Ferry Nuweiba-Aqaba
 

Hello, I have just arrived in Dahabfor a short rest after my half-yearlytravel around of Africa. It was uneasy to get in Egypt from Sudan with own motorbike. But what is about departure? Any suggestions concerning the ferry Nuweiba-Aqaba will be useful. Prices, timetable, paperwork, etc.

Thanks
Alex

Alex:
We may have met the other night in the Mirage Village restaurant - I'm the American (except the other Alex from Russia, here recuperating from crashing on his enduro bike, gave me a different last name). Anyway, if you are a different Alex, then I'm still at the Mirage Village.

I was just up in Nuweiba checking into this. Actually, I tried riding to the Monestary St. Katherine, but it was raining and snowing up there and I was dressed more for conditions in Dahab then conditions up there, so that's when I headed to Nuweiba.

Ticket Office said $107 USD for me and the bike.

When you ride into Nuweiba from the south, ticket office is in a separate building on the right side of the road (water side) one block before the ferry terminal entry. You need your carnet to get the ticket (which I didn't have) - then customs and immigration are handled after they admit you into the ferry terminal loading area.

I'm leaving Tuesday for Aqaba.

I've never taken the ferry from Egypt to Jordan, but I've taken it twice going from Jordan to Egypt... my advice, and pay attention here because it's important, DO NOT take the "slow boat."

There are two ferries, one deemed "fast" and slightly more expensive, the other cheaper and "slow." In truth, they are both slow, and from my experience will take many, many hours more than they say they will. But the "fast" ferry is TWICE as fast as the other option, and ten times more comfortable.

I'm all about sacrificing comfort to save money, but this not the time and place to do it. (The slow boat will scar you for life.)

Thanks guys! I'm leaving Thursday for Aqaba too. 107$ is it price for fast ferry? I think after Wadi Halfa ferry it will be like a luxury boat!
to quastdog: Mirage Village - where is it? May be we can meet.

Alex

:: Welcome to Arab Bridge Maritime company website ::

the site of the company.

expensive.....

when we were there last year the timetable was not ''working'' (of course)
just turn up there and see if there is a ship.
when you ask for a ticket at the ticket office (mister in the office was not a very helpfull guy.....) they don't ask if you want a fast or slow ferry. they just give you a ticket for the first ship. no choice when we were there.
at the egyptian side you can pay in egyptian pound or US Dollars.
at the jordan side (in aqaba) you can pay in jordan ......uhm dinars?......and US dollars. (this was last summer).

if you have more question.........just ask..........

brend

sorry for my english

It's a hotel along the water, north end of the main beachfront - around the corner about 300m from the main restaurant/dive shop area (past the closed down blue and white resort).

Only one ferry option
 

The fast ferry is for passengers only - no vehicles.

Today, the slow ferry leaves at 3pm - I have to report "no later than 1pm" to deal with immigration and customs on the bike.

Don't count on the ferry leaving at 3 all the time - this could be tide and port schedule dependent.

Hi all

I did this journey in 2007 with a car. A word of advice - get to the port EARLY to allow time for all the paperwork to be processed. It takes as long getting out of Egypt as it does getting in!

Mark

You're so right, Ilsemark. I got my ticket about 10 - got some tea and a bite to eat after posting my previous note, then went to the port about 11:30. The process there was just as confusing as Aswan - different buildings (traffic police and customs, immigration, vehicle inspection, and police id verification) were all in different buildings, scattered around the port facility. It took over an hour to complete the paperwork with a Tourist and Antiquities cop shepherding me through the process.

On top of that - the boat left at 2:15 - not 3 as they told me at the ticket office (2:15 was 15 minutes late for scheduled departure). Perhaps the ticket office guy just didn't know his english numbers properly - he meant 2 - said 3. I was on the boat shortly before 1pm, just before they started loading all the trucks.

The trip took 4 hours, arriving after dark. There was more confusion in Aqaba - after getting off the ferry, I stopped where police were standing and they told me I needed to go across the bridge to the arrival office for immigration and customs. About 45 minutes later, I was back at their spot to get a "screening" document that customs required. Then back again to a big shed to get my bike "x-rayed" (same shed the semis all have to go through).

Insurance was mandatory - but it wasn't mandatory the insurance guy be in his office when the ferry arrived (actually, a 2nd ferry arrived from somewhere shortly after ours, so 2 showed almost the same time). After 30 minutes wait, he finally showed to do some work. I guess he prefers there be a line waiting for him, rather than the other way around.

After getting insurance, customs will do your bike paperwork.

Insurance was 21.50 Jordanian dinars (~ $30 USD) - customs was 20 dinars. For some reason, the amount of time I was planning on spending in Amman was important to the insurance guy - don't know that I would have saved money if I told him less time (I said 5 days - I need to get a visa for Syria). So, if your good at Arabic, you might find out how the duration in Amman impacts the cost of insurance.

I finally was out of there around 7:30 - no maps, no idea of where I was going, but found my way to downtown Aqaba for food, an ATM, and a hotel room.

I took the fast ferry from Jordan to Egypt recently with my motorcycle (and so did four other riders that I met later on the trip). The fast ferry CAN accommodate vehicles (at least going from Jordan to Egypt). If someone told you that it can't, then he's probably the manager of the slow ferry and he's lying. They'll tell you anything to get your money.

