middle east and north africa tour

[cyprys]

hello,
it was just a matter of time. After my last (and first big one journey i started to think about riding somewhere again. Been thinking about where to go and so on.
I want to see Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Israel, egypt (first time on the bike), Sudan if possible. Thinking also about going from egypt west to Tunisia and then across to Italy, or taking a ferry from Alexandria up to Venice or Naples.
Would appreciate all information. border crossing? any things i should know about? ANyone knows about crossing from Jordan to israel to egypt? there is one place in Israel called Taba from where you can cross to Sinai but i could not find anything about possible crossing. Israel is the place i really want to see but if it's not possible to enter other countries because of going there i am ready to give it a miss.
thank you for all info.
Safe riding.
marcin

 

[Av8r]

Hi,

I've not taken a bike across borders in the middle east, but I have taken cars across borders in the middle east, so to answer at least part of your questions....

Lebanon, Jordan, Syria, Egypt and Tunisia are all possible with a Carnet de Passage. I would strongly suggest getting in touch with the local MSA in each country, as they should be able to help with smoothing over border crossings, and general travel advice. They may well also be able to point you in the direction of a local 'fixer' for tricky crossings. Be careful with an accurate inventory of luggage/spares for customs, and make everything easily packable/unpackable, as you'll need good paperwork to ensure you're not stung with import duty when entering/exiting the country.

I'm sure you already know all this, but M.E. countries can be particularly bad for making your life paperwork hell, and ripping you off at crossings if they can.

As for traveling from egypt or jordan to israel, I know it is possible to cross from egypt, not sure about jordan.

It is advisable to carry two passports, (a duplicate is available from the home office for UK passports, not sure about other nationalities), as traveling in the arab countries is not advisable with Israel passport stamps. Whilst most of the countries mentioned will technically allow it (with the exception of Syria, I believe), it can still cause problems with over zealous border guards, local police, etc.

Israel at one point would issue a paper insert instead of a visa stamp on request, but not sure if they still do.

If you've any other specific questions feel free to ask, if I don't know the answer I probably can point you in the right direction.