Itinerary (for first journey)

Alexandria -> Tanta -> Cairo -> Suez -> St. Catherine* -> Dahab & Nuweiba -> Aqaba** (-> Karak -> As-Salt) -> Amman -> Zarqa -> Fallujah (-> Kerbala) -> Baghdad -> Kut*** -> Isfahan -> Qom -> Mazandaran -> Tehran

What do you think SighSee? Is it possible? I'm Egyptian and the only visa I need is for Iraq. Israel is visa free up to Beersheva too.

*I prefer St. Catherine route over the Sharm El-Sheikh one
**There's a ferry between Nuweiba and Aqaba, however I can go through the border pass to Eilat, Israel and if there are any land passes south of Beersheva I can take that. I would prefer the latter but I'm not sure about how it would go. Does anyone know of any border crossings between Jordan and Israel south of Beersheva? I do NOT want to go through the hassle of obtaining a visa and clearance for Israel.
***There are several routes to take to Iran, most pass through villages but there's one passing through a sizeable city (Kut). I think that onr would be better?

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  1. 10 months ago
    Anonymous
  2. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    I'm thinking of hitch-hiking most of it. I have hitch-hiked in Egypt before and it's fine.

  3. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    Consider a visit to Wadi Rum and Wadi Musa when you're in southern Jordan.
    Can't really comment on the rest of your plans but looks like a super interesting trip if you manage to pull it off.

  4. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    >Potential to get cheap flights from Rome and Milan to Alexandria with Wizzair. believe Wizzair also does Cairo now too (night in Rome could be a kino link to Alex)
    >You might wanna look into 2 nights in Siwa Oasis (annoyingly you can't do Alex - Siwa - Cairo, you'd have to travel back via Alex
    >Alexandria isnt amazing tbh. 2 nights worth.
    >Cairo is a cool city. Make sure you hit up Dahshur pyramids (i paid a tuktuk driver to take me back to Helwan metro station and it was so fricking kino.
    >Could look into night train to Luxor/Aswan, then getting bus to Hurghada and ferry to Sharm. Cycling valley of the kings is kino.
    >Double check your Sinai plan. I believe all buses take the coastal road for security purposes. Foreigners might be barred from travelling through the middle of Sinai
    >Siwa/Luxor >>>>> Tanta/Suez
    >Dahab is really chill. Nice cycle ride to Blue Hole (have to pay to get in national park tho)
    >Nuweiba Aqaba ferry is cool. Kinda pricey tho.
    >I crossedinto Israel at BetShean from Irbid then got bus to Jerusalem. Was no hassle. Jerusalem is an amazing city. Double check you're not traveling on Sabbath of you go.

    Can't help much else. Frick just realized you said you were Egyptian so some stuff may not apply. Have a good journey!

    • 10 months ago
      Anonymous

      Hahaha, I hope you had (some) fun in Egypt—I know it's a bit of a dump in its own way. But, I'm actually from Alexandria that's why I started my itinerary from Alex.
      I have actually been to Luxor/Aswan before on one of those trains with beds to sleep on and I had lots of fun there.
      FYI, that road in the middle of Sinai opened up recently, a few weeks ago. It was closed because of maintenance and terrorists but now it has all cleared up.
      I'm not looking to stay much in Tanta, I have a friend there I can visit. Could see some stuff as well. Haven't explored that city much.
      You're right. Busses do take the coastal road by the way, but I may try hitching a ride on the other road.
      Were there a lot of Egyptians on the Nuweiba-Aqaba ferry when you went? I read up onlinr about how they're iffy about who to take on board and so on.
      Thank you for your post! Much love.

      • 10 months ago
        Anonymous

        Nuweiba - Aqaba was all locals apart from some Scandi couple on bikes. I believe it's used for Hajj as it avoids the big bad Israel crossing. And frick, this was nearly 10 years ago. I'd have 0 idea why they'd be picky though. Having a look at their website it seems some shit could be:
        >Covid shit(?)
        >No onward visas (Aqaba = different visa to Jordan, but that should be an issue. Maybe they expect you to be going on to Saudi and you'd need an itinerary?)
        >Car registration docs
        >"Postponement of conscription book for those subject to conscription law"

        src: https://www.abmaritime.com.jo/en/passenger_ticket_price

        I obv have generic info though which isn't from an Arab background.Can't you just call them?

