4x4 in Sinai - Egypt to Israel?
 

I am travelling South to North and would like to take a ferry to Europe from Israel rather than from Egypt. I know that 4x4s are banned from entering to Egypt through Sinai (from Jordan or Israel). Anybody knows how it may work in the opposite direction?

The plan is to take a ferry from Hurgada to Sharm and then drive 200? kilometers to the Israeli boarder. If I manage to reach the boarder would the Egyptians let me cross the boarder? I guess the Israelis do not care whether it is 4x4?

I fear your 4x4 would not be permitted on the Hurghada ferry. The ban for 4x4s is for the Sinai (the twisted logic being that they could be hijacked and then used against security forces), it does not matter from what direction.

Hi Africano

I have also considered this option when we depart from SA beginning Jan

See Mehmet's post on a similar
http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...nderum-66987-3

Reg

If you scour around the forum you will find that there was recently a family who went through the Sinai and exited via Taba with a 4x4 into Israel and tried returning that route to no avail. I recall them also trying to return via Nuweiba which was a no-go as well
Also remember them unning out of options, after numerous attempts at the embasy and eventually having to ship their vehicle back to CApe Town from an Israeli port.
Further research will also lead you to an overlander coming across from Aqaba on the ferry and ended up having to pay again to ship his vehicle back to Jordan.
So, it seems like travel through Sinai via Taba and Nuweiba into Israel with 4x4 is no problem but definitely wont allow you to return into Egypt.
My 2c worth!!

That too what I have read at severall travel blogs.

Surfy

Thanks everybody for the replies. I will try and will let you know if it works or not. What I can hear so far is that the ferry to Sharm is not operating yet, so I may have to drive around. I am not planning to come back to Egypt -I am going HOME.

Hi Africano,

To my knowledge, too, it should be possible to cross the Sinai coming from mainland Egypt. The ban seems to be enforced in the other direction only. The problem is that this regulation can change at any moment and the last reports about this topic are already dating a while back.

There used to be a ferry between Hurghada and Sharm el Sheikh, but this has ceased to operate more than a decade ago. With the little tourism that is left in Egypt I am pretty sure there won't be any new ferry!

Safe travels,
Achim

Egypt Israel border (Taba Eilat)
 

Heading that way soon but have heard recently that the Sinia Israel border has been closed? Anyone have any info? We're on m/bikes.

Thanks in advance

Egypt to Israel experience
 

I have now completed the London to Cape and back to London. My last country was Israel. Some practical information about it.

Nobody in Sinai ever asked any questions about my foreign registered 4x4. There were two roads in Sinai where I was escorted by police/military.

Ferry Hurghada to Sinai. My knowledge is limited to the answer a guard gave me at the Hurghada port - "Kaput". So from Hurghada I drove to Sharm via Suez. Given that fuel is very cheap in Egypt driving around is proably cheaper than taking a ferry. If you start very early it is possible to make it to Sharm in one long day. The road is good all the way.

The Suez canal is crossed via an undergound tunnel for a very small fee. It took me about an hour including waiting time. The first time I was stopped at the crossroad from Suez to St Catherines and Sharm. From there a police pickup truck with several armed soldiers accompanied me until Al Tor (1 hour).

In Sharm I found only one place to camp - in Ras Mohammed National Park.
In Dahab I camped in the Lighthouse guesthouse. Very convinient location. In St. Catherines I camped in Fox Camp (by far the best camp in Egypt - good facilities, friendly owners and good food). In Nuweiba I camped in Helnan Nuweiba Bay Resort for 5$. Every other place in Nuweiba is called a "camp" but they have no clue about camping. Still in this very rundown town with very few tourists it is easy to find a "camp" to camp or even camp wild. Wild camping is easy in Egypt and I wild camped about 30% of my time there.

The only other road with an organised convoy is from St Catherines to the crossroad Sharm to Taba. I suggest that you top up your fuel tanks in Dahab as I could not find any fuel after Dahab- there were fuel station, but no fuel.

Egypt boarder. I arrived at 9am. Very light trafic. The first procedure took about an hour - unloading everything from the car, taking it through Xray and loading it back. The Egyptian customs and immigration were very easy - 30 minutes at the most. I had my carnet stamped within 5 minutes without any problems. So a total of 1.5 hours from start to end.

