A Travel Price Comparison for Families, Couples, and Backpackers Petra vs. Royal Chitwan National Park for Vacations, Tours, and Honeymoons

Should you visit Petra or Royal Chitwan National Park?

Which is cheaper to visit? Which is more expensive for vacation?

Which city is more affordable and which is best for your travel style? If you're trying to figure out where to go next, comparing the travel costs between Petra and Royal Chitwan National Park can help you decide which place is right for you.

Where Should I go: Petra or Royal Chitwan National Park?

Petra

Whether you're checking off the Seven Wonders of the World, or you're just a huge Indiana Jones fan, the city of Petra must be on your bucket list. The "rose red city, half as old as time," was the capital of the Nabataean kingdom in the 6th century BC. It was the center for trade and commerce until an earthquake took out buildings and destroyed their water management system. After this destruction, the city of Petra seemed to be lost to western civilization.

Royal Chitwan National Park

The majestic elephant, the silly monkey and dozens of soaring birds call the Royal Chitwan National Park home. At the foot of the Himalayas, this UNESCO World Heritage Site is 932 square kilometers of animal and plant life preservation in Nepal.

Once the favorite hunting ground for Nepal's ruling class, the area began seeing the endangerment of all the area animals. So in 1957, Nepal passed its first conservation law to protect the rhinos and their habitat. At the end of the 1960s, however, DDT had cleared 70% of Royal Chitwan National Park jungles, thousands of people had created moved in on the land and only 95 rhinos were left. By 1977 the park was under complete protection, enlarged to the present-day size and is one of the last refuges of the Bengal tiger.

This park, also known as "the heart of the jungle," provides over 70,000 annual visitors with opportunities to get close and personal with animals they've only seen in movies. Fair warning, however, the weather is quite hot and humid for most of the year.

For some great organized tour ideas, see The Best Historical Tours in Jordan, The Best One Week (7-Day) Tours in Jordan, The Best One-Week (7-Day) Tours from Pokhara, and The Best Family-Friendly Tours to Nepal.


Which place is cheaper, Royal Chitwan National Park or Petra?

These are the overall average travel costs for the two destinations.

The average daily cost (per person) in Petra is $125, while the average daily cost in Royal Chitwan National Park is $35. These costs include accommodation (assuming double occupancy, so the traveler is sharing the room), food, transportation, and entertainment. While every person is different, these costs are an average of past travelers in each destination. What follows is a categorical breakdown of travel costs for Petra and Royal Chitwan National Park in more detail.



Accommodation
  • Accommodation Hotel or hostel for one person
    Petra $59
    Royal Chitwan National Park $11
  • Accommodation Typical double-occupancy room
    Petra $118
    Royal Chitwan National Park $22
Compare Hotels in Petra and Royal Chitwan National Park

Looking for a hotel in Petra or Royal Chitwan National Park? Prices vary by location, date, season, and the level of luxury. See below for options and compare which is best for your budget and travel style.

Hotels in Petra


Hotels in Royal Chitwan National Park


Kayak helps you find the best prices for hotels, flights, and rental cars for destinations around the world. Compare prices for multiple destinations when planning your next trip.


Our Analysis
We've analyzed the average and typical hotel prices based on guest reviews, star ratings, and hotel amenities here: Petra Hotel Prices and Royal Chitwan National Park Hotel Prices.

Local Transportation
  • Local Transportation Taxis, local buses, subway, etc.
    Petra $23
    Royal Chitwan National Park $22

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Petra

Some specific examples of transportation prices in Petra:

  • Private transfer Petra to/from Wadi Rum: $118
  • Private Transfer from Petra City Hotels to Aqaba Airport: $93
  • Private Transfer Petra to/from Wadi Rum: $135
  • Private Transfer From Petra to Amman or Airport With Optional : $99
  • Private Transfer Amman Airport to Petra or vice versa via the King's Highway: $120
  • Private Transfer Amman Airport to Ma'in Hotel and vice versa: $73
  • Private Departure Transfer: Petra Hotels to Amman Airport: $93
  • Petra to Wadi Rum Private Transfer: $80
  • Petra to Sheikh Hussein Crossing Border Private Transfer: $180
  • Petra to Madaba Private Transfer: $140
  • Petra to Aqaba South Beach Hotels Private Transfer: $110
  • Petra Private Transfer to or from Aqaba: $105

