Travel between Egypt and Israel
Is it currently possible to travel directly between Egypt and Israel, preferably by land? If so, is there a preferable sequence: e.g. Egypt before Israel?
My son (25) and I are considering a trip to this region and we would like to visit both countries. We could travel on either UK or Irish passports though we would not normally take both on one trip.
The travel does not need to be very comfortable or easy. We are both used to roughing it. I would prefer a tough but interesting land journey than a quick and easy but boring flight.
Best Answer
According to Wikipedia, it appears that the only land crossing open to tourists between Egypt & Israel is the Taba border crossing, located on the Gulf of Aqaba (aka Gulf of Eliat) at the extreme southern end of Israel:
Opened on April 26, 1982 it is currently the only entry/exit point between the two countries that handles tourists. ... The terminal is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year except for the holidays of Eid ul-Adha and Yom Kippur.
Wikitravel notes that there are twice-weekly bus services from Cairo to either Tel Aviv or Jerusalem, switching buses at the border. However, they note that the bus company operating these routes is not always reliable.
Finally, note that this border crossing is occasionally closed due to external events; for example, the crossing was briefly closed to Israelis after terror attacks in Egypt in April 2017. (Foreign nationals were still allowed to cross during this time, and the crossing re-opened to Israelis 11 days later.) It would be advisable to have backup travel plans of some kind should such a closure occur during your trip.
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Israel Egypt border in EILAT - TABA. Crossing into SINAI.
More answers regarding travel between Egypt and Israel
Answer 2
As the other answers say, you can make this crossing.
However, the U.K. government provides travel advice for many areas of the world. The advice for Egypt is here.
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) advise against all travel to:
- the Governorate of North Sinai due to the significant increase in criminal activity and continued terrorist attacks on police and security forces that have resulted in deaths
Answer 3
You can cross either way through the Taba crossing, between Eilat and Sinai. See the crossing's (Israeli side) web site.
So you can travel from anywhere in Israel to Eilat, cross to Sinai, visit the beautiful beaches and mountains, then proceed to the rest of Egypt, or vice versa. I see no preference to either order.
Between Eilat and Taba you can use Egged bus #15 or taxi.
Between Taba and Sinai, the rest of Egypt, you have several options (Hebrew source):
- "East Delta Travel" Buses to Santa Caterina, Sharm El Sheich or Cairo - only a few daily buses.
- Taxi - you share it with other passengers, it leaves when full.
Passport stamps are an issue if you intend to travel countries hostile to Israel, Jan's answer covers this well.
Answer 4
I did Israel, Jordan, Egypt, and UAE in October. I highly recommend Jordan and you can easily fly or take a bus to cross over to Jordan, then fly to Cairo from there. I LOVED Jordan and really think you should consider at least a day or two in Amman, maybe traveling to the Dead Sea. That would also solve your problem :)
Do note, they no longer stamp your passport in Israel but instead give you a slip that you can tuck away; if you stop in Jordan the Egyptian border will assume you were only in Jordan, though they may ask if you've been in Israel.
You can expect a lot of questions at Ben Gurion if you are traveling to other parts of the region on your trip. I was detained for about an hour as they wondered why I was going to the other countries and had a hard time wrapping their heads around the fact that I have family living in both Jordan and Egypt.
I had an amazing trip and wish you the same!
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Pixabay, Pixabay, Spencer Davis, Toa Heftiba Şinca