Go Back   Horizons Unlimited - The HUBB > Regional Forums > North Africa
North Africa Topics specific to North Africa and the Sahara down to the 17th parallel (excludes Morocco)
Photo by Andy Miller, UK, Taking a rest, Jokulsarlon, Iceland

I haven't been everywhere...
but it's on my list!


Photo by Andy Miller, UK,
Taking a rest,
Jokulsarlon, Iceland



Trans Sahara Routes.

Like Tree116Likes

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools Display Modes
  #226  
Old 30 Sep 2014
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: F
Posts: 856
Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris Scott View Post
I see that a VW 4x4 on record-breaking run from North Cape to Cape Town used the 'ferry free' west side road last week.

Map | Touareg Cape-to-cape (They crashed out in Tanzania on the weekend)

All a good precedent for that becoming the normal way one day in the future.

Ch
Thanks a lot, Chris, for this good news!

RR.
Reply With Quote
  #227  
Old 30 Sep 2014
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: F
Posts: 856
Euhhh... they wrote on their blog : "We left Egypt in the night via an unofficial military checkpoint on a road, which was only opened for us."
RR.
Reply With Quote
  #228  
Old 30 Sep 2014
Registered Users
HUBB regular
 
Join Date: Mar 2013
Location: Cork, Ireland
Posts: 52
They most likely mean the checkpoint where the Abu simbel road veers off. There's no barrier as such. The Egyptians just moved the barrels off the road when we crossed through to Sudan that way last year.

The first photo of that blog post is most definitely the Arkine border post. (Actually on second thoughts I don't remember the tower! The Arkine post has a similar rounded glazed area)
Reply With Quote
  #229  
Old 1 Oct 2014
Chris Scott's Avatar
Super Moderator
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Jun 2000
Posts: 4,911
Quote:
on a road, which was only opened for us
I don't find this surprising. Other record attempts have had to use special permissions to keep on schedule, and if VW could afford to fly the car from Turkey to Egypt, they would have paid whatever was asked to avoid any messing about on Lake Nasser.

But like I say, the more it gets done the less unusual it becomes.
Reply With Quote
  #230  
Old 25 Oct 2014
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Alexandria
Posts: 426
yesssssssssssss the road is open between Egypt and Sudan

Yes it is true now you can travel by road and you can make it in the same day between the 2 countries
I managed to travel to Sudan and back to Egypt using the new road qostol – Eshkit ,or you can call it Aswan –Wadi Halfa ,or Abu simble ,Wadi Halfa
Things went smooth and easy
The route start from Aswan you head toward the famous temple of Abu Simble , you must be there at 8 am so better to go a day before and rest in one of the few hotels there
By 7 :30 try to find the ferry
You won’t miss it it is just in the center of the very small town behind the bank
Ask any one will point it
I believe there is like 3 ferry boat daily
One of it run by the Egyptian military but the best one is the first one at 8 : 30 start to sail from the west bank to the west bank of the Nile and it cross it in 90 minutes
I didn’t pay as I was invited by the manager of the boat but I think it will not be more than 30 Egyptian pound for a motorbike and for a car I don’t know but I think it will be around 300 to 500 LE depend on how big is your car ( 1 USD = 7,10 Egyptian pound )
When you reach the east bank of the Nile you have to drive for 30 km ,it is only one way ,you will be at the gate of the border
I paid 90 Egyptian pound to cross the gate ( on the way back I paid 100 )
When you cross the gate you will go to the left side you will be between 2 buildings,your fist office is the last one on the right hand side , you go there to scan and check your luggage ,it is painful as I had to move all my luggage to the x ray machine and then have to load it back to my bike
Just cross that scan room there is a small booth you have to go there and pay 60 LE for checking and security thing I don’t know what was it although I got receipt
After that just 2 rooms next to the xray room the immigration room you stamp your passport
After that 2 room next to the immigration there is the customs room where you will stamp your carnet
I had Egyptian carnet so I paid something around 50 Egyptian pound
I don’t know if you have foreign carnet I think you pay something like 550 LE
Any way you must take a receipt for each money you pay ,if you have any problems or any one ask you for money without receipts ask for the manager of the port ( his office is the first one in that building that all your work will be with it and explain to hem politely that why you have to pay money without receipts or if you can’t reach hem try to speak with any officer ( officer you will see stars or eagles on his shoulders )
After you sort and stamp your carnet you must get your bike and go around the building to the traffic room
There they will take your chassis number and you have to pay something like 30 Egyptian pound
You may here pay little bakshish something like 10 Egyptian pound to the guy who will bring a pencil and a small paper to get your chassis number , but still you don’t have to pay them ,it is just to make things faster
Make sure that you copy all your documents at least 4 copies and to get an empty paper file they will take your copies and the papers they will make and keep it there
I had to photos copy 2 papers and to buy that sh—t empty file for 80 Egyptian pound ,( the price in any town like Aswan won’t be maximum 3 Egyptian pound )so buy it from before to save money
The reason for that very high price it is rental office and they pay huge amount of money for the rent !!!!!!
After that you are ready to leave
The Sudan side
by Sudanese laws you must have a fixer to sort your papers, I spoke to the manager of the port and I knew that from hem
You will find many fixers there you pay 100 to 200 Sudanese pounds maximum for his service and it is after you are ready to leave the port and all sorted don’t let the fixer pay any money, tell hem I will pay it myself and make sure you get a receipt too
1USD = around 8 Sudanese pounds
I spent 4 hours to finish the Sudan side had to pay around 155 insurance, and 20 to make photo copies and other things so I paid around 320 Sudanese pounds .
Still pricey but it is way way cheaper and easier than the ferry between Aswan and Halfa
if you are morethan 3 travelers and you will share the cost of a fixer , so you relax and he will do every thing for you
i only trust kamal from Aswan in the Egyptian side , and Mazar from Halfa in Sudan side
Good luck and travel sage always
Attached Thumbnails
The Egypt Index-.jpg1.jpg  