Of course, it is possible that there are two options going to Egypt and only one option leaving Egypt, but that seems strange. And nothing strange ever happens in the Middle East.

:D

If anyone is having dificulties with the paperwork entering or exiting from Nuweiba, there is a tourist police guy that will do everything for you for free. Seriously simplifies things especially coming into Egypt.

If you want to see what it's like getting through Egyptian Customs, have a look at this!

overland-underwater.com Diary Pages - Entry to Egypt

and scroll down to the 'Egyptian Customs' movie

hee
i wasn't allowed to do the paperwork alone. i had to wait for ''tourist police''. I just had to take a seat in his office and wait till he was back. it was the man in the white clothing in the video, GOOD man. is not asking for money.

good luck

Update on this?
 

Hi,

I am interested to know a little bit more about the process between Nuweiba and Aqaba. It sounds like this is less painful and corrupted than entering/exiting from say Port Said.

We will enter Egypt in Port Said, but then first go on to Jordan, and then return back to Egypt (the last two via the Nuweiba <-> Aqaba) route.

Does anyone know what happens with the Egyptian plates? Do you put back on the originals?

Would it be accurate to say this crossing, both ways are easier and cheaper (customs etc...) compared to an entry and exit into Port Said? :confused1:

Well, I have not tested the Turkey to Egypt (or before the Italy to Egypt) option, but from what I read I would suggest that the Nuweiba - Aqaba ferry is relatively easier. Entering Egypt took me five hours last year with the help of an officer from the Tourist police. Without him it would have been a lot more difficult. In fact I was the first driver to exit the port of Nuweiba with 23 Egyptians still stuck ...

On the Jordanian side everything is fairly well organized and should not take more than an hour at most.

Greetings,
Achim

Well - full marks to the pair of you, Achim and Flotter for resurrecting this thread, and for your bravery in entering Egypt with the political situation as it is. Not as bad as Syria, I suppose.

Anyway - when we left Egypt via Nuweiba in 2007 it took LONGER than getting in at Umm Saad (the Libya border). I'd allow a good 5 hours to get out, and don't make the mistake of getting to the ferry port too late.

Here's what you'll end up looking like as you scuttle from one office to the other with the paperwork......Getting Two Land Cruisers Through Egyptian Customs - YouTube

As per my post on your other thread unfortunately you'll have to reimport into Egypt as if for the first time. New plates, new insurance, new customs charges, new baksheesh and so on. A fixer will be cheaper than in Port Said but otherwise you'll pay all over again.

You're also talking a lot of dosh for the ferry if you're taking a car both ways ($815 by my calculations for two people and a 4x4).

Ferry Nuweiba to Aqaba - Alternative Egypt Travel Guide

Thank you very much for the information.

I am keeping options open given the already difficult situation in Egypt.

The only problem with the Jordan-Egypt entry is the fact that I will have to go through Israel to get to Jordan (from Turkey where I am now), which will complicate or prevent entry later into Sudan.

However, I am still keeping this option open.

even you didn't visit israel, they can turn you back at the border. that is what happened with me in Syria. it depend on how stupid that guy who stamp your passport. even they don't allow you to one gate, try another one which is closest to you at the moment or just wait when another officials come. The absence of the israeli stamp in passport doesn't mean anything.

Hi Alex,

It does not really make sense do discuss this at this point because nobody ventures to cross Syria right now.

Nevertheless, if you had such an experience it would be useful to describe it precisely: In which year and at which border did it happen? Did you have a visa for Syria or did you try to get a transit visa at the border (this it where sometimes travelers were refused to enter Syria).

It is true that Syria was not the easiest of borders. But under normal circumstances it was fairly straightforward if your papers were OK. It usually became tricky when you had visited Israel before and the officer recognized the remains (mainly the glue) of the little white sticker the Israelis use to put on your passport or if you wanted to buy a transit visa at the border which was not the regular way of doing things.

I have crossed the border so many times between 2008 and 2011 that I would seriously doubt that your experience was the rule of the game.

In any case: Since the thread is on a different topic, this was just a quick insert.

Greetings,
Achim

This topic was started in 2008 when I came back from Africa to Europe. It doesn't matter which gate I went through to Syria. There is a war now. Israel keeps your passport clean if you want. But in Sudan they can see departure stamp from Turkey and arrival stamp in Egypt. If there are some days between the dates you may spend that time in Israel. In my case I was stamped out from Egypt and spent 2 days waiting a ferry in Nuweiba because of sea storm. So I got an arrival stamp in Jordan a couple of days later than it usually happens. What's a problem? Yes there was a problem in Syria. Nobody wants to know about sea storm or whatever I tried to tell them. The false conclusion was I had been in Israel. And I have a russian passport, I don't need the visa, we are but a friends...isn't?! I was not allowed in Syria there. Nobody could tell me what I should to do. I came back to Jordan next morning and occupied the shipping company in Amman. The same afternoon I had got an official letter with a ferry schedule changing because of the sea storm. For more assurance of success I'd chosen another gate to get in Syria. Nobody asked me about Israel or Egypt or sea storm there. I was stamped in Syria right away. Good luck)

Alex