Israel boarder. This was a nightmare. I made two crossing. On the first day the shift was friendly. Again, I had to unload the car and take everything through Xray. I was lucky that the Israelis were very easy on checking my belongings. For an Israely Arab woman it took more time to go through the Xray with 2-3 suitcases than for me with the whole car load. The customs serched every small piece of her luggage manually. She was very pissed off. Then at the passport control they examined my stamps (including Sudan and Somaliland) and the next several hours I waited for a security clearance. The security office was friendly and did not ask many question but I had to wait hour after hour until I got my 90 day visa on a separate piece of paper. During that time my car was scanned in a separate building.

After going through immigration I bought insurance (approximately $150 for 30 days). If you have green card you do not need to buy insurance. Customs for the car did not take more than 10-20 minutes. The only problem I had is that I could not find my UK photo driving licence and gave them the paper counterpart. I was lucky they accepted it. It was 5pm when I left the boarder, so it took me the whole day to cross the boarder.

The good thing is that the beach wild camping area starts several hundred meters after the boarder. For several days I camped at the end of the "wild" zone by the Migdator beach/bar. The benefit of the Migdator location is 24 hour free access to their bathroom faclities.

As I could not find my driving licence the following morning I decided to cross the boarder back to Egypt to check if I had left my driving licence with the Egyptian customs. I left the Landy on the beach in Israel. I expected it to be an easy crossing. It was easy to leave Israel, it took me 10 minutes on the Egyptian side to ask questions but I failed to find my driving licence. The return to Israel was a nightmare. It was a different shift but they were aware of my situation. I was taken to a parking lot and was interegated in a very agressive military style. Luckily I was able to remain calm and answer all their questions in a friendly manner.

After that, I had to wait several hours for a security clearance going through the same procedure as the day before. By the time I was cleared I was grumpy and ready to go mad. I got my second Israeli visa without a problem.

I spent three weeks in Israel and this was a very interesting but controvercial experience.

4x4 crossing Egypt to Israel
 

I crossed the Taba boarder in December 2014 and it was painful but possible. See my today's post for details.

Thanks folks, just read from Japanese embassy site that one of the terrorist groups up that way are targeting foreigners? So maybe that country is off the table anyway. Thanks for the replies.

Hi, three weeks ago when transiting through saudi arabia to Jordan we had the information that the border was closed for foreigner after the attacks.
But as everything changes...
So we went to Dhiba in SA to take a ferry to Hurghada
Good luck

Arnaud
[url=http://bostrotters.overblog.com]Le Tour du Monde 2014-2017 des Bos'Trotters - Un Tour du monde en Camping-Car d

Stuck in Jordan... HELP :helpsmilie:
 

Dear all and dear Africano, :helpsmilie:

Africano, thanks a lot for the clarifying information. My brother and I are doing the same trip with our 4x4 only the other way around. We were suppose to take the boat from Aqaba to Port Sudan but suddenly the regulations have changed. This means that we need a letter of permission of the Sudan government. Currently we are stuck in Aqaba and nothing has changed yet. We have tried a lot of things so now we are waiting for good news from our fixer. Without that letter our car cannot go on a boat to Sudan. Our entry visa for Sudan expires on the 3rd of July so we are quite in a rush. Therefor we cannot waste any time and we have to think of a Plan B.

Does anybody know if it is possible to cross the border at Taba and if they allow a 4x4 car (not a pick up) into the Sinai. Even more important, is it safe to travel through Egypt?

We are now thinking of crossing at Taba, through the Sinai to Suez and from Suez to Hurghada, Aswan and then cross the border at Wadi Halfa.

How does it work with a Police convoy?

We have a Carnet but do they force you to get another insurance as well in Egypt?

Does anyone has a number of a fixer in Sinai who can help us out?

Thanks a lot for all the tips! All information is welcome :)

Best regards,
Daan & Lotte

Egypt to Israel border crossing (Taba)
 

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 ;-)

Egypt , enter Sinai with your vehicle
 

good day all
as it is not clear that if you can enter Sinai with your own Vehicle or cross the Suez Tunnel
spoke with some people i know in ministry of tourism and they suggest me that the ministry of tourism can help to get permits to get into Sinai ,
of course i spoke with those people and told them overlanders and how hard to cross Africa and it is a big dream to many of us and they come to Egypt and then they cant get into Europe and so on bla bla bla and that is not good at all for tourists to come to Egypt specially all those travellers have websites,blogs and many many people follow them and will be great if the respected Egyptian ministry of tourism can help overlanders to get into Sinai
and then they will say the truth how Egypt is great country and many tourists will come to visit Egypt :welcome:
so if you are coming to Egypt and planning to go to Sinai , contact Egyptian ministry of tourism and tell them about your trip and how 1000s of followers following your blog ,diaries and your website and how is that so good to promote Egypt and ask the ministry to help you to get permits to enter Sinai
here is the link to contact them
Contact Us | Egypt Tourism Authority
of course im doing that cause i know how hard to be travelling to a foreign country and i just want to help our beloved community there is chance there that you will get help
and if you will be in Cairo go give them a visit will be faster than mails of course
here is the address link
Ministry Of Tourism, Abbasseya, Cairo, Egypt | Ministries | Yellow.com.eg |
will be waiting for feed back
travel safe

Thanks for the tip Omar.