The Egypt Index-.jpg  

The Egypt Index-20141018_160417.jpg  

The Egypt Index-2.jpg  

Reply With Quote
  #231  
Old 25 Oct 2014
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Jan 2009
Location: Beirut / Lebanon
Posts: 197
Hi Omar,

Thanks for that very useful info! It still sounds very Egyptian but at least they seem to have sorted out how they want to handle it from now. With the Turkey-Egypt ferry apparently running, the way on the Eastern route seems to be managable again.

Unfortunately, the new three month state of emergency on the Northern Sinai and the limited possibilities to travel in the Western desert are on the downside of recent events.

Thanks for the pictures as well! Have there been any other travellers with you in either direction or was it only local traffic?

Greetings,
Achim
Reply With Quote
  #232  
Old 25 Oct 2014
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: The Netherlands
Posts: 235
Hi all,

Thanks Omar!
I crossed the border a couple of days ago, south to north. Will also post a breakdown of the process and costs later, with pictures.

Cheers from Alexandria,

Gee
__________________
Travels with Thimba
eBOOK!
Reply With Quote
  #233  
Old 25 Oct 2014
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: F
Posts: 856
Quote:
Originally Posted by Thimba View Post
Hi all,

Thanks Omar!
I crossed the border a couple of days ago, south to north. Will also post a breakdown of the process and costs later, with pictures.

Cheers from Alexandria,

Gee
Hi Thimba, Thanks for you very useful report, I'm waiting for the Sudan/Egypt report impatiently, hoping this border crossing+ferry to Aswan as "easy" (for Egypt only) than the North/South crossing.
I'm planning to come back from Djibouti spring 2015...
RR
Reply With Quote
  #234  
Old 27 Oct 2014
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: The Netherlands
Posts: 235
Sudan => Egypt border crossing

Hi all,

I crossed the border from Wadi Halfa to Aswan on 28th October. I was with Mazar all the way (he had to pick up a driver in Aswan) so did not make use of Kamal. It seems that you can do it alone: the road is open. But it would take even longer and probably cost a lot more.

1. Get your visa in Halfa: it's easy, costs 25 usd, and you can pick up your passport the next day. If you give the lady a big smile, even the same day. They sent my visa to the border.
2. There's a new road to the border, takes just half an hour.
3. The border is completely new and promises an improvement in efficiency. Alas!
4. I didn't follow Mazar around all the time. He was on a seemingly endless run from one desk to another. The Sudanese side took 2 hours to complete.

Costs on the Sudanese side:

- to exit the country with my car: 251
- to exit myself: 51
- customs: 153
- traffic police: 120

Total costs Sudanese side: approx. 75 euro

5. I was only allowed to enter the gate of the Egyptian side after paying 150 LE!
6. The security measures are visible everywhere: lots of heavily armed military, police and people in civil clothes wearing side arms.
7. I had to unpack everything from the car and take it to a scanner. After that the car was searched top to bottom, door panels, spare gyres, etc.
8. Traffic police is the last stop after the paperwork: fit number plates, have the chassis and engine number checked.
9. See to it that your carnet is stamped twice: once on the left hand top, and once on the right hand middle!

