Getting into Sudan after visiting Israel

[navalarchitect]

I'm currently starting to plan a Cairo to Cape Town trip for late this year (2015). One of the big issues appears to be getting my bike to Egypt because of the current lack of direct ferries or Ro-Ro's from Greece or Turkey.

One option I am considering is riding from UK to Greece, Catching the ferry to Israel (which I'd like to visit anyway) and then crossing the land border to Egypt.

I well understand the Sudanese do not like you entering their country if there are Israeli stamps in the passport, but I also understand these can be avoided by asking the Israelis to stamp a form instead. My questions are:

(i) Do the Sudanese border post check carefully how you entered Egypt (ie check for evidence of a non-Israel border entry)
(ii) Whats the situation with the carnet. I've never had one before but assume it will also show the location of the border crossing used to enter Egypt.

Can anyone with experience give me some feedback?

Thanks in advance.

[Tony LEE]

Read (here?) fairly recently that Israel does not stamp passports for that reason.
If true then could that result in problems when you enter the next country and they can't find an exit stamp.

Google "israeli passport stamps" and there is heaps of info.

"clearly, an Egyptian entry stamp at Taba or Rafah in the Sinai will give you away – and the Egyptians will insist on stamping your passport

Read more: http://www.roughguides.com/destinati...#ixzz3Wk32O2Bp
"

[Overland Tonka]

We are in Greece at the moment and understand that the ferry to Israel stopped many years ago.. We looked into it as a way of getting to Jordan.

Check it for yourself and if you find we are wrong feel free to call us stupid....

[vanshar]

Wait, what about Rosenfeld? There was a report from last year (albeit going in the other direction): http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...shipping-75196

There is also Grimaldi line that goes from Israel to Italy (that one is a container though).

Have you found any other alternatives Kevin? I'm asking because i will be needing Israel to Europe transport for a 4x4 in December (that, or for the civil war in Syria to stop).

[achim-in-jordan]

Hi vanshar and Overland Tonka,

I am afraid you are both right and wrong at the same time:

Yes, the old days of the regular car and passenger ferry between Greece (via Cyprus) to Israel are long gone. But no, that does not mean that there is no ferry between Greece and Israel: "Salamis Lines" runs a TRUCK ferry which has a few places for drivers as well. The ferry runs from Lavrio near Athens via Limassol to Haifa. The AGENCY in Israel is Rozenfeld. You will find sufficient info on the HUBB using the search option :-)

Yes, there is Grimaldi Line from Italy to Israel. But no, this is NOT a container vessel but a RoRo car freighter which allows you to ship your vehicle and join the ride as a passenger. Again, there is more than enough info here on the HUBB ;-)

Greetings,
Achim

[Ride Far]

Martin, give any thought to traveling the opposite direction, Cape to Cairo? That would get around the Israel - Sudan problem.

I'm starting from South Africa heading to Egypt in October 2015. Flying my bike to Cape Town or Jo'burg, which has surprisingly cheap bike shipping.

I've done a bunch of research on boat transit from Egypt or Israel to Turkey or Greece. Using Rosenfeld.net for a ferry from Israel seemed like a viable option, though now the Rosenfeld web site states that "ferry service is suspended until further notice" -- don't know if that's true, or a web page that hasn't been updated.

Also did a bunch of research on the Israeli passport stamp issue, as Pakistan may be on my itinerary heading east from Turkey toward Himalayas. As Tony Lee points out, even if the Israelis stamp a piece of paper other than your passport, that leaves an entry/exit gap in your passport.

It could be a big problem if spotted by a border official in Sudan or elsewhere, or it could be overlooked -- all depending on who looks at your passport.

[navalarchitect]

Many thanks to all who replied. After thinking it through and coming to the conclusion that (a) even getting to Israel looked like a problem and (b) even if I did I still might have issues getting into Sudan I've decided to abandon that plan. Plan B looked at air-freighting into Egypt but the discussions I could find here on the HUBB regarding dealing with Egyptian customs made that an unattractive option, so plan C it is.

Plan C is to take Ride Far's advice and I now plan to ship my bike to Cape Town and do the trip in reverse - actually when I look at this option I really like it because the way the timing works out I can extend my travel up from Israel through Europe to North Cape and thus do a full transit of the land mass from South - North.

For peoples info I've just received an email quote from James Cargo as follows:

Based on you delivering your Kawasaki KLR650 motorcycle into our depot near Heathrow (We can also arrange collection if it helps you) where we will pack into a motorcycle crate and freight by air/ocean up until arrival at the airport/port in Cape Town, the prices will be as follows,

· Air to Cape Town: £1295 (Transit time of approximately 7 days)

· Ocean to Cape Town: £795 (Transit time of approximately 5 weeks)


This includes packing, freight, fuel surcharges, documentation, handling and export clearance. You will then need to pay any import and local charges on arrival in Cape Town and we can certainly put you directly in contact with our Cape Town agent to assist you on arrival.

We can also arrange insurance to cover loss or damage of your motorcycle during transit. This is based on 1.5% of the bikes value + freight + 10%.

Roll on October.