was Petra from Tel Aviv (We had already booked prior to coming). Petra from Tel Aviv This was a long day. We were told again that if we were late they would leave without us and to get there 15-30 minutes early. So we got to the location for 3:40AM to leave at 4AM. The coach left at 4:10AM for no apparent reason. The journey seemed fine but we were then told that we were 1.5hrs late to meet the rest of the group. Once we got to the border we were gutted to see the same terribly rude driver from the first trip greet us (the one that left everyone). Once through the first border patrol we met one of our guide. Getting through the border was absolute carnage, despite our trip being the only people actually going through border patrol. We were waiting for an hour for seemingly no reason, and despite the the one tour guide we had met being quite funny, we also learnt quickly his rude side when he was shouting at people for no reason. Once through the border into Jordan, we sat on the bus for half an hour whilst the tour operators talk about the fact that they have overbooked, and have left no space for the other tour guide, or the police escort. So in the end we left with the first tour guide, no police escort and no second tour guide (who apparently was the main tour guide). Finally we set off, yet everyone was frustrated to find that 1 hour into the 2 hour journey to Petra we stopped again. This time at a place where they wanted us to spend money on souvenirs. One man kicked off big time, and was fuming about all the delays and having to wait again to get there. The tour guide had a very loud argument with him in front of the whole group and we were all left somewhat shell shocked. From then we drove another 1.5hrs to Petra, and had to wait around again in the sun. At this point - the 4 hours in Petra promised on the itinerary had dropped down to 3 hours due to delays. I asked the guide if we skipped the food could we get an extra hour in there? He responded with if you are late they will leave you in Jordan - so we didn't risk it. By the time the guide sorted out the foreign speaking tourists with their foreign speaking guides, we were down to only 2.5 hours in Petra. With the 2.5km walk up and down, we were only able to see the Treasury, and have a brief wander around which was clearly an expansive area - which we missed the majority of. Once we returned to the top to have lunch, I was surprised to find the food was pretty good. But we then spent an extra 1.5 hours at the restaurant because 1 person didn't feel comfortable paying cash to the man asking for the full amount of money for the tour, and another group were so displeased with the trip that they didn't want to stay over night in Petra (They booked the 2 day tour). This caused absolute chaos, and the tour guide lost all decorum and started screaming at people, and when asked why he was being so rude to people - he responded with 'If my customer is unhappy, I am happy'. We then eventually started the long journey back, stopping again at another souvenir shop on the way back, got through border patrol (quicker this time), but didn't get back to Tel Aviv until 2AM (the itinerary stated 11PM). Petra was incredible, so it was worth it - but i deplore anyone considering taking a trip to Petra or anywhere in Israel; not to use this tour company.

Response from the operator: Hi James, Thanks for taking the time to reach out and share your experience. We are disappointed to hear you were not satisfied with your tour experiences. I want to assure you that having unhappy customers does not make us happy and we strive to offer both excellent customer service and excellent tour experiences. In regards to your Jerusalem tour, it is important to note that the woman who wanted to join was not booked on your tour. If a customer is not booked on a tour they are not able to just show up and join as they must be booked in advance and receive a confirmation. Our customer service team already worked directly with that passenger to accommodate her needs and ensure she received the tour she wanted. In the event that a traveler has some free time (in this case, those passengers who did not want to go to Bethlehem), they are given a time and a location to meet back with the group. Travelers are provided with an emergency contact number and the number of their guide. On your particular tour, both the guide and our operations team called and attempted to locate those guests. However, the itinerary is clear and timing is important to ensure that all sites are seen. The Petra tour, it is worth noting that the procedures at the border are unfortunately out of our control. Our team takes travelers through this border on a daily basis however it is to the discretion of the border officials and authorities to process travelers crossing. The operations team worked to make up for lost time to ensure that the group was able to see all of the sites in Petra and stick to the itinerary. We are happy to hear you enjoyed the lunch and the sites in Petra and assure you that our operations team strives to coordinate the logistics, transportation and guiding to create a comprehensive experience in Petra, and on every tour that is offered. We thank you again for sharing your experience and ask you to please contact our reservation team directly in order to find a suitable solution.

via Tripadvisor

Almost- but the bus ride home was unbearable

We took the day excursion from Jerusalem to Petra. Everything was fantastic going there, the tour itself was great, but after a long hard day of travel, to be put in a tour bus with no AC and no concern about not having AC was unacceptable. The driver had AC but the 8 or 9 customers did not. I have reached out to operator but no response... think twice if you are looking for comfortable ride

Response from the operator: Hi Jaime, Thanks for taking the time to share your experience here. We are disappointed to hear about the AC not working for all of the seats on the bus, although we are glad to hear it was working for some seats allowing the bus to have some cooling options in the heat. Our Reservation Team Manager tried to contact you directly via email but received an email that the address was invalid. Please contact us directly via email and we will be happy to find a suitable solution. Many thanks! We are also so pleased to hear that you enjoyed the tour and found the experience in Petra to be fantastic and enjoyable!

via Tripadvisor