A great time to visit the Middle East!

[eurasiaoverland]

I have just come back from a fascinating, wonderful, bucket-list tour of Iraq in my trusty Hilux Surf, something I have wanted to do for many years.

I see a lot of people planning to do overland trips in Asia at the moment, and with Russia, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, India, Burma and basically all of SE Asia closed (for overland entry), I think these trips are not going to happen this year. More worryingly, I think that key countries such as Turkmenistan, China and Burma could easily remain closed for a few more years. That said, you can currently get as far east as Pakistan, which in my opinion is the most worthwhile country in the region (actually, the planet), but that is a dead end, unless you want to test the new security status quo in Afghanistan (my intel is that the south is now relatively safe).

However, the situation in the Middle East is the opposite to closed-down Asia; it has never been so open to visitors. There are covid restrictions (vaccination, quarantine, testing etc.), but there is no single country except perhaps Yemen which is closed to overlanders. In recent years, due to the Syrian civil war and demise of some key ferry routes, the region has slipped off the overlanding radar, but I would say, for those with a sense of adventure, it is very much back on the radar.

So I'll give a bit of a run-down based on research and experience:

Turkey - open and the same great place as ever. I entered Turkey several times in the last few weeks and have never been asked for any vaccination or test. Life goes on there as normal. The currency has also crashed, making it much cheaper than usual.

Iran - open as usual with a PCR test. Same procedure as before with visas, same difficulties for American / British / Canadian passport holders. The currency is worthless and you almost can't spend your money.

Iraq - since March 2021, for the first time since at least the 1980s, Iraq issues tourist visas to individual, independent travellers - only at international airports and some land border crossings (though not with Turkey). The country is safe and calm and you will be one of the first tourists to see this place in a generation.

Jordan - open as usual.

Syria - open, by arrangement with a travel agent. You may enter from either Jordan or Lebanon. Borders with Turkey and Iraq are closed to civilians. Damascus and parts of the coast are safe; your travel agent will be able to tell you exactly where it is possible to go. Transiting from Jordan to Lebanon or vsa-versa is safe.

Lebanon - open. There is a (very) expensive ferry running twice a week from Tripoli to Tasucu (Mersin) in Turkey. Note that older (without a DPF) diesel vehicles are proihibited from entering the country.

Israel - open as usual.

On the Arabian peninsula, Saudi, UAE, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait are all open. The long awaited border crossing between Oman and Saudi has recently opened. If you really wanted to see Yemen, I think it can be arranged, but it's probably not the best time.

So, while the long overland routes across Asia are closed, perhaps have a think about the Middle East.

Good luck

EO