Petra, Jordan – With Kids!

You did what with four small children??

Yes.  That is right.  We did Petra with four small children (ages 8 months to 7 years).  We had lived in the Middle East on and off for years and never visited Petra.  I didn’t want to miss my chance, so now was the time.  My husband kept trying to figure out how we could do Petra without the kids, but I insisted it would be FINE!!  I did my own internet research on taking kids to Petra, but did not find a lot of info.  Once we got there, we realized WHY there was no info on taking small children to Petra.  Pretty much, NO ONE DID IT.

We opted NOT to stay in a hotel in near Petra as they were VERY geared toward tourists.  The hotels were very small, had either two single beds or one king bed, and if there was a pool, it was very small.  We decided to stay in Aqaba at the Radisson Blu located on the Red Sea.  This hotel was resort style, had several pools (including a kiddie pool), and a small play ground located directly next to the kiddie pool so you could park yourself there for the afternoon and enjoy.  You also had the option of the beach on the Red Sea.

We were HOPING to be able to sqeeze into one room with four young ones, but it was not an option.  We had to get an additional room.  Luckily they were ajoined.  This hotel was great in that AFTER the kids were asleep, there were balconies on each of the rooms and my husband and I could still enjoy the evening with a bottle of wine and a great view.

Okay… on to Petra.  We decided not to leave in a rush the next morning.  We had an enjoyable breakfast on the patio overlooking the Red Sea and then left around 10 am.  You cannot drive a rented vehicle.  When you rent a car, it comes WITH a driver.  So our driver picked us up at the hotel and off we went.  It took about 2 hours or so to get there.  Gorgeous drive and all the kids fell asleep for a bit.  I freaked out about water, so we stopped and I picked up six LARGE bottles of water and some snacks.  Looking back, I did NOT need to get all of these as one or two would have been sufficient – they were heavy and became a burden.  Besides, you can get water everywhere inside Petra.

We arrived, loaded up the kids in the double stroller and headed in.  The ADMISSION PRICE was heafty… approx. 70 dinar, 50 dinar if you stayed in Jordan.  Kids were around 30 dinar.  I think the youngest three were free.

We begin walking down.  The stroller was an excellent idea, we thought.  We walked proudly into the Siq.  My husband was the first to notice the odd stares and whispers and laughs we began to receive from those on their way out.  He was also the first to notice that NO ONE else had young children.  Hmm… we were still confident in our ability to conquer Petra until we encountered cobblestone – not just any cobblestone, HUGE, ancient cobblestone.  The baby could remain in the stroller, but everyone else had to walk and the water bottles I purchased?  They kept bouncing out.  Yes… it was a bad idea.  But we finally made it through.

Once we finally got to the Treasury, things got a bit easier.  It was a bit more smooth sailing.  One major annoyance was all the men trying to get you to pay to ride the donkeys.  So we kept saying no and finally told the kids that we would ride them on our way out (which was all up hill) – their reward for walking all the way into Petra.

It was crowded by the Treasury, so we decided to walk to the end and then take our time walking out and viewing the sites.  So, we walked past the Treasury and got to some shade and took a good look at the map to get our bearings, everyone had some water and we gathered the troops to begin our site seeing and my two year old was NO WHERE to be found.  I freaked.  Could she have been kidnapped?  My husband spots here about 100 yards away, down the hill, checking out the jewelry and trinkets laying on a vendor’s table.  I ran to gather her, scolding her for walking away, because it was her fault, not mine.

A bit further in, I noticed poo dripping down my two year old’s leg.  Oh yes… MAJOR POO!  There was poo everywhere.  It covered her shorts, was dripping down her legs and ended up all over me.  It was a disaster… She ended up walking the majority of Petra in a diaper and a shirt.

However, our exploration stopped once we reached the colonnated street.  The stroller could go no further because the sand was too deep.  I walk on ahead for a bit to take photos, but we did not make to the Ad-Deir Monastery.  All in all, it was an amazing site, a great experience and I have wonderful memories.  Click here to read about our time staying with the Bedouins in Wadi Rum (same trip!)

But yes, there is a reason people don’t bring young kids to Petra.  Actually, there are several.  Here are some TIPS if you decide to do it anyway!

1.  Strollers are hard to maneauver on the cobblestone and in the sand.  Near impossible once you reach the colonnaded street, actually.  That pretty much ended it for us.  I walked a bit ahead to take photos, but we did not make it to the Monastery (Ad-Deir) at the end.

2.  There is a lot of climbing to go see some of the structures up close.  My husband took our oldest child, but I had to stay and sit with the younger ones and wait.

3.  It is all uphill on the way out and if you leave too late, there are no donkeys, and when you promised the kids donkeys, it can make for a fairly miserable journey to the top.

But despite these reasons, there are also great reasons to do it anyway… 

1.  You can say you did Petra with young children.  Not too many can do that!

2.  It truly is an amazing site to see AND if you are given the opportunity to do it and you have young ones, do it.  You may not be given that opportunity again.

3.  Think of the stories!!

Us girls posing with the tombs of Petra behind us!

TIPS:

1.  Bring a little water, but purchase from vendors.

2.  Do not bring a stroller.  Use a backpack carrier (or front carrier) for infants and little ones.  Spend a little extra and ride a donkey.  You can usually talk them down on the price, but stick with your guns because at the end they try to jack it back up and they give you a list of reasons.  Hold to your agreed price!

3. Take your time and if you don’t see it all, don’t freak out either.  You are there now… enjoy and appreciate!