Jerash or Petra
Jerash or Petra – Are you wondering if Petra is a better option than Jerash? It depends on what you’re seeking from the trip and how old or young your kids are.
What is special about Petra?
Petra is one of the modern seven wonders of the world so that pegs it much higher than Jerash. The whole walk through Siq and stories from this ancient capital of Nabateans is an experience in itself. The towering rocks and valley of Siq, imposing structure of the Treasury and the Monastery and the innovative ways of Nabateans makes it truly wonderous.
Petra is nothing like the Roman ruins that you will find in Jerash and Ephesus. Petra is both a wonder of the world and a UNESCO World Heritage site, while Jerash is neither.
So Why should you consider Jerash with kids?
Now comes the however… Petra is a long walk (think about walking for 7-8 hours at the very minimum) to reach upto Treasury (the famous facade that you see when you google Petra). While you can take the option of riding on the donkeys for some distance or hiring a buggi for some part too, its then a call between how much you want to visit and how much you want to spend. Additionally these options don’t go all the way so for some trails, you really have to cover them on foot.
Take a look at this post to know more about Petra and check out this post to know more about Jerash: one of the best preserved Roman ruins outside of Italy. Kids, depending on their ages of course, are likely to enjoy Jerash equally or more than Petra. Also, you may not even be able to walk and go all the way to Monastery with kids.
Jerash is smaller and more manageable with kids. Also, they have a few eating snack and juice places just outside the main site and since it takes just about 3-4hrs, kids can happily survive. Petra is a challenge as its almost a full day affair with almost nothing available enroute except for this one restaurant which doesn’t serve anything veg besides packaged chips (thank God for it).
All in all, Jerash or Petra depend on which one is on your wish list and how old are your kids. We did both in our Jordan trip and don’t regret any of it.