The Egyptian side took 4 hours, and cost:

- to enter the gate (!?): 150 LE
- customs: 522
- traffic police: 100
- a man who checks the chassis and engine numbers: 100
- insurance: 160

Total costs Egyptian side: approx. 125 euro

So crossing the border was 200 euro.


All these payments were made by Mazar, and without receipts. And to people who were just doing their jobs (as Mazar put it: "Customs takes 522").
You then drive to Abu Simbel, which is just 30 km. The ferry is 22 euro, and takes just 90 minutes.

Since it was too late to reach Aswan by daylight, we stayed at a beautiful house of friends of Mazar's, and left very early the next day. It seems that they still want you to take a convoy to Aswan, but we didn't, and at the friendly checkpoints no questions were asked.

Get your certificate of fines in Aswan! You'll need it when exiting the country, and it is only available in Aswan! Ask Kamal.Mazar forgot about mine, and I had to DHL it to Alexandria.

Despite the hassle and the bribes it is an easy crossing compared to the ferry (although I wouldn't have mind the experience if I had been traveling without a dog). It's also the longest (6 hours) and by far the most expensive one after 30 countries in Africa.

Cheers from Alexandria,

Gee


Sudanese side


Gate to Egyptian side


Egyptian side



Ferry Abu Simbel


Ferry Abu Simbel


Thimba enjoying the early morning drive through the desert from Abu Simbel to Aswan
__________________
Travels with Thimba
eBOOK!
Reply With Quote
  #235  
Old 27 Oct 2014
Chris Scott's Avatar
Super Moderator
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Jun 2000
Posts: 4,911
Thanks all for recent reports. Now we have an idea of the run in both directions.

Ch
Reply With Quote
  #236  
Old 27 Oct 2014
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: F
Posts: 856
Thanks a lot a lot a lot, Thimba.

RR.
Reply With Quote
  #237  
Old 27 Oct 2014
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: F
Posts: 856
And I also travel with my dog (SANGA) in my Land Rover across Sahara and other countries, so your experience is very useful for us!

RR.
Reply With Quote
  #238  
Old 27 Oct 2014
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: The Netherlands
Posts: 235
Quote:
Originally Posted by roro View Post
And I also travel with my dog (SANGA) in my Land Rover across Sahara and other countries, so your experience is very useful for us!

RR.
Hi roro,

That's what we're here for, on the HUBB!

Travel safe, and have fun with the dog,

Gee
__________________
Travels with Thimba
eBOOK!
Reply With Quote
  #239  
Old 28 Oct 2014
Registered Users
Veteran HUBBer
 
Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: F
Posts: 856
Hi Thimba,

And just for those who travel around Sahara with their dog a picture of Sanga (Tim Merzouga;OCT. 2012).

RR.
Attached Images
 
Reply With Quote
  #240  
Old 29 Oct 2014
Registered Users
HUBB regular
 
Join Date: Oct 2013
Posts: 45
Thank you for uodate...

Hey thimba

Thank you so much for that update... and the beautiful pics that are included.
Now have a better understanding of what to expect when we leave South Africa at the end of the year to trek up North.
Just one or two question regards Carnet de passage and visa... do you have a carnet that you acquired somewhere in Africa or did you get it at the border?
BTW: does one really need a carnet for most of Africa when leaving from the South?
Also same applies to visa for Sudan and Egypt.... some info on where you acquired those would be very useful.
Thanking you
Safe travels......with you canine friend.

Reg
Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 2 (0 Registered Users and/or Members and 2 guests)
 

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are On


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Africa - Best and Worst Awards rupertu Ride Tales 7 20 Jul 2016 10:53
London to Cape Town, November 2012 Tfoy97603 Travellers Seeking Travellers 56 4 Sep 2012 17:51
Fuel on the way Egypt / Sudan achim-in-jordan North Africa 3 27 Jan 2012 00:11
21" tyres in sudan or egypt dogito66 North Africa 2 31 Dec 2011 12:35
South Sudan to Sudan or Ethiopia by car (road or river) possible? m2m sub-Saharan Africa 0 18 Nov 2011 07:03

 
 

Announcements

Thinking about traveling? Not sure about the whole thing? Watch the HU Achievable Dream Video Trailers and then get ALL the information you need to get inspired and learn how to travel anywhere in the world!