We're currently in a bind. We need to get to Israel. We are currently in Kenya. If we can't cross Sinai then we will have to store our bikes and fly. Problem is that people don't recommend storing motorcycles in Egypt or Sudan. Ethiopia we can only store for a couple of months before they impound. So we might have to fly from Kenya if we can't cross Sinai. Additionally if we get to Egypt and can't cross Sinai I'm not sure that we will have enough money to ship from there.

Basically we need to know now already whether we'd be able to get from Egypt to Israel or take a big risk.

Hi Daan & Lotte,

What did you end up doing?

Maybe you can give us information on the boat you intended to take from Jordan to Sudan? We need to travel from north africa to Israel / Jordan and it seems like Sinai might be a problem. We are looking into the option of getting a boat from Port Sudan to Aqaba. (We're on motorcycles).

Any new info on crossing Sinai or other ideas about getting between north africa and Israel?

already there is a couple in Cairo with (land rover ) if they can mange to get permits with help from ministry of tourism then we all know the way to get over it ,will keep you updated if i have any news
cheers

We got our Saudi visa in Khartoum, crossed from port sudan to Jeddah, and drove to Jordan in 2 days. Should be possible.

Ahmed Hamdy tunnel and road to Sharm El-Sheik
 

Hello!
The Ahmed Hamdy tunnel and the road towards Sharm El-Sheik is closed right now for tourists and have been closed for 5 days. Hopefully this might change but no one seems to know. The military decides and it can change from one day to another.

That is what I know right now.

Cheers!
from Caroline, stuck in Egypt

Stuck in Egypt
 

Hello!
I am the one stuck in Cairo right now together with my husband and another traveler, Nic, from South Africa. There is no ferry from Hurghada to Sharm El-Sheik. We are waiting to see if the ministry of tourism can help us to get through to Sharm and further on to Nuweiba. Right now we can only wait and hope.

Motorbikes are not allowed on the Sinai but we heard of people who put a couple of motorbikes in the back of a bucky (not 4x4) and drove through the Sinai with the car. Might work, might not.

We will keep you updated and hope for the best!

Caroline

Hope the tourism board come to the party. They haven't replied to my email but it's election time. I'm keen to hear the result of your attempts, Cwuebben. Do you maintain a facebook page or something?

It seems it's also possible to ship from Alex to Ashdod. I got a quote of 250 Euros per bike. Obviously not including all the port fees (export at smarina dot com).

The Saudi option is interesting. Would my wife be able to ride there? I hear women's rights are quite restricted there.

Hi Jmi,

We're only in Nairobi. Busy trying to make a call between storing the bikes in Kenya or continuing north. We'll only be trying to get from Sudan / Egypt to Israel in about a month and halfs time.

We're considering shipping from Alex to Israel. Some digging has found some options. That being said we're still trying to see whether we'd be able to cross Sinai. Hopefully things will improve over the next month!

I crossed the Sinai a few days ago, from Suez down to Sharm and then up to Taba in my Alfa (it's a small RWD so it got through) but I heard about disassembling front drive to 4x4s to make them 2x4. Then rebuilding the front drive in Israel. But that might be a rumour. Might be worth checking out if you get stuck.

I would look for a boat from Port Sudan to Aqaba and skip Egypt, wasn't very nice.

Sinai with a 4x4 Suez to Sharm El-Sheik, we managed it!
 

So, we managed to get to Sharm El-Sheik! There might be other travelers who are wondering how we managed to drive through the Sinai with a 4x4. It was only thanks to General Ahmed Hamdy at the Ministry of tourism, Cairo, and thanks to Omar Mansour (who started this thread), active here on the HUBB. Omar contacted me and told me to pay a visit to general Hamdy and also called in advance to let him know.
My husband Hendrik and I visited general Hamdy’s office first thing on a Sunday morning. He was very kind and listened to our problem (we entered Egypt without knowing of the strict travel ban for 4x4:s on the Sinai. Problem: how to travel further by land?). We gave him copies of our passports, copy of the entry stamp to Egypt, travel plan through the Sinai, copy of driver’s license and a copy of the original car registration. On Wednesday afternoon we got a call from the general’s assistant who told us to come in first thing on Thursday morning. We did and at 4.30 in the afternoon we had the permit for Sinai!