Hired Cars and Shuttles in Royal Chitwan National Park

Also for Royal Chitwan National Park, here are a few examples of actual transportation services:

  • Chitwan to Kathmandu One Way Transfer by Private AC Car : $75

Is it cheaper to fly into Petra or Royal Chitwan National Park?

Prices for flights to both Royal Chitwan National Park and Petra change regularly based on dates and travel demand. We suggest you find the best prices for your next trip on Kayak, because you can compare the cost of flights across multiple airlines for your prefered dates.





Food
  • Food Meals for one day
    Petra $38
    Royal Chitwan National Park $9.44
Typical Food Prices in Petra

Some typical examples of dining costs in Petra are as follows:


  • Dinner for Two
    $12
  • Juice
    $1.76

Food Tours and Cooking Classes in Petra

Also, here are some specific examples of food and dining related activities in Petra.

  • Cooking outside in little Petra between the Mountains. : $45
  • Private Outdoor bedouin Dinner in Petra: $300

Entertainment
  • Entertainment Entrance tickets, shows, etc.
    Petra $47
    Royal Chitwan National Park $9.63
Typical Entertainment Prices in Petra

Some typical examples of activities, tours, and entrance ticket prices in Petra are as follows:


  • Entry to Petra for One
    $71

Tours and Activities in Petra

Some specific costs of activities, tours, and entrance tickets for Petra are as follows:

  • 3 Hour Horse Riding Adventure around the Petra Area: $145
  • 3-hour Private Guided Tour In Petra with hotel pick up.: $75
  • Petra Back Entrance Private Walking Tour: $215
  • Private Back Trail Tour of Petra starting from the Monastery : $276
  • Private Full-Day Tour to Petra and Wadi Rum from Dead Sea: $269
  • Private Half-Day Tour of Petra with Lunch: $120
  • Private Indiana-Jones Archeological Trail Tour: $90
  • Private Petra Back Entrance Tour with Guide .: $140
  • Wadi Rum Day Tour from Petra ending in Aqaba: $138
  • Wadi Rum Private Tour from Petra with Martian and Star Wars Film Site: $173

Tours and Activities in Royal Chitwan National Park

For Royal Chitwan National Park, here are a few prices for actual activities, tours, and tickets provided by various companies:

  • Experience the ride in Lowlands of Nepal: $62
  • 1 Night 2 Days Chitwan Safari Tour: $118
  • Chitwan Jungle Safari Tour: $140
  • 2 Nights 3 Days Chitwan Jungle Safari Tour : $154
  • Chitwan Safari Tour : $160
  • 3 Nights 4 Days Comfortable Chitwan Safari Tour: $195
  • Chitwan Tour Packages: $200

Alcohol
  • Alcohol Drinks for one day
    Petra $15
    Royal Chitwan National Park $6.49


When we compare the travel costs of actual travelers between Petra and Royal Chitwan National Park, we can see that Petra is more expensive. And not only is Royal Chitwan National Park much less expensive, but it is actually a significantly cheaper destination. Since Petra is in Middle East and Royal Chitwan National Park is in Asia, this is one of the main reasons why the costs are so different, as different regions of the world tend to have overall different travel costs. So, traveling to Royal Chitwan National Park would let you spend less money overall. Or, you could decide to spend more money in Royal Chitwan National Park and be able to afford a more luxurious travel style by staying in nicer hotels, eating at more expensive restaurants, taking tours, and experiencing more activities. The same level of travel in Petra would naturally cost you much more money, so you would probably want to keep your budget a little tighter in Petra than you might in Royal Chitwan National Park.

If you're trying to decide if either of these two destinations are within your price range, also see Is Petra Expensive? and Is Royal Chitwan National Park Expensive?.