Middle East - Anthony Ham [172]
Coming from Israel to Egypt, you must have a visa in advance unless your visit is limited to eastern Sinai (Click here) or you have prearranged your entry with an Egyptian tour operator. Leaving Israel you’ll need to pay an exit tax (69NIS) and, once in Egypt, an Egyptian entry tax (E£30) at a booth about 1km south of the border on the main road.
Vehicles can be brought into Egypt from Eilat (though not the other way); the amount of duty to pay depends on the type of vehicle, but averages about 32NIS/E£180 for exit/entry taxes.
At the time of research, Misr Travel (Map; 02-3335 5470; Cairo Sheraton, Midan al-Galaa, Doqqi) and the Israeli travel company Mazada Tours ( 03-544 4454; www.mazada.co.il) were running an express service (US$60, 12 to 14 hours) that left the Cairo Sheraton on Sunday and Thursday at 7.30am (10 to 12 hours), travelling via Taba to Tel Aviv and then on to Jerusalem. Contact them for details.
Jordan
From Cairo, there’s a Superjet service to Amman (US$95), leaving Al-Mazar Garage on Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday and Friday at 11pm. There is also a daily East Delta Bus Co service to Aqaba (US$50) at 8pm.
From Alexandria, there’s one daily Superjet service to Amman (US$85) on Saturdays, Tuesdays and Thursdays at 4pm, and one daily service to Aqaba (US$45) at 6pm.
These services use the ferry between Nuweiba and Aqaba, so you will be liable for the ferry ticket and port tax (see above).
Libya
The border crossing point of Amsaad, just north of the Halfaya Pass, is 12km west of Sallum. Hourly buses and frequent service taxis from Marsa Matruh to Sallum cost E£15. Service taxis run up the mountain between the town and the Egyptian side of the crossing for E£4. Once through passport control and customs on both sides (you walk through), you can get a Libyan service taxi on to Al-Burdi. From there you can get buses on to Tobruk and Benghazi. Note that Libyan visas are not issued at the border.
From Cairo, one Superjet service leaves Al-Mazar Garage for Benghazi (E£170) at 7am on Monday, Tuesday, Friday and Saturday. East Delta Bus Co services also travel to Tripoli (E£255) departing on Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday at 8am.
From Alexandria, there’s Superjet services to Benghazi on Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 3pm (E£135), and to Tripoli on Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday (E£260), leaving at 10am.
Sea & Lake
For information on ferries between Egypt and Cyprus, Saudi Arabia or Sudan, Click here. All Egyptian international ferries charge US$10 port tax per person on top of the ticket price.
ISRAEL
There’s been talk about resuming the boat service from Port Said to Haifa in Israel, though this has remained just talk for several years now. Contact Canal Tours ( 066-322 5742, 323 3376l; canaltour@bec.com.eg, 12 Sharia Palestine, Port Said) for the latest information.
Jordan
There’s an excellent fast-ferry service ( 069-352 0365; www.abmaritime.com.jo) between Nuweiba in Egypt and Aqaba in Jordan that leaves Nuweiba at 3.30pm daily (except Saturday) and takes one hour. One-way tickets cost US$70 for adults and US$55 for children aged three to 12 years old (including a port tax of US$10). Note that while long departure delays are becoming the norm, you must still be at the port entrance at least two hours before departure so as to go through the shambolic formalities in the main ferry terminal building.
Tickets must be paid for in US dollars (these are not always available at the banks in Nuweiba) and can be purchased on the day of departure only at the ticket office ( 9am-noon), which is in a small sand-coloured building near the port. To find the office turn right when you exit the bus station, walking towards the water, and turn right again after