OBS! It was possible for us to get a permit but it might not be possible for others. If you enter Egypt you cannot expect to use this method to get out. It is an emergency and it worked for us. We were 2 cars that applied for a permit and only we got one on that Thursday. If you enter Egypt from Sudan you need to bare in mind that you might have to ship the car on a RoRo because there are many restrictions about shipping cars in containers.

If you do end up in an emergency situation and you do not know how to exit Egypt, here is where you need to go (no phone calls, no e-mails, only personal visits.

General Ahmed Hamdy
Ministry of Tourism
Misr Travel Tower (entry on the right, 4th floor)
Abasseya Square
Abasseya, Cairo

Things change all the time in Egypt but when we visited Military intelligence they told us that the ban of 4x4:s on the Sinai will not change in the next 6 months-1 year. This can also change but that is what they told us.

I will happily answer questions but now I’m going to enjoy a few days of beach holiday with my husband. After 2 stressful weeks in Cairo we both need that… Cheers!
Caroline

I can Unfortunately only tell you what I heard. The travel ban is also for motorbikes. We heard of people who rented a 2x2 buck, put the motorbikes in the back and drove through the Sinai. Otherwise I think Omar Mansour crossed the Sinai with a motorbike recently.

Thanks for the update. Very useful!

I'm glad that you got through! All the best!

Hi all. We've spent the past 2 days with the Egyptian Tourism Authority (Ministry of Tourism) and now also the Ministry of Defence as per Cwuebben post. It seems that if you have a 4x4 this should work for you. We've heard stories of several groups getting the permit and the Egyptian Tourism Authority seem to have set up a process.

However they will not issue a permit for motorcycles. This is a problem for us now as we are a little stuck. We'll have to try and find money to ship which may not be easy :(

Good luck to other travellers!

Having failed to get the permit we tried to put the bikes in a van and drive through the tunnel. We were turned away at the suez tunnel. The cars drive through big x-ray machines so you won't be able to sneak through. In my opinion if you don't have the permit you wont get through.

We tried to convince them that the letter from the Ministry of tourism was the required permit. This caused a bit of confusion but in the end they insisted on the permit from the ministry of defence. It seems that the ministry of defence will only issue a permit for a 4x4 and not a bike. A bit rediculous as bikes in a van is not any more of a security risk than a 4x4.

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.

Sent from my SM-P350 using Tapatalk

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

Sent from my SM-P350 using Tapatalk

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

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!

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.

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.

Thanks also Chris
The planning at this stage is definitely keeping to the west and then east coast up to Taba
By the way we met way back in 2008 on our way back from Morocco
Cheers kym

Hi kym,
Have you found any updates yet re 4x4 in the Sinai?
Where's the best place to ask for most up to date info?
Looking into this and all the other options for departing Africa in the east around October.
Tx

Try asking in Overlanding Africa on FB seems to be good source for information

Tx. Will get the other half on to it: I'm not on FB

Hi
I read your post about your journey London to Cape Town and back.
I am planning a similar trip to leave middle of August, only one way though - from London to Cape Town!
Our thoughts are that we would try to put our Land cruiser on a ferry to Egypt from Greece or Turkey. This seems to be the most difficult bit of our journey to organise. Any tips would be appreciated. How did you get from Europe in to Africa?
Thanks
Lily

Europe to Africa
 

I'm currently sitting on a Gremaldi ship in Ashdod, Israel, waiting to disembark.I embarked in Salerno, Italy, with my motorbike (very easy and straightforward) and in the morning will attempt to get the bike through customs and immigration. On hearing this a local taxi driver I spoke to a couple of hours ago told me "ahh, my friend, you will sweat tomorrow", but the fact he knows this suggests that whilst arduous the process is by no means an unexplored one! The ship I'm on, the Grande Mediterraneo, actually stops in Alexandria as well however although the Captain saw no reason why I couldn't disembark there when I booked the passage Grimaldi head office were adamant I could not.

Customs have granted me entry (we arrived late so just me, not the bike, however the captain has kindly let me stay onboard tonight) and when I explained that I was travelling down to SA they told me they wouldn't stamp my passport. They haven't even put an insert in, so not sure how that will figure out when I exit in Eilat. I plan to cross over to Jordan and pick up the ferry from Aqaba down into Egypt.

