"Active Sightseeing"
In the description of this tour, Tauck uses the term "active sightseeing". For those who have taken this tour, what about the tour fits this description?
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In the description of this tour, Tauck uses the term "active sightseeing". For those who have taken this tour, what about the tour fits this description?
Comments
Things like walking (slowly) about a mile from the Petra entrance to the Treasury. Things like that, where you are walking to see the sights, sometimes climbing stairs to see the sights, etc is what I would consider active sightseeing.
They might even consider a camel ride or a horse and buggy ride as active sightseeing.
You can always ask Tauck the question via the phone or the Contact Tauck interface which you can find at the bottom of their home page.
Hello HuntNfun
It could mean, if you cannot walk at a good pace with the group and/or need help, this is not the recommended tour.
Which I would like Tauck to really implement this policy... My last 3 tours got shorten on some activities because of 1 passenger 88 years old had a walker (Bali Tour) , or the one ..with severe Vertigo problems (Namibia) or one that could not go up on the Jeep due to his weight...
Reason why my next 3 trips this year are with someone else.
Hello Mil, I looked forward to your report on your Namibia trip, but you never posted anything, please would you consider posting?
I agree Mil, I've had people in wheel chairs and the TD ended up pushing it, even though he was supposed to have someone taking care of him (his wife). It really delayed every tour we had.
The tour is described as a 3 and 3 for activity and pace
Here is what is says on the page for the tour.
MOBILITY
Jordan and Egypt: Petra to Pyramids is an active tour. You should be in good health, able to climb into and out of a small boat and walk reasonable distances over unpaved and uneven terrain. Many of our walking excursions are in and around ancient sites and old city quarters.The amount of walking you do, however, is at your discretion.
PLEASE NOTE: We regret that this Tauck itinerary cannot accommodate wheelchairs or motorized scooters. Likewise, we regret that we're unable to provide individual assistance to guests with walking difficulties or other personal needs. The responsibility of the Tauck Director who accompanies your trip is to ensure that the larger group enjoys a relaxing and informative journey, and he or she cannot be relied upon to provide ongoing individual assistance to any one guest. Guests requiring such individualized assistance must be accompanied by an able-bodied companion who can
Here are the explanations
Activity:
1 — May include climbing some stairs and walking for up to an hour at a time over primarily level ground, interspersed with periods of standing.
2 — Guests should be able to easily walk one to two miles, which may include climbing one or two flights of stairs and walking over uneven pavement, groomed hiking trails or cobblestones. Standing up to one hour or more may be required.
3 — Active components such as hiking, bicycling and walking longer distances may be included, and hills and/or uneven terrain may be encountered on several days. Guests should be able to walk two to three miles and stand for long periods of time with no difficulty.
4 — Designed for fit, vigorous travelers capable of easily walking three miles or more. Many days might include active pursuits such as hiking, bicycling or sea kayaking for one to three hours at a time. Guests should be capable of walking three or more miles over terrain including hills and rocky or uneven terrain.
Pace:
1 — Generally easy, with occasional free time for relaxation.
2 — Moderately paced, and may include some early morning hotel departures, one or two on-tour flights, and extended motor coach travel.
3 — Often robust – may include long days, active sightseeing, early starts, evening activities, significant travel times.
4 — Consistently robust – very full and active days, extended travel times, use of different modes of local transport, and a possibility of early starts.
I too have been affected by people not being mobile enough on tours.
Consider calling Tauck to ask more specific questions and be honest about our capabilities. Also, consult with your doctor if you have concerns.
The most active day is Petra. It starts with a mile walk on mostly paved, level path to the Treasury. The guide makes frequent stops for commentary. I walked at my own pace without stopping which put me ahead of the group. Standing still and keeping pace with others would have had me lagging behind. I arrived at Treasury 15 minutes in advance, sat down and waited. Next stretch is 2 miles, level unpaved with stop midway for facilities, cold drink. Lunch before retracing 3 miles back but by other means of transportation, no more walking. Only place I needed my hiking pole was to access the rest rooms which sat atop a small rocky hill. If this doesn't discourage you, I can give you more info for other active days.
Don’t forget to factor in the heat if you go at a hot time of year. If riding a camel is not your thing, that is part of the return journey. I’m not so keen on camel rides and had two vacations with camels in 2023. Another this year. We loved Petra, check out the show Expedition Unknown, two shows that show the latest discoveries at the Treasury.
I generally agree with Karibu, but with one comment and one correction. First, if you separate yourself from the group, you will be mostly out of Whisper range and not hear any commentary. The entire site from the main gate, to the Siq, through the street of facades to Basin Restaurant through the ruins of the old city center is ALL DOWN Hill, so returning is all UPHILL! The inclined is mild to moderate. Most of it is a bit irregular and uneven to not an especially easy walk in either direction.
