Turkey to Egypt?
 

We are looking to get our bikes to Egypt from Turkey. We have found a ferry service to Cyprus from Turkey. But cannot find another to Egypt? Any other options apart from container?

The ferry from Turkey takes you to North Cyprus, from where you can enter Cyprus semi-officially. But you must leave by the same route. So even if there was a ferry from Cyprus to Egypt (or anywhere in the Middle East), which there isn't, you would not be able to take it.

You options aside from container / RORO are the following:

Turkey to Lebanon by ferry, transit through Syria to Jordan, then either straight into Egypt if you are allowed to cross the border, or into Saudi then to Egypt.

Drive Turkey to Iraq to Jordan. You need to fly from Erbil to Baghdad in order to collect an arrival visa at the airport, then return to Erbil and ride on into Iraq proper with your visa.

A member of this forum mentioned that the Turkey to Saudi ferry has resumed operations after a fire a couple of years ago, but I am not sure if that has started yet or not.

The Middle East is not the easiest of regions to travel through, but it is possible. The FB Overlanding Middle East group is a good resource.

People will try to tell you ther are all sorts of ferries in the region, sadly these are almost all gone. Until 2020 Grimaldi ran a RORO + passenger service (so almost a ferry) from Italy to Israel, but that no longer takes passengers.

I spent 3.5 weeks touring southern Iraq (not Kurdistan) earlier in the year and thoroughly recommend it.

EO

do you have any information about the boat from Turkey to Lebanon ?
many thanks

I posted the name in my reply to your separate thread on Lebanon.

Med Star, Tasucu.

Google finds this:

https://foursquare.com/v/med-star-sh...d2cf481b8e5e7e

Is it possible for Americans to cross Iraq during these times? as im also trying a way to go from Egypt to Europe

Yes, I believe US passports are included in the visa-on-arrival policy in Iraq.

Turkey to Egypt?
 

Daniel I have just travelled from turkey to the Eygptian border at taba. Lots of routes but here’s what I found out.
Firstly you cannot travel into Eygpt by motorcycle so be careful about shipping the bike all the way there without assurance that a bike is allowed. I was turned back two weeks ago. No explanation other than motorcycles are not allowed in.
I travelled the route from turkey to Cyprus which is easy then I travelled to the south, no problems crossing the border from north to south and had to ship from Limassol to haifa. I then flew to tel aviv and picked the bike up. I spent a full day in Mersin turkey trying every shipping company but none to Eygpt, I found a route from turkey to Lebanon which I really wanted to do but on researching this from a Lebanese friend, yes I could get the bike into Lebanon but as a foreigner (Uk passport) I would not be allowed to cross the border into Syria or Israel. I ended up crossing from aliat Israel to Aqaba Jordan where I presently am there is a boat from Aqaba to nuweiba but no bikes allowed. I also research riding turkey to Jordan through Syria which was open via the western coastal road but 1 week before leaving it was closed again. Hope this helps.
It was a day out of my life having to leave Israel ride the short distance to Egypt to be turned around and have to go through the full Israel security again. Was taken to see an Egyptian colonel for not cooperating when they wanted to X-ray all my luggage even though they weren’t letting me in, but that’s another story if you need any current info you can get me on Instagram @motoajnabi. I don’t look in here too often. I will be crossing Jordan into Saudi Arabia hopefully in December when it’s cooler and heading to Oman.


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To the best of my knowledge that policy is only valid when flying into the country, and only at specific airports (Baghdad, maybe also Erbil).

I took advantage of it when flying into Baghdad last November.

Thanks for the update. Interesting that it now seems possible to leave ROC when entering from North Cyprus. Interesting to see (if Grimaldi resume passenger services) if that will work on that route.

This is not fully correct.

According to rules, you (or rather a specific list of nationalities) will get an Iraq visa on arrival at any proper port of entry. People have got these visas at the Shalamcha border just outside Basra (I did this in January this year coming from Iran in my car), and also Turaybil on the border with Jordan. I believe it has been done at the Safwan border from Kuwait but I am not certain. You will not get this visa at any point of entry into the Kurdistan region.

The visa is available at Baghdad, Basra and Najaf international airports, but you will not get it at Erbil as this is in Kurdistan.

Some people have entered the Kurdistan region with their vehicle from Turkey, received the Kurdistan visa-on-arrival, then flown from Erbil to Baghdad to get a proper Iraqi visa, returned to Erbil and drive on across Iraq without issue.

EO