Ruins and Archaeology

10-day, 9-night "entry-level" trek, Sept. 23-Oct. 2, 2019 & March 16-25, 2020. Highlights: En route from Cusco to Písac, animal rescue center/in Písac, Incan ruins/kayak Piuray Lake/women's weaving cooperative in Chinchero/hike in Sacred Valley/hike from Incan fortress of Pumamarca to Ollantaytambo/Aguas Calientes/Machu Picchu/in Cusco, Temple of the Sun/15th-century ruins of Tipón. $3,495 ppdo. Single supp., $495. Wilderness Inquiry (Minneapolis, MN; 612/676-9400, www.wildernessinquiry.org).

As of Jan. 1, in order to tackle overcrowding at the Incan-citadel archaeological site of Machu Picchu in Peru, tickets are now being sold for specific entry times, with visits limited to four hours. Entry times, printed on each ticket, are hourly from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. No one will be admitted at any time other than the one on his ticket.

An entry ticket costs PEN152 (near $46) and can be purchased in advance at www.machupicchu.gob.pe/inicio or at the tourism office in nearby Aguas Calientes or at one of two offices in Cusco.

A flash flood in southern Jordan on Nov. 10 killed at least 11 people and forced more than 4,000, including tourists, to evacuate from the ancient city of Petra. Water depths at the Petra archaeological site were measured as high as 14 feet in some areas.

15 days, 14 nights, March 25-April 8, 2019. Highlights: In Tunisia's Tunis medina, Dar Ben Abdallah Museum/Sidi Bou Said/in Dougga, 2nd-century-BC Punic mausoleum/Roman ruins in El Djem/7th-century Great Mosque of Kairouan/fly to Casablanca, Morocco/in Rabat, Hassan's Tower, Chellah necropolis/in Meknes, Bab el Mansour Gate, Dar Jamai Museum/Fes/Marrakesh. $4,950 ppdo. Single supp., $985. Archaeological Tours (New York, NY; 866/740-5130, www.archaeological-tours.com).

On Aug. 1 in Peru, locals protesting tourism forced a tourist train to stop on its way from Cuzco to Machu Picchu, causing a subsequent train arriving at the scene more than an hour later, operated by a different company, to rear-end the first train, injuring 15 people. The train companies provided transportation away from the scene for passengers.

Petra, Jordan, had always been on my bucket list. In September 2017, I spent eight nights in Israel (which I had visited in 1979) followed by five in Jordan on a tour with Tauck (Wilton, CT; 800/788-7885, www.tauck.com). It’s the Jordan portion that I’m writing about here.