Have YOU ever wondered who has ridden around the world? We did too - and now here's the list of Circumnavigators!
Check it out now
, and add your information if we didn't find you.

Next HU Eventscalendar

ALL Dates subject to change.

2025 Confirmed Events:

  • Virginia: April 24-27 2025
  • Queensland is back! May 2-4 2025
  • Germany Summer: May 29-June 1 2025
  • CanWest: July 10-13 2025
  • Switzerland: Date TBC
  • Ecuador: Date TBC
  • Romania: Date TBC
  • Austria: Sept. 11-15
  • California: September 18-21
  • France: September 19-21 2025
  • Germany Autumn: Oct 30-Nov 2 2025

Add yourself to the Updates List for each event!

Questions about an event? Ask here

See all event details

 
World's most listened to Adventure Motorbike Show!
Check the RAW segments; Grant, your HU host is on every month!
Episodes below to listen to while you, err, pretend to do something or other...

Adventurous Bikers – We've got all your Hygiene & Protection needs SORTED! Powdered Hair & Body Wash, Moisturising Cream Insect Repellent, and Moisturising Cream Sunscreen SPF50. ESSENTIAL | CONVENIENT | FUNCTIONAL.

2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.

2020 Edition of Chris Scott's Adventure Motorcycling Handbook.

"Ultimate global guide for red-blooded bikers planning overseas exploration. Covers choice & preparation of best bike, shipping overseas, baggage design, riding techniques, travel health, visas, documentation, safety and useful addresses." Recommended. (Grant)



Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance.

Ripcord Rescue Travel Insurance™ combines into a single integrated program the best evacuation and rescue with the premier travel insurance coverages designed for adventurers.

Led by special operations veterans, Stanford Medicine affiliated physicians, paramedics and other travel experts, Ripcord is perfect for adventure seekers, climbers, skiers, sports enthusiasts, hunters, international travelers, humanitarian efforts, expeditions and more.

Ripcord travel protection is now available for ALL nationalities, and travel is covered on motorcycles of all sizes!


 

What others say about HU...

"This site is the BIBLE for international bike travelers." Greg, Australia

"Thank you! The web site, The travels, The insight, The inspiration, Everything, just thanks." Colin, UK

"My friend and I are planning a trip from Singapore to England... We found (the HU) site invaluable as an aid to planning and have based a lot of our purchases (bikes, riding gear, etc.) on what we have learned from this site." Phil, Australia

"I for one always had an adventurous spirit, but you and Susan lit the fire for my trip and I'll be forever grateful for what you two do to inspire others to just do it." Brent, USA

"Your website is a mecca of valuable information and the (video) series is informative, entertaining, and inspiring!" Jennifer, Canada

"Your worldwide organisation and events are the Go To places to for all serious touring and aspiring touring bikers." Trevor, South Africa

"This is the answer to all my questions." Haydn, Australia

"Keep going the excellent work you are doing for Horizons Unlimited - I love it!" Thomas, Germany

Lots more comments here!



Five books by Graham Field!

Diaries of a compulsive traveller
by Graham Field
Book, eBook, Audiobook

"A compelling, honest, inspiring and entertaining writing style with a built-in feel-good factor" Get them NOW from the authors' website and Amazon.com, Amazon.ca, Amazon.co.uk.



Back Road Map Books and Backroad GPS Maps for all of Canada - a must have!

New to Horizons Unlimited?

New to motorcycle travelling? New to the HU site? Confused? Too many options? It's really very simple - just 4 easy steps!

Horizons Unlimited was founded in 1997 by Grant and Susan Johnson following their journey around the world on a BMW R80G/S.

Susan and Grant Johnson Read more about Grant & Susan's story

Membership - help keep us going!

Horizons Unlimited is not a big multi-national company, just two people who love motorcycle travel and have grown what started as a hobby in 1997 into a full time job (usually 8-10 hours per day and 7 days a week) and a labour of love. To keep it going and a roof over our heads, we run events all over the world with the help of volunteers; we sell inspirational and informative DVDs; we have a few selected advertisers; and we make a small amount from memberships.

You don't have to be a Member to come to an HU meeting, access the website, or ask questions on the HUBB. What you get for your membership contribution is our sincere gratitude, good karma and knowing that you're helping to keep the motorcycle travel dream alive. Contributing Members and Gold Members do get additional features on the HUBB. Here's a list of all the Member benefits on the HUBB.




All times are GMT +1. The time now is 01:39.