Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB - 4x4 in Sinai

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Hi, I am in the process of creating an itinerary traveling south. Can a motorcycle come in from Taba and go through Sinai via Sham? or are motorcycles completely banned in either direction? Thanks

G1 - any update. Have you found any way of of Egypt? I'm a couple of months behind you and keen to work out my options.

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Still trying to sort out my travel options out of Egypt back into Europe. Anyone with recent experience able to advise as to whether the Egyptians will allow (noting the current Sinai restrictions) a motorcyclist to take:
- ferry across Gulf of Suez from Hurghada to Sharm el Sheik.
- take coast road up eastern side of Sinai to Taba or Eilat before crossing to Israel/ Jordan.

Thank you

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I am a few months behind Navalarchitect and trying to figure out the same thing. Do I go right from Khartoum and go via Port Sudan to Jeddah and up to Jordon or try to get through Egypt...? Anyone have any recent updates?

By motorbike through the Sinai: banned?

Hi!

I am actually in Nairobi and planning my trip back home, to Europe through Ethiopia, Sudan and Egypt. I thought about taking a ferry from Haifa, Israel. Now I just discovered the messages about a ban of motorbikes through the Sinai. :oops2:

Can anyone inform me about the following topics:
1. Does the ban on motorbikes through the Sinai still exists?
2. What are the roro options from Alexandria, Port Said or another place in Egypte to any place in Europe? I know there are no ferries anymore; that's why I planned to ride to Haifa.
3. Are there other options to get my bike to Europe?

Thanks for response & travel safe,

Mart

Quote:

Originally Posted by fm4fan (Post 510658)

So ... we crossed the Taba border a few days ago and it was so uneventful that I almost forgot, I promised to post about it ;-)

We left on the last day of our visa and motorcycle registration validity and they did not even bat an eye. not even the slightest remark save for one who checked our passports upon entering the border post.

Entering requires a fee of 2LE pp, nothing for the bikes. There's a huge sign that states all the fees.
Then our bags and boxes got thorougly checked (for free) by two guys (but there's an x-ray machine for the bags).
Customs wanted to charge 51LE per bike but I told him that the sign said 21LE. He was incredulous and showed me receipts of other people who had all paid 51LE - but nonetheless relented and only charged 21LE per bike.
He also discovered that one stamp was missing when they extended our stay on the carnets, but he just called someone in Cairo and everything was fine. I hadn't even realised that this stamp was missing, but Egyptians love their stamps. So better check twice if you got all the stamps on all the papers ;-)
After that we went to the traffic police, they - once more - took our chassis numbers directly off the bikes, filled in a form and we gave back our number plates and the temporary registrations.We were charged 10,-LE for this service, not sure if correctly. (Friends of ours had crossed two weeks earlier and they were also charged 10LE, but they were on one bike - so I did not complain and paid).
Then passport check in the main building and off we went.

To the second very thorough search of our bikes and belongings at the Israeli border. But very professional, friendly and free of charge. Takes some time, though.
Free camping at the beach right after the border. It was evening anyways ;-)

That's very useful! Thanks for the info!

Where did you do that traffic police clearance to leave Egypt? You know, that thing they have to check you don't have any unpaid fines in Egypt before you exit the country...

Ok - I've just managed to ship my bike out of Egypt (Alexandria to Piraeus) and the process has been much easier than I feared - albeit expensive.

This is my understanding of the current situation (mid April 2016)
1) Sinai is still closed to motorcycles. I did not try and get through the Suez tunnel myself but this was the advice I got from various local motorcyclist groups I contacted. Given the very heavy police presence all the way up the Red Sea coast this didn't surprise me (top-tip, don't try and get right up to the edge of the Suez Canal for a look at the ships, trying that cost me two hours of (polite) army questioning).
2) There is currently no ferry service across the Red Sea from Hurghada to anywhere on the Sinai side - since there are no tourists to transport.
3) There are regular (weekly or maybe better) ro-ro ship options out of Alexandria to Europe and beyond.
4) Most Egyptian shipping agents do not answer emails. I sent enquiries to 20 companies from Sudan and got nil replies.
5) The only company I found that was responsive (thanks to the recommendations of others who used them successfully) was CFS Egypt based in Alexandria. The managing partner there is a lady, Nermien, who is lovely and answers all emails often within an hour or two.
6) Having done quite a few overlanders (I think she said 6 this year) CFS have their processes well set up. You organise your shipping date by email and then simply arrive in Alexandria 3 days before hand. Day 1 you spend with them doing bureaucracy and then day 2 hand over the bike and can leave.
7) Cost for me was $900 to Greece, (And another rider advised it was $1500 to US).

CFS contact details:
Nermien Mamish

Website : www.cfsegypt.com

https://www.facebook.com/cfsegypt

8) Regarding "Traffic Fines" certificate, so the info isn't buried, I've started a new thread in this forum describing how to get it in Aswan. Process is easy, if very Egyptian.

Hope all this helps (and cross your fingers for me that all goes well, my bike arrives here in Piraeus tonight, but because Customs don't work the weekend I don't get it until Monday)

I'll also put all the relevant info in the shipping database in a day or twos time.

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Navalarchitect,

Thanks very much for all of that info. Very helpful and good to know there are options at the moment. Let me know how things go no the Greek end. Were you able to travel with your bike or did you have to fly from Cairo to Athens and then meet your bike?

Michael

Had to fly, the roro doesn't carry passengers. Flight Alexandria, Cairo, Athens was about $300

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Just to answer my own question, when you exit Sinai through Taba everything is done at the border. You don't need to do any traffic police clearance beforehand. The exit costs are just:
21 pounds for customs for a motorcycle
5 for returning the number plates
2 for a passport stamp

It took me just one hour!

Quote:

Originally Posted by navalarchitect (Post 535999)

This is my understanding of the current situation (mid April 2016)
1) Sinai is still closed to motorcycles. I did not try and get through the Suez tunnel myself but this was the advice I got from various local motorcyclist groups I contacted.

Just to prevent any misunderstandings, it was possible to obtain a permit for motorbike to cross Sinai as of April 2016... "Furious" (see his post on this page) was one of three riders who has managed it recently.

So, don't rule out riding across Sinai... just need to figure out how to apply for the permit (success not guaranteed of course).

Like Martin, I used cfsegypt.com to ship my bike from Alexandria to Athens late Marc 2016 and was happy with a relatively smooth if expensive process.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ride Far (Post 538937)

Well, let me make it clear... I didn't succeed to get a permit! I visited the Ministry of Tourism in Cairo, where they were very helpful. Somebody from there took me to the Ministry of Defence where they told us permits are issued only for 4x4s, not for motorcycles. So, I just showed up in the tunnel. It's always a gamble. I know a couple of other guys who passed too. Sometimes they let you load the motorbike on a truck and cross the tunnel. As a conclusion, you cannot count on crossing Sinai. You have to invest a lot of time and/or money and the result is not guaranteed...

Crossing the Sinai by 4x4

We are currently in Tanzania heading north with the idea of crossing the Sinai to Israel via Suez, Sharm el-Sheikh to Taba/ Eilat around late September,early October.

Has any one had recent experience with getting the required4x4 permit and/or info on the safety of the travel route
Thanks

Don't know about 4x4 permits, but according to the recent and speculative* map below [source] security in Sinai has deteriorated from the north in recent months, although the coastal route to Taba seems OK.

* Note the '?' after 'Expanded area of operations?'

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/C9xkU15WsAI2F32.jpg:large

Thanks Chris for this map even it's not very good news...

RR.