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

new ferry line from Alex
 

Sorry to semi hijack. I'm reading about this area - great info all round, thank you HU.

You all may be interested to know of a new ferry line from Alex to Syria and then Venice. They've tried it before, let's hope it lasts.

More news here.
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...ce-egypt-49673

(HanH, Libya and Algeria - news on above forum also)

Chris S

PS - how much is petrol in Syria - is it 50sp?

For more info on trying to avoid Israeli and Jordanian stamps, check other posts in this section, inculding http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...234#post288823.

This would NOT be your most stress free option. Egypt just seems like a steal in so many ways. Of course it would be amazing, but I simply can't afford thier policies. Origionally was hoping to do Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Egypt - and then around north aftrica and ferry over to Italy. But carnets are just too much craziness, so I cut the loop out and am just doing an in and out of mid east.

Back onto the Aqaba/Nuweiba crossing - I made the crossing a week ago and currently only the slow ferry is taking cars.
The slow ferry runs at midnight but is usually waaaay late, and gets into Nuweiba about 7.30. You can buy your ticket inside the port and there is a duty free there so you can spend the last of your Jordanian.
It costs US$10 for a cabin, and take a sheet or something with you as our room was filthy - sheets and pillows were well manky.

When you get on the ferry you need to get an immigration card, fill it in and take it to the immigration desk - you will be guided when you get on the ferry. If you don't have a visa for Egypt, they will take your passport and you pick it up from the same guy in the immigrations office at the port in Nuweiba. Getting a visa at Nuweiba was a 2 minute job so no worries.

When you get to Nuweiba, follow the cars to the arrivals bit and look for a port policeman (white uniform) - the guy we used was very quick and efficient and we were done in 2 hours, will take a bit longer if other overlanders are there as well though.

I did try to make a note of the forms/offices/stamps/checks/payments you need to go through on arrival, but there were so many I quickly lost track!
The port policman was excellent though and if you do exactly as they say when they say it you should get through with no probs.

Charges very roughly as of last week were as follows (in Egyptian pounds)
pay man to take chassis rubbing - £10
Visa - can't remember - maybe a couple of hundred
Insurance 1 month £325
Main entry fee £350
Something for the traffic police - maybe the licence - £25
something for another bloke in a little office - £25
Photocopying fees - about £35

I think the port policeman would have appreciated a little backsheesh and was worth it but I didn't have my wits about me after a sleepless night in a stinky cabin and he got nowt.

Hope that helps : )

ref my last post, it seems the fast ferry is indeed taking cars at the moment, but check before you cross as they don't seem to have a firm rule.