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PETRA & WADI RUM

A Once-In-A-Lifetime Magical Adventure in the Jordanian Desert

ISRAEL

PETRA

ISTANBUL

TURKEY

UZBEKISTAN

Behold one of the ‘New Seven Wonders of the World’

This amazing 4-Day Jordan Photo Tour and Cultural Adventure (and extension to our Israel itinerary) is a must see for any traveler and photographer looking to capture the ultimate in ancient history, heritage and nature. Petra itself should be on everyone’s bucket list. Wadi Rum is a stunning sandstone and red rock introduction to the Jordanian desert.

The ancient city of Petra lies half-hidden in the wind-blown landscape in southern Jordan, and is one of the world’s most treasured UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Voted by popular ballot in 2007 as one of the ‘New Seven Wonders of the World’, it has retained its magnetism even through times of strife in the wider region.

Petra was rediscovered for the world by Jean Louis Burckhardt in the 19th century. It meant he needed to go in disguise, speak in local dialect and engage the trust of surrounding tribespeople. Today visitors are welcomed both by the Bedouin who still relate to the Ancient City as home, and by the townspeople of neighboring Wadi Musa. 

Wadi Rum is everything you’d expect of a quintessential desert: it is extreme in summer heat and winter cold; it is violent and moody as the sun slices through chiseled canyons at dawn or melts the division between rock and sand at dusk; it is exacting on the Bedouin who live in it and vengeful on those who ignore its dangers. For us luckily, our short visit from Aqaba offers one of the easiest and safest glimpses of the desert in the region. We’ll sleep in one of the finest luxury desert camps, yet this experience will provide us with an unforgettable way of stripping the soul back to basics.

This non-stop tour in Jordan will include a 4×4 jeep tour of Wadi Rum, where we will follow in the footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia. We’ll photograph a Nabatean Temple, Lawrence’s Spring, Sand Dunes, Khazali Canyon, Little Bridge, Um Frouth Rock Bridge, Lawrence House, Burdah Rock Bridge/Burdah Arch. After, we’ll stay in the Red Rose City of Petra. This fascinating ancient Nabatean capital once dominated the Arabian trade routes, and is a must see. 

This adventure is designed not only to guide you to the most photogenic locations carefully planned for the best light, but to aid you in mentally visualizing a scene before capturing the decisive moment. Our aim is to raise your awareness and spark your creativity so that you not only go home with images to be proud of, but use your new found skills to improve and expand your photographic technique in general. Apart from the technical aspect of learning your camera settings and capabilities, you will learn how to turn an ordinary image into an extraordinary image by using your own creativity. 

In addition, you will become knowledgeable on how to survey the landscape, utilize and approach your environment, photograph people indigenous to the region and the cultural considerations and challenges of photographing in a foreign country. Our time together will include individual and group discussions, inspiring ideas and great fun. We cannot think of a better location to express your creativity than the stunningly beautiful ancient ruins of Petra and the soul searching sands of Wadi Rum! 

The ancient city of Petra lies half-hidden in the wind-blown landscape in southern Jordan, and is one of the world’s most treasured UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Voted by popular ballot in 2007 as one of the ‘New Seven Wonders of the World’, it has retained its magnetism even through times of strife in the wider region.

Petra was rediscovered for the world by Jean Louis Burckhardt in the 19th century. It meant he needed to go in disguise, speak in local dialect and engage the trust of surrounding tribespeople. Today visitors are welcomed both by the Bedouin who still relate to the Ancient City as home, and by the townspeople of neighboring Wadi Musa. 

Wadi Rum is everything you’d expect of a quintessential desert: it is extreme in summer heat and winter cold; it is violent and moody as the sun slices through chiseled canyons at dawn or melts the division between rock and sand at dusk; it is exacting on the Bedouin who live in it and vengeful on those who ignore its dangers. For us luckily, our short visit from Aqaba offers one of the easiest and safest glimpses of the desert in the region. We’ll sleep in one of the finest luxury desert camps, yet this experience will provide us with an unforgettable way of stripping the soul back to basics.

This non-stop tour in Jordan will include a 4×4 jeep tour of Wadi Rum, where we will follow in the footsteps of Lawrence of Arabia. We’ll photograph a Nabatean Temple, Lawrence’s Spring, Sand Dunes, Khazali Canyon, Little Bridge, Um Frouth Rock Bridge, Lawrence House, Burdah Rock Bridge/Burdah Arch. After, we’ll stay in the Red Rose City of Petra. This fascinating ancient Nabatean capital once dominated the Arabian trade routes, and is a must see. 

This adventure is designed not only to guide you to the most photogenic locations carefully planned for the best light, but to aid you in mentally visualizing a scene before capturing the decisive moment. Our aim is to raise your awareness and spark your creativity so that you not only go home with images to be proud of, but use your new found skills to improve and expand your photographic technique in general. Apart from the technical aspect of learning your camera settings and capabilities, you will learn how to turn an ordinary image into an extraordinary image by using your own creativity. 