You should check upfront if ferries from Aqaba to Nuweiba still operate since traffic through Sinai has been banned for motorbikes and 4x4 vehicles.

Good luck on your journey.

Sinai and Suez
 

I just went from Nuweiba to Cairo on my motorbike yesterday, Sinai seems to be open for business (I went the long way, around the bottom, as was in a rush and was told the road past St Catherine's monastery was in a terrible state), although worth noting apparently motorcycles aren't allowed through the Suez tunnel. I got stopped at three different checkpoints and told I needed "papers", although in the end patience and a few phone calls from the soldiers got me through. I suspect it very much depends on who is on duty that day. The soldiers suggested I put the bike on a truck, which sounded like a bother I would rather avoid.

Hi, how did having recognition of Israel on the carnet for the bike go down as you proceeded south?
Thanks
Jordan

Hi Alex PB and everyone,
I'm going down this September from Spain, arriving to Ashdod and riding south to Egypt and then down to Kenya. Do you hace any fixer, contact or whoever who helped you entering through Taba?
At the same time, It seems that I need a permit to cross under suez with the bike. Any idea where to obtain it?
I appreciate any help. Best Regards from Spain.
Alfonso

Crossing the Sinai with a 4X4
 

I would like to try and ship my truck from Ashdod with Grimaldi in June 2018 . Has anyone with a vehicle got to Taba and crossed into Israel in the last 2 years? If they did was a permit required from Cairo?
Thanks Chris

Hi everyone,

We are getting closer to our big African trip and currently trying to firm-up plans for arrival in Africa. I see some of you have taken the freight cruise from Salerno (Italy) to Ashdod (Israel), I assume this is with Grimaldi? (we will be in a Land Rover 4x4).
How did you book this? On their website they appear to suggest booking via 3rd party websites such as IVSS - has anyone had any experience of this?

Following this, the road around the bottom of the Sinai peninsula appears to be the best option - am I correct on this? Is the Taba border crossing doable?

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me!
Lottie

We exited Egypt via the southern edge of the Sinai into Israel at the Taba border in November 2018 in our 4x4 Mercedes Vario 814DA . If you do not look at the front axle our truck does not look like a 4X4 but we met in Addis Ababa one couple on a motorbike and a family in a 4X4 Ford Ranger pickup that had come around the bottom of the Sinai from Israel. The main advantage of exiting Africa this way is you can sail on the Grimaldi ship with your locked vehicle and keep the keys in your pocket. It also has the side benefits of a 1 hour exit from Egypt instead of the 3 or more days you have spend with paperwork in Alexandria. We paid 1650 euros for the Vehicle and a cabin for 2 and 250 euro for the Customs Agent in Ashdod for the 9 day voyage to Salerno . If anyone is interested I will detail our strategy for passing the police stops and getting through the tunnel under the Suez.
Chris

Worth noting:
A: If leaving Africa, going via Israel is ok passport/stamp wise - change your passport if you are planning to come back to countries 'angry' at them at a later date.
B. If going towards Africa, if you go through Israel you run the risk of being denied a visa for Sudan etc. They know the names of the entry points of Jordan for example, so even if you have nothing Israeli in your passport the fact that you entered Jordan via the Israeli border will likely be noticed.
Plenty of older posts on here about it etc

This is widely known, but has it ever happened to a regular overlander ticking all the boxes? Not to my knowledge.

Hi Smaug, as per your earlier post, could you please forward details of how you passed the police stops and getting through the tunnel under the Suez?

We followed the advice of the couple on a Motorbike who had come from Jordan via Israel through the Sinai.They had split the journey from Taba to Cairo into sections and booked hotels at Dahab and Sharm el Sheik with printouts of bookings to show the Police . We did the same in the opposite direction . At the tunnel and scanner under the Suez canal we showed our Sharm booking printout and used it at the police stops on the good road around the coast. At Sharm we cancelled the Sharm booking for a full refund and set off for Dahab where we stayed a couple of nights. When we left Dahab we told the police we were going to Nuweiba where we had originally hoped to take a ferry to Jordan . The ferry was very very expensive so we did not take it. Instead we took the road to Taba and crossed to Israel. Leaving Egypt was fairly quick in spite of not having any Egyptian money . Entering Israel took five hours because of the requirement to put the contents of our vehicle through a luggage scanner.
Leaving Egypt again I would always try going around Sinai rather than shipping from Alexandria the worse that can happen is getting turned back at the canal or soon after . Coming in via Israel or Jordan is more of a risk as if you get turned back you may need to try shipping from Saudi to Sudan

Chris