The Egypt Index

[roro]

Originally Posted by Chris Scott

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.

[roro]

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.

[tadhg123]

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)

[Chris Scott]

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.

[omar mansour]

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

[achim-in-jordan]

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

[Thimba]

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

[roro]

Originally Posted by Thimba

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

[Thimba]

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

[Chris Scott]

Thanks all for recent reports. Now we have an idea of the run in both directions.

Ch

[roro]

Thanks a lot a lot a lot, Thimba.

RR.

[roro]

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.

[Thimba]

Originally Posted by roro

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

[roro]

Hi Thimba,

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

RR.

[lAbArYnth]

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