In addition, you will become knowledgeable on how to survey the landscape, utilize and approach your environment, photograph people indigenous to the region and the cultural considerations and challenges of photographing in a foreign country. Our time together will include individual and group discussions, inspiring ideas and great fun. We cannot think of a better location to express your creativity than the stunningly beautiful ancient ruins of Petra and the soul searching sands of Wadi Rum! 

Group Size

4-8 Guests

Experience | Difficulty

  • Beginner, amateur, enthusiast and semi-pro photographers
  • DSLR, mirrorless, compact or iPhone camera
  • Travel by car or minibus
  • Some elevation changes and lots of walking
  • (non-photographers also welcome)

Weather | Sun

June – Temps 97/78 F  36/25 C  Sunrise 5:34 | Sunset 7:24 (19:24)
October – Temps 88/71 F  31/21 C  Sunrise 5:49 | Sunset 4:55 (16:55)

Includes

  • 4 Days
  • Travel, landscape, and nature photography
  • Professional photographer | guide
  • Bedouin guide (English speaking)
  • Photo walks & discussions
  • Small group size (4-8 guests)
  • 4-star hotel
  • Luxury desert camp
  • Petra by Night
  • Breakfasts & 3 meals
  • Local transportation
  • Jordanian Visa
  • Border transfers
  • Cross border assistance
  • 4×4 jeep tour
  • Entrance fees

Travel Information

Arrival & Departure Airports: Ramon International Airport, Eilat, Israel (ETM),
or Tel Aviv, Israel (TLV) – Transfer time to hotel 4+ hours

Please Note: Eilat, Israel and Aqaba, Jordan are two cities literally on either side of the border crossing. Your Jordanian visa will be included in our package. If you are departing Israel after Petra, you may book a flight from Eilat Airport to Tel Aviv where you can get your international flight onward, or return by car to Tel Aviv with our Photographer Leader (a 4 hour drive).

Our adventure begins at 11 AM on the first day and ends at noon on the last day.
Travel Visa: A visa may be required depending on your nationality. Go to Visa Map to find out.

Accommodations

Petra – Petra Hyatt Zaman, Petra Marriott, Movenpick Resort Petra or similar
Wadi Rum – Luxury Desert Camp

Petra & Wadi Rum Prices & Dates

Photographer Leader

Photographer Leader

Laurie Cohen

October 26-29, 2024
June 23-26, 2025
October 25-28, 2025

*All prices are per person and based on double occupancy. Please select single occupancy for a private room. For your convenience, we offer optional early arrival and late departure accommodations so you can extend your stay before or after the trip. We typically stay in upscale boutique hotels in the 4 and 5-star category. Not all destinations offer these types of properties. We look for unique hotels that offer cultural, historic, and/or authentic features. Depending on the size of the group, smaller boutique hotels may have limited room inventory. In some countries or in remote locations, we may be limited to lodges or branded chain hotels. In Cuba, we stay in upscale family-owned Casas (bread & breakfasts). On all of our tours, breakfast is almost always included, but not guaranteed. Meal categories listed include (B) for breakfast, (L) for lunch, and (D) for dinner.

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS

PETRA & WADI RUM 4 DAYS

Day 1 | Eilat - Aqaba - Wadi Rum

Our Wadi Rum and Petra Photo Adventure is an amazing opportunity to visit Jordan’s most photogenic area of natural beauty, and a lost city frozen in time. If you are continuing on from our Israel Photo Adventure, you’ll simply be continuing on with us. If you are meeting us, we’ll arrange to have you picked up at Eilat Airport or your hotel in the early morning.

Located less than 2 hours drive south of the Ramon Crater, lies the border of Jordan in Aqaba – our gateway to the magnificent mountainous desert of Wadi Rum. A protected desert wilderness covering over 700 square km of dramatic landscapes, this arid area contains sandstone mountains reaching a height of over 1,700 meters, unusual rock formations in sandstone and granite, narrow canyons known as Siqs, and rock carvings etched by its inhabitants dating back millennia. The residents of Wadi Rum are made up of Bedouins, a nomadic people that typically live in the desert and whose livelihood revolves around herding goats. Their hospitality is legendary in the Middle East.

After leaving the border, we head towards the desert and stop to photograph the steam train at the Hejaz railway. Set in an idyllic landscape, this railway line was of major importance to the Ottoman Empire. With the help of T. E Lawrence [also known as Lawrence of Arabia], the Turks were defeated, and this event helped shape the Middle East today. Upon reaching the Wadi Rum village, we switch vehicles and take a short ride by 4×4 to our Luxury Desert Camp, where we check in.

