Dubai to Istanbul - still ridable?
 

Hi everyone, I was planning to ride from Dubai to Istanbul via Saudi, Jordan, Israel, ferry to Cyprus and on to Turkey. Needless to say the pandemic messed up my plans.

So a couple of questions I'd appreciate your thoughts on - any indications that Saudi will open its borders after the Ramadan? And second, suggestions for shipping agents in Istanbul which can process an ocean shipment from Dubai?

Thanks in advance!

There are no indications so far on the Saudi border but definitely it will open in this summer. Most countries declared their tourism resumption plan between mid June ~ beginning of July.

I'm not sure if Jordanian - Israeli border is open before the pandemic also, but there is a ferry from Saudi (Duba port) to Turkey (Iskendrun port).

There is alternative route which is Iran, way better plan and enjoying. Take the ferry from Sharjah and drive all the way to Turkey.

Thanks
ossaimi





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Thanks ossaimi! I looked at the route through Iran and agree that it would be the best one but I don't think my passport makes it a viable option :) So I guess I will have to wait and see when the Saudis open their borders. Please post if you hear/read news to that effect.

Many of us living in the GCC are wishing a route will open up, allowing us to enter turkey and europe. If only Iraq was safe enough to pass freely through it. Nobody that I have heard of has crossed it from the Abrar, Saudi (border is open) all the way to Zakho, Iraq. Northern Iraq they say is safe, but mid northern is a bit sketchy and hard finding info on it. That route is a trade route so truckers are traveling it safely.

The route through duba, saudi and taking the 3-4 day long ferry to iskenderun turkey. They have recently raised there prices up and you will end up paying $7-900 each one way. Not sure if your end of the trip is turkey, but the road from iskenderun, turkey to the greece or bulgarian border is full of tolls. More likely putting the cost of just air shipping the bike about the same.

For me I live on the eastern side of saudi, its about 1,700 km to duba saudi and wait out 4 days in a old poorly maintained ferry, while if the route through iraq was only safe to cross it would be about 100 km less.

Im starting to think think the simplest trouble free route is to, crate the motorcycle put it in a crate and air cargo ship it. In kuwait there is a motorcycle shipper who ships bikes from kuwait to frankfurt germany for $1,300 total one way. Thats everything included and delivered to your door or hotel.

Then theres an air cargo way to where you break down your bike, remove the front wheel and use a build a custom crate yourself, or go to any new bike dealer that may sell you or give you for free a used crate that they received their bikes on. Next you will need a freight forwarder this couple on HU thankfully documented there trip from sudan to turkey. Shipping / Airfreight motorcycle from Sudan to Europe/Turkey They paid each $567 total through turkish air cargo. Pretty sure this can be done in dubai, via any of the major air cargo airlines saudi/flynas/emirate etc. I havent checked the prices in saudi, due to corona virus shutting everything down.

As for entry into saudi they announced june 1 will be for domestic flights and septemeber 1 for international flights. So maybe the borders will open sept 1
https://gulfnews.com/world/gulf/saud....1589813253209

Good points ibidu1.

I did quite a bit of reading on various options, etc. Airfreight (with Turkish Airlines and PayloadCargo as a freightforwarder) came to about $4,800. While the actual weight of the motor and the crate is around 350kg, the chargeable weight is over 700kg and at $6/kg the numbers got scary big.

Ocean shipping is cheaper. A company called Berlin Motors can get the motor to Istanbul for about $1500 in 17 days. The problem is they don't have offices in Istanbul and I have to find someone to do the customs clearance and local handling there, which will likely add another $1000 or so.

I will keep looking for other freight forwarders for both air and ocean shipping and see if Emirates or other ocean carriers can provide more attractive options.

Again, your comments and suggestions are most welcome.

I found this on the turkish air cargo website. Maybe you can give them a ring and see


General Sales Agency

Company Name : AL NABOODAH TRAVEL & TOURISM AGENCIES LLC

Email : niaz.abdulsalam@alnaboodah.com

Address : Ground floor, Block C Al Shoala Building Al Ittihad Street P.O. Box 1200 Dubai UAE

Phone : +971 4 211 2500, 294 0099

I know that you may have the “wrong” passport for Iran but have you considered either getting a guide - I have no idea how much one would cost - or hiring a van and driver to take you from one border to the other. Possibly cheaper than flying and you get to see some of the country / meet a few locals.

Also, are you are able to get the “right” passport - if you aren’t against the clock at this point - and let’s face it, most of us have too much time on our ands att he moment - then it may be possible to do something.

These are in fact the guys I contacted after checking the THY website. So that turned out to be a dead end. Still waiting for Emirates to get back to me. Given it's Eid time it will likely take another few days before that happens. Will post if something comes out of that discussion.

Jay, thanks for the suggestion. The funny part is I've been to Iran in 2004 and everything was great..the people, the sites and yes, I did have a guide with me at all time, which was fine. So I am very tempted to try that route for the reasons you and ossaimi shared. I guess I will try my luck at their consulate in Dubai after Eid and see how it goes. A guide will be mandatory and a van is good idea as well, just in case.

I have a saudi passport am I allowed into iran with a motorcycle to do a transit to turkey? I googled and Iran will issue a visa, but does saudi or the rest of the gcc allow its citizens to enter?

Many Saudis travel to Iran but by air through Kuwait, Qatar or Oman and I haven't seen by sea or land so far or heard at least.

If I'm at your shoes, i wouldn't risk my self driving there. As the relation between the two countries a bit shaky.

I'm Kuwaiti and 100% sure we can travel to Iran without an issue and in fact, there are weekly ferries between the two.

Wait for the Turkish ferry better.

Have a nice day.

Ahmad

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The duba saudi to turkey ferry seems like a lot of issues to deal with.
1. 1700km for me to travel to duba, 3,400km round trip
2. $700-$900 dollars x2, since they raised the prices to $1,400-1,800 round trip
3. spending a night in duba (which sucks), and then waiting atleast 5-10 hours for the ferry to load up
4. 4 days for the travel, stuck in a dorm style room with no working bathrooms :nuke:
5. once you arrive in turkey, then you need to hire someone to finish your paperwork. Then hire a taxi to go outside and purchase insurance.

The kuwait/Iran not positive the kuwait route allows vehicles like the sharjah location. https://www.irantravelingcenter.com/...ian-gulf-iran/
1. 400km x2 800km
2. $66 passenger $100 motorcycle x2 $332 total round trip
3. 1 night in kuwait (which is nice)
4. 1/2 day ferry trip
5. You have to have a carnet/trip ticket to enter iran, this is a bummer
6. The distance from Khorramshahr, iran to turkish border is 1,500km x2 not too bad
7. who knows how much turkey charges to cross border on a motorcycle
8. Like you mentioned dealing with the political issues, I do recall there were saudi citizens returning from iran when the first corona virus was announced. Of course if I chose this route I will need to get approval or an ok.

Actually the kuwait route does not allow vehicles only the sharjah.

Yesterday I phoned the Turkey Ferry and it is still not operating that route.

Then I phoned a forward air shipper and he quoted me 14.5 sar/uad per kilo + whatever fees turkey charges.

I think the ferry suffered a fire last year and has been out of action since.

There was (pre-COVID) a ferry from Tripoli (Lebanon) to Tasucu (Turkey) but check what the requirements are for you to enter Syria. For Europeans a guided tour is necessary to get a visa, and nobody as far as I know has taken in a vehicle recently. I was planning on giving it a try last year but work commitments got in the way.

EO