Originally Posted by achim-in-jordan

The ferry is stuck in Damietta because of a conflict between the ferry agency and the handling agent in Egypt which claims unpaid bills.

I have also heard of at least one other company running to Port Said. Please do some search on the HUBB.

The only feasible alternative (apart from the Grimaldi Freighter, which does not take passengers to Alexandria!, or the Israel option which is difficult for Sudan) is to go from Turkey to Iran and then further on to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi.

From Saudi, there are three options: You can go to Jordan, spend some time there and continue to Nuweiba on the Sinai (on the Sinai, the direct crossing is done in convoys right now, while the road to Sharm el Sheikh and from there to Suez is still free). Option number two is to continue with the Dubba to Safaga ferries (make sure that your Saudi transit visa which you can easily obtain in Abu Dhabi mentions Egypt as next destination!). Option number three is to cross Saudi and head straight to Sudan with either Baaboud or a second ferry agency operating the route from Jeddah to Suakin on alternate days. For any of the three options you need the onward visa for the next destination country.

I would strongly advise against the Iraq option (not to talk about Syria)!! Travelling through the non-kurdish part of Iraq is still suicidal. Busses between Iraq and Syria / Jordan have frequently been attacked. Al Qaeda is regrouping in Iraq and will be more than happy to get hold of such an easily identifiable target! It is difficult to circumvent Baghdad on any route, with Baghdad being a city with hundreds of checkpoints and walls. If you don't know your way exactly, you easily end up at the "wrong" checkpoint and are arrested. During one of my last visits in Baghdad in May 2012, I felt rather safe - only to be told at a security briefing the next morning that there had been 47 incidents like road side bombs in the city during that "safe" day. So please: Just forget about crossing Iraq for the time being!!

Greetings
Achim

Originally Posted by drive10kmiles

Hi Achim,

Thanks so much for your quick response - much appreciated. I'm hugely disappointed by this, but I've decided to give up on trying to go through the Middle East at present. I'm going to do West Africa instead.

But thanks again for your help!

Phil