After enjoying a lunch of local cuisine and settling in to our luxury tents, we will take a camel tour to capture this beautiful region during sunset. This will surely be one of the highlights of your trip, and capturing the dramatic scenery at this hour will make for some memorable images. After a well-earned rest, we will enjoy dinner together. For guests that enjoy astrophotography, Wadi Rum is hard to beat. With extremely low light pollution and mountainous landscapes, a clear sky can produce some amazing images. (L) (D)

Day 2 | Wadi Rum - Petra

Our second day starts early as we take a sunrise tour by 4×4 vehicle to visit some of the area’s most interesting and photogenic sites. Watching the sun rise between the sandstone rock creating subtle changes of light, textures in the desert floor changing as the sun rises and illuminates the wonderful rock formations. Some of the locations we will visit include the Red Sand Dunes, Little Bridge, Burdah Rock Bridge, Khazali Canyon, and Lawrence’s Spring – named after the British soldier, Lawrence of Arabia that resided here. This is a great way to start our day. The first impression you may have of Wadi Rum during golden hour is the feeling that you are on a different planet. The similarity to Mars is striking. No wonder it has been the backdrop of so many movies. After breakfast, we leave our tent camp and head to our next destination – our beautiful hotel located near to the Red Rose City of Petra. 

A World Heritage Site, and one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the legacy of Petra seems to have been frozen in time. This amazing city dates back more than 2,000 years, and was built and inhabited by the Nabateans, an ancient Arab civilization. The Nabateans were considered scientists, and admired for their ingenuity in architectural planning, construction and irrigation skills. Petra is located at the crossroads of ancient trading routes, and was of major importance for caravans passing through.

In the afternoon, we will enjoy a guided tour with an expert on the city’s heritage. Passing through the Siq [narrow slot canyon] we arrive to the Treasury, probably Petra’s most iconic structure, and the setting for the movie “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade”. We will spend a few hours touring the ancient city, as you try to absorb the scope of its size while photographing the fascinating scenes that unfold around each corner. 

In the early evening, before arriving to our hotel, we will take some artistic shots of the wind farm that overlooks Wadi Musa, the municipality of Petra and the surrounding area. Using a combination of tripods and neutral density filters, we will capture movement of the turbines in motion, perfect when the sun starts to go down. After returning to our hotel and enjoying an excellent dinner, we will take a well-deserved rest after experiencing a truly memorable day. (B)

Day 3 | Little Petra - Petra

After breakfast, we will head to Little Petra, a far smaller site, though of major importance to Petra. Known locally as Siq Al-Barid, this site includes temples, tombs, cisterns and other methods in channeling and storing water. Various religious ceremonies were held here and festivals were hosted by the king of the Nabateans. Evidence of wine production is represented by a well preserved fresco depicting cherubs with grape vines. After relaxing in our hotel and going over our best images selected to date with a group critique, we will prepare ourselves with tripods and warmer clothing as we head out for our night shoot.

Before arriving to visit “Petra by Night”, probably one of the most beautiful sights that can be captured in photography, we will stop at a viewpoint overlooking the Dana Biosphere reserve to capture beautiful panoramic shots during sunset. A tripod and graduated neutral density filter to balance skies will be useful here. Finally, our day ends in spectacular fashion as we spend 2 hours photographing “Petra by Night”.

Walking down through the Siq with lanterns on the floor directing us and the cliffs of the canyons towering above us, stars emerging through the natural beauty of the rock, and the wonderful silence that beckons us to the Treasury, this event has to be one of the most spectacular and memorable nights you will ever experience. Arriving at the Treasury, with its floor covered in lanterns, the beautiful facade cut out of sheer rock is laid bare in all its glory. Even the best photographer could not create lighting of such beauty. After photographing the light show, we will make our way back to the exit, enjoying the scenes on our own without distractions and at our own pace. Back in the city we will celebrate with a Farewell Dinner fit for a King, or Queen. (B) (D)

Day 4 | Petra - Aqaba - Eilat

On Day 4 we head out early for a sunrise tour of Petra. Arriving to the sites at dawn with just the sound of the call for prayer, watching the locals attending to their rickshaws, and having the whole place to ourselves, we prepare ourselves as the colors of the pink sandstone become more intense. Here we can explore at our own pace. Some may wish to do an uphill hike to visit the High Place of Sacrifice, or to view the Treasury from above. Others may prefer to just wait and watch the scenes that unfold. On returning to our hotel, we will enjoy our breakfast, check-out of our hotel and head back to the border where we will exchange contact information, and sadly bid you farewell. (B)

Due to Petra’s location, guests have several options for returning home. Aqaba airport in Jordan and Eilat airport in Israel serve international flights. Alternatively, you may wish to enjoy some time on your own at the end of our trip by staying at the Red Sea coastal towns of Aqaba or Eilat. Finally, you have the option of returning directly to Tel Aviv by vehicle with your guide. Once you’re registered we’ll be happy to advise you on your best return travel options.

