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Getting there: From Libya, the crossing is on the coast road at Sallum. There are two crossing between Egypt and Israel, one at Taba on the Gulf of Aqaba and the other at Rafah on the north Sinai coast. Ferries run regularly between Nuweiba, Sinai, and Aqaba in Jordan. Our crossing from Libya into Egypt was time consuming - nearly 6 hours - and incredibly frustrating; endless customs checks and demands for baksheesh. It is difficult to say which order things should be done in as we were shunted backwards and forwards between various buildings and offices. In brief, the following must be purchased:
In addition, we were charged £4.00 for photocopying Richard's passport (for the driving licence), and plenty of baksheesh! We took a ferry from Nuweiba to Aqaba and the journey took four hours. Tickets can be purchased at the ticket office situated outside the ferry terminal - the costs are £20.00 per person and £100.00 for the vehicle. It is worth arriving early in the morning to catch the ferry - there are meant to be two crossing a day and, although they are scheduled to leave at 1100 and 1800 the timetable does not seem to be adhered to - the 1100 ferry left at 0930 and our 1800 ferry left at 2000! We had been advised by Clare and Tim, who we met in Cairo and who had taken the ferry from Jordan to Egypt, that it was worth parting with baksheesh and enlisting the help of a local at the ferry terminal. We didn't have to look very far - as soon as we drove through the gates we were approached by a man who offered to help us - it cost us £20.00 but was money well spent. Other costs were £1.00 for discharging the Carnet, £4.00 for photocopying our passports (although we never found out what the photocopies were for!!) and £1.00 for returning the registration plates. Visa requirements: British Nationals require a Visa to enter Egypt. A visa can be purchased in one of three ways:
We purchased our visas at the Egyptian Consulate in Benghazi - the cost was £20 per person and took three hours to issue (this can take up to three days). Visas are valid for presentation for three months and allow a one month stay. Carnet de Passage en Douane: Required - make sure that it is correctly completed and don't let it out of your sight! Miscellaneous: Petrol was a problem for us - the highest octane grade available was only 90 and the Range Rover needs at least 95 octane to run properly, particularly when heavily laden. Richard knew that petrol would be an issue and we carried 100 litres of Libyan petrol with in jerry cans, plus a full tank - however, this severely limited our mileage. British Embassy in Cairo: Website: www.britishembassy.org.eg Address: Telephone: (20) (2) 794 0852 For further information, contact the Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt: Address: 26 South Street |
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