You can now purchase a "golf cart" ride round-trip at Petra. You have to purchase the ticket at the entrance, and you cannot purchase a one way return in Petra - it's round trip or nothing.
There are some private horse drawn carts that you can get in Petra - but they will attempt to scam you. They will quote you a cheap price, but half way back they will stop and demand more money - I've watched them do it. Your choice then is to pay it or get out and walk the rest of the way.
One thing you can try is to argee to pay half of whatever they quote when you get in, and the other half when you get back to the entrance. But I doubt if they will agree to that.
At least, that's the way it was last time I was there.
When I went on this tour in 2007 a group of us climbed to the top, beautiful views and another outstanding building, half way down our TD arranged for donkeys to take us to the bottom.
Mike - Interesting on the horse cart. When I did the Israel/Jordan tour, at Petra, the transportation back to the top after lunch was provided by Tauck - a camel ride from the bottom to the Treasury and then a horse drawn carriage from the Treasury to the top. My wife and I had the slowest camels in the world, but our horse drawn carriage could have won the Kentucky Derby. 😀
@Smiling Sam - Yes, when I went there with Tauck, that's the way it worked (The TD said, "We overpay these guys so don't take any guff from them. If they try anything let us know and they'll never be used by us again").
I went back to Petra on an excursion from a cruise and they didn't provide anything. If you wanted a golf cart ticket, you bought it yourself. I'm in decent shape so I walked it. On the walk down, I encountered one of the private horse carts stopped. An older woman was saying, "We're not going to give you any more money - we already paid you." But those guys have heard it all before and I'm sure the old people wound up paying to go the rest of the way. I'm sure there wasn't a tip at the end of that ride
Going to Petra from a cruise is not nearly as good as it was with Tauck. With Tauck, we stayed in a hotel at the entrance to Petra and walked there. We had almost all day to explore.
The cruise came into Aqaba so we had to take a bus from there to Petra. We also went to Wadi Rum in the same day so our time at Petra was very limited. Since I had been there before, I ran to a few places that I missed with Tauck but wanted to see.
Tauck at Petra - https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2017Israel-09.htm
Cruise excursion - https://www.mikeandjudytravel.com/2022-3Istanbul-Dubai-05.htm#Petra I have a picture of the old people in the cart stopped half way back to the entrance.
Petra was one of my favorite places on the J&E trip (near the top for all Tauck tours, including Machu Picchu).
If you want to see what the walk and terrain are like, use Google Maps/Earth. You can drag the little yellow walking man almost anywhere on the site (to any of the blue lines and little blue circles that will appear) for a "street view" and virtually "walk" the entire site including the trails/climbs to the Monastery and High Place of Sacrifice. You can stop anywhere en-route and use your cursor to view 360°. I must have "walked" my route numerous times during my pre-tour planning- after the morning guided walk and lunch at the Basin Restaurant with Tauck, I climbed to both, the Monastery and High Place! I made it back to the hotel just before the bus left for Little Petra and the Bedouin dinner. (actually I was a few minutes late.
) I think I logged 17 miles that day! 
There was a lot of walking in Jerash, Petra, and on long day in Luxor. I haven't looked at the current itinerary, but on Luxor day we visited the vast temple complex at Karnak and the smaller complex in Luxor itself, before heading back to the boat for lunch and rest. Later in the afternoon the bus took us across the Nile to the Colossii of Memnon, Valley of the Queens, and Valley of the Kings. The descents into the tombs were a little tough on the legs for some folks. Many only went into Nefartari's in the VOQ and Tut's and possibly one other in the VOK, but skipped the other 2 or 3 that were open to us.
Ruby, check here for my extensive report w/photos on this tour. https://forums.tauck.com/discussion/15494/on-the-road-again/p1 Send me a PM if you have any additional questions you may not want to post.
This kind of research is why,
If you ever set sail on a small boat with a few friends you definitely want Alan - AKA The Professor along on the boat ride. He’s much more important than the millionaire or his wife, the movie star, or MaryAnn. 😀
https://bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=gilligan%27s+island+theme+song&&mid=7F377F79E67B08A7B05F7F377F79E67B08A7B05F&FORM=VAMGZC
We went to Petra with Tauck a couple of years ago, just before the fighting broke out. There are no longer horse and carts. We walked from the hotel to the Treasury and beyond and on the way back there was a camel ride from the restaurant and the rest of the way was by golf cart, all paid for by Tauck. It also included a free item like a scarf at the gift shop at the entrance to the site.