Crossing from Jordan into Egypt & Bypassing Israel - Possible ??????
 

Can you cross from Jordan into Egypt "easily" without going into Israel ??

Can you cross the Gulf of Aquaba ?

I hear the Israel stamp in your passport can cause problems in other countries (especially Sudan) and with our current poor relations with Israel, I don't know if i'll even be allowed in if things get any worse.

Yes
 

Straight forward, but over priced ferry from Aqaba to Nuweiba.

Followed by the not-straight-forward and still over priced Egyptian formalities.

Actually, if you get the right tourist policeman, Nuweiba is the most stress free entry I think. It only took me 3 hours last time, unlike Aswan which took more like 3 days.

That's just what I needed to hear !! Thanks :thumbup1:

As far as I know you can request to not have the Israeli entry stamp in your passport, but on a special seperate piece of paper instead and thus avoid potential problems later on. They're not obliged to follow your request, but if you ask nicely they usually do.

Take the ferry from Aqaba Jordan to Nuweiba Sinai
 

Simple and quick

For the other side of the coin...

Is it possible to cross from Egypt to Jordan without taking the ferry? (ie: via Israel)

I've heard the Syrian's will go as far as checking the dates on your passport stamps and if your Egyptian exit stamp's date doesn't match your Jordanian entry stamp's date then they know you went through Israel and got stamped on a piece of paper. If they see this they won't let you into Syria.

So... is it possible to cross from Egypt to Jordan via Israel in 1 day? How much does it cost? Will it be cheaper than taking the ferry from Nuweiba?

Is it worth the effort? I've got a big overland camper truck, and I've heard the Israeli's will empty the entire thing during the security check. Will they want to empty my entire truck? I've got a LOT of crap in there man!!

TIA
Steve
www.overafrica.org
www.overlandcamperforsale.com

Driving via Israel would be cool - I'm not looking forward to the crossing from Aqaba - can we ask for a forum stunt volunteer to try an Israeli crossing and see what happens down the road?

bagsy not me :rolleyes2:

What we need to know is if the Israelis kindly don't stamp your passport, would Sudan start looking at entry and exit dates of your travels into Jordan/Egypt and which towns you visited. Second thoughts, I think I'd rather put up with the Jordan/Egypt ferry than enjoy a eight hour chat with the Sudanese border officials...

go through Israel
 

just been through all that

The thing is going out of Jordan into Israel into Egypt does not cost anything on the Israeli side, the ferry Aqabah to Nuweiba is expensive (in my case Haifa Limasol 260 USD van and one person). Entry formalities in Egypt remain the same, but no (overpriced) ferry. Entry in Israel and Egypt formalities are long and cumbersome but no-hassle kind of.
Israeli stamp on piece of paper but of course the Syrians or Sudanese won't buy it, they see the entry stamp and might not let u in.

So coming back from Egypt is again cheaper via Israel, as is free. Jordan would be ferry and entry formalities, then Syria entry stuff.
So if you go through Cyprus and Turkey or directly to Athens and pay for a very overpriced ferry (in my case Haifa, Israel to Limasol, Cyprus 700 Euros, van and one person and again to get to Tuscla, Turkey 150 or so).

On the other side then u can go to Israel and Palestine which is maybe a rewarding completion to any Middle Eastern tour.
Bear in mind, cost of living in Israel, Cyprus, Turkey are well more then in Jordan and Syria (fuel/food).

However if u travelled further south to Sudan again the port of entry stamps will indicate whether u went through Israel and may make crossing a problem/impossibility.

Rgds Manfred, in Ephesos.

Thanks Manfred. I thought as much.

So to summarise... If anyone wants to go through Syria or Sudan, then Israel is totally not an option, even if you get your Israeli stamp on a piece of paper. This is because the port of entry stamp for Egypt (if heading south towards Sudan) or for Jordan (if heading north towards Syria) will prove you entered at a border common with Israel, and they won't let you in.

Israel is only an option if you don't want to go to either Sudan or Syria.

Have I got that correct?
Cheers
Steve

Yes
Chris

...just remember to take ONLY the fast ship. the slow one is a nightmare...

Thanks guys...

About the fast ferry - will it take my truck? 7m long, 2m wide, 3.5m high.

Thanks
Steve

I traveled throughout the Middle East last summer and had no problem getting into Syria with an Israeli stamp on my passport. Lebanon gave us some issues, but eventually let us in after about 15 minutes of questioning. I'm not sure if this helps, it might just be that we got lucky.

Hey VAN1798, I'd like to travel the middle east in about a year and I hear all these stories about problems entering Syria with Israeli stamps, but does everybody travel in that particular direction?

I was thinking that circumnavigating the mediterranean clockwise will make this a lot easier... the most worrying then is getting in/through Lybia and Algeria. Does anybody have some recent info on that?

Sorry, VAN1789 that should be :D