        I love Egypt, actually used to live and work in Cairo (9 months), just after the revolution. Recently took girlfriend over to visit and show her around and had a great time. Can be annoying as frick, but it's a kino place to travel. Just a shame the military don't let you do off the beaten track shit as a foreigner.

        If you're going to Petra, btw, some local hosts on Airbnb show you "secret routes" from the back and stuff.

        I'd love to hear about the second part of the journey. I'd love to recreate the route of Anabasis and see the Assyrian ruins along the way.

  5. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    Bump. I need information about the Aqaba-Nuweiba ferry if possible.

  6. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    Where is the Syrian war going on right now?
    Can you go from Amman to Damascus then from Damascus to Beruit? My familiarity with the middle east isn't great but I know these both used to be an easy journey of a couple hours by bus but I don't know what it's like with the war now.

    I would myself like to see Lebanon and from there you could travel back through Syria to Iraq by bus but I think that might get more challenging the further east you go though you might have an easier time than a westener I've heard the rest of the muslim world loves egyptians. What about travel through Israel being a problem if they stamp your passport? Does that still apply if you're from an islamic state? I'd take the ferry unless there's actually something you want to see in Israel. You can cross from Eliat to Aquaba but Israel is expensive to travel in, almost as much as the United States. If you want to visit Al Aqsa Mosque I would do it from the Jordanian side. Not sure what the visa procedures are for that but I know there's transportation from Jordan to it.

    • 10 months ago
      Anonymous

      I think the war in Syria is currently a stalemate, its just going on at a really slow rate right now? Not exactly sure.
      Also, you're right. It used to be so easy to go from Amman to Damascus—the distance between these two cities is smaller than between Alexandria and Cairo I think. I have a Jordanian friend here and he often told me about how his Dad would drive to Damascus at the end of every month to do some special shopping over there some 15-20years ago.

      Also, you're right. I didn't think about how expensive it would be in Israel. That's definitely a point to consider. It's just that I've heard stories about how the port authority in Nuweiba turns down Egyptians going to Jordan via the ferry if they don't have work permits. But, I'm not sure. 99% of tourists going to Jordan just take an airplane to Amman so it makes sense for them to be suspicious.
      Don't really care much about Al Aqsa to be honest with you. I'm not religious.

      make sure to have not only the Israeli stamps, but also the stamps given at the connecting border posts in Egypt and Jordan, put somewhere other than in your passport.
      otherwise Iran may use those to bar you from entry, because it's considered evidence that you visited Israel

      nvm, disregard. I see what you meant
      just cross on the Nuweiba ferry, it'll be a lot easier for you

      The Israeli border police stamps it on a separate paper instead of your passport to avoid that btw.

      everything in this itinerary is unironically easy and i have done it all, with the exception of iraq-syria overland. it's theoretically impossible, but in practice anything could happen at the border. i doubt you'll get to the border as a masri particularly though, you'll look suspicious and you'll probably be turned back at whatever checkpoint you're stopped at. also three zograelis just died at the egyptian border, so perhaps that'll change things for you at taba.

      How was your experience? Did you have any trouble at border passes? Where are you from?
      >theoretically impossible
      Why? Also, by the way I'm talking about Jordan to Iraq. Not Syria to Iraq overland; that would be too dangerous.
      >also three zograelis just died at the egyptian border, so perhaps that'll change things for you at taba.
      That's true. Muslims ape out all the time honestly, and now they're calling the guy that killed himself while killing 3 israeli border guards a "hero" here... for killing 3 people who didn't have much to do with anything + possibly straining Egyptian-Israeli ties.
      I absolutely hate this collective sheep sentiment you find here in Egypt.

  7. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    make sure to have not only the Israeli stamps, but also the stamps given at the connecting border posts in Egypt and Jordan, put somewhere other than in your passport.
    otherwise Iran may use those to bar you from entry, because it's considered evidence that you visited Israel

    • 10 months ago
      Anonymous

      nvm, disregard. I see what you meant
      just cross on the Nuweiba ferry, it'll be a lot easier for you

  8. 10 months ago
    Anonymous

    everything in this itinerary is unironically easy and i have done it all, with the exception of iraq-syria overland. it's theoretically impossible, but in practice anything could happen at the border. i doubt you'll get to the border as a masri particularly though, you'll look suspicious and you'll probably be turned back at whatever checkpoint you're stopped at. also three zograelis just died at the egyptian border, so perhaps that'll change things for you at taba.

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