(B) Breakfast, (L) Lunch, (D) Dinner, (E) Excursion

 

May all who come as guests... leave as friends®

 

OPTIONS AND BENEFITS

Pricing

All prices are per person and based on double occupancy. Please select single occupancy for a private room. For your convenience, we offer optional early arrival and late departure accommodations so you can extend your stay before or after the trip. We typically stay in boutique hotels in the 4-star category. Not all destinations offer these types of properties. We look for unique hotels which offer cultural, historic and/or authentic features. Depending on the size of the group, smaller boutique hotels may have limited room inventory. In some countries or in remote locations, we may be limited to lodges or branded chain hotels. Breakfast is included only if included in our room rates.

Private Guided Adventures

We offer amazing private guided photo adventures, cultural tours and vacations for individuals, couples, families and groups. We can customize any of our published adventures, as well as others, to meet your individual needs, schedule, budget and interests. This may include the finest 5-star accommodations, business-class travel, and private guides and fixers who are able to make the impossible possible. If you are not interested in a photo-centric vacation, but you love our approach to private travel, we will be happy to design and deliver an amazing adventure focused on travel, culture and cuisine. Click here to request a quote. Feel free to call us at 1-888-834-0288 or contact us for more information.

Travel Insurance

We offer travel insurance through the internationally recognized Travelex Travel Insurance Company, as well as evacuation and medical transportation insurance through MedJet, one of the best in the industry.

The cost for travel insurance can be as low as 4% of the total trip cost, depending upon age and other factors. Knowing you have trip cancellation coverage can make a big difference should you have to cancel for some unforeseen reason. Travelex Insurance Services is a BBB Accredited business with an A+ rating. Click here to learn more about why you should consider travel insurance.

Rewards Program

Start earning points today and SAVE $200 - $900 off future trips!
Simply register for one of our amazing photo adventures and begin earning points today!

How The Program Works
For every adventure reservation you make with Photo Workshop Adventures, you earn valuable points which you can redeem on your next trip. This is a great way to save up to 8% off future trips. Our Rewards Program is designed with three tiers: Orange, Gold and VIP Members. Points may be applied towards balance payments on your next trip, or you may choose to accumulate points for a free trip in the future.

ORANGE REWARDS
All guests begin with our Orange Rewards Program (Level 1), which earns 4 points for every dollar you spend. You begin earning points immediately after your first trip. A $5,900 spend earns 23,600 points with a value of $236 USD.

GOLD REWARDS
With our Gold Rewards Program (Level 2), you earn 6 points for every dollar you spend. Orange Members who reach 120,000 accumulated lifetime* points (approx. 4-6 trips), automatically move up to Gold Rewards. A $5,900 spend earns 35,400 points with a value of $354 USD.

Additional Gold Benefits:

  • Earn up to double points during promotional events
  • Advance notifications for upcoming adventures and special offers

VIP REWARDS
With our VIP Rewards Program (Level 3), you earn 8 points for every dollar you spend. Gold Members who reach 350,000 accumulated lifetime* points (approx. 8-12 trips) move up to VIP Rewards. A $5,900 spend earns 47,200 points with a value of $472 USD, (8+/-% discount).

Additional VIP Benefits:

  • Earn up to double points during promotional events
  • Advance notifications for upcoming adventures and special offers
  • Ability to Gift or Transfer points to others
  • Receive complimentary airport transfers at the destination location*

Redeeming Your Points
Redeeming your points couldn’t be easier. You can always log in to your account to check your points balance. When you are ready to book your next trip, register and pay your deposit. When you go to pay your balance you will be given the option to apply your points and receive a discount.

THINK ORANGE Magazine

Subscribe to our Think Orange Magazine and eNews. THINK ORANGE is a wonderful mix of stories and tips related to travel, photography, adventure, culture, art, technology, cuisine, lifestyle, people and more. Our objective is to immerse you in a world you may only fantasize about. Raise your awareness and inspire your creativity. Perhaps even help make you a better photographer. We deliver similar experiential experiences that our guests enjoy on our photo adventures. Like all of our adventures, our blog is “photo-centric”, while also allowing you to experience all the nuances and cultural aspects of travel and adventure. Welcome to our world. We hope you enjoy. Our eNews is a great way to receive information about upcoming photo adventures, exciting new destinations, photography tips, special offers and more. Subscribe today!

Gift Cards

Give someone you know a Gift Card, good toward any of our Photo  Adventures, Photo Tours, Private Guided Tours, Online Courses, Prints or Merchandize. Our beautifully personalized eGift Cards and Certificates are delivered to you electronically. They are fully transferable and have a 2 year expiration date. They are available in any amount from $100 to $5000. It makes a great gift for anyone who loves photography, travel or adventure. Order now, or email for more information.

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