Egypt Jordan and Israel

I am going to Tel Aviv October 2024 to cruise from Haifa to Istanbul which will include ports in Egypt.

I am already doing research and have posted on the Beyond Europe page with limited results but got some good and helpful ones.

One poster told me that i might have better luck with Trip Adviser Forums (Israel) but there is also a Jordan and Egypt section under Middle East.

Go to Trip Adviser Forums. Go to Middle East and a a lot of countries have their own pages.

I got very good responses for Israel. I will be on a cruise when I port in Egypt and am not going to Jordan so I do not need either category.

I hope that you will get responses from R S but you might also try Trip Adviser Forums.

I believe that R S also has videos and other information on these countries on his Travel Forum and Travel Tips.

Here is my Jordan report - 8 days that I planned myself. Maybe it will help.
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/trip-reports/8-nights-in-jordan-2022

Hey, TTM, I was just getting ready to PM you to get the link (cuz I'm too lazy to search). :) Thanks!

Jan, speaking of searches, there have been a number of posts here (and trip reports) about the countries you are looking for, so I would definitely pay to search the Beyond Europe forum and also the Trip Reports Forum. Many of the posts deal with tours to those destinations, and some are combos, but all contain good information.

Mardee, LOL! Good timing!

Jan,

t have discovered there are many posts about Egypt on the forum under Beyond Europe. I did not find any on Jordan and most of the questions about Israel come from me and one from Barry. The posts might help you.

I see that a member posted her journey about visiting Jordan on your page.

Update: I did not do a search. Just went to Beyond Europe and went down the list of posts. Mardee did a search and found some to many posts about Jordan which she brought to my attention.

I still recommend using Beyond Europe as well as Trip Adviser Forums on the Middle East.

I have found quite a number of posts about Jordan, and of course TexasTravelmom's Trip Report has a wealth of info there.

For example, when I keyed in "Jordan" in the search bar, these numerous posts came up (at that's only in the last 2 years - you can adjust the filter for longer to get more posts). https://search.ricksteves.com/?button=&date_range=2y&filter=Travel+Forum&query=Jordan&utf8=%E2%9C%93

I can assure you there are dozens of them.

@TexasTravelmom, yes, it was!!! Loved your report - such an incredible visit! I can't wait to go there!

How o you go about renting a car with driver in Israel and Jordan?

I included who I used in my report. I emailed him with my itinerary (the days I wanted a driver along with from where to where). He emailed me back a quote. I agreed. He was reliable and honest. I paid in cash on my last day. And I learned a lot.

I also asked my first hotel for a quote. It was quite a bit higher.

It’s not hard to get from city to city. You could just hire a taxi each time. But it’s hard for us to picture that - and I felt better having it arranged ahead of time. That being said, I asked about adding some places after I got there and saw how nicely it was working and he was always able to accommodate. I don’t know whether that would always be the case or not.

Maybe I'm misreading your post. It says the trip is about 15 days, with 2 weeks in Israel/Jordan and 1 week in Egypt. If you have 3 weeks, it's a reasonable plan. If you have only 15 days, 3 countries is very rushed.

Getting from Israel to Jordan isn't exactly straightforward. While there are 3 land crossings, only 2 are at all viable on your own. The Allenby/KingHussein Bridge is not widely used by tourists. You'd need a bus or taxi for the 1 hour (or more) ride to the bridge and unknowable time to cross (it can be fast, it can take hours, it is closed from mid-afternoon Friday until Sunday morning), then taxi or bus to wherever you want to go. AFAIK Jordanian tourist visas are not issued there, so you would have to obtain the visa before leaving home. The most reliable and efficient crossing is Eilat/Aqaba. The border is open from 6.30 am (8 on Fri/Sat) to 8 pm. I think you can get tourist visas on the spot. There is bus service to the border on the Israeli side. Note that it's a 4,5-5 hour bus ride from Jerusalem or Tel Aviv to the border crossing.

I did a private tour of Jordan and Israel with Beyond Egypt last spring. Basically, we picked the itinerary and the level of accommodations, and they arranged everything. It was expensive, but it was a great tour. I think they can arrange as much or as little as you want.

I agree with Chani that you are trying to pack a lot into 15 days. I go for either Jordan/Israel OR Egypt, not both.

Also agree about Allenby Bridge crossing. It was crazy, and ate up a good chunk of the day.

I would suggest you consider flying from Israel to Jordan. The land crossing isn't exactly straightforward, although I haven't done it yet. I'm an expat living in Jordan, so happy to give advice about travel there. Agree with previous posters that 15 days isn't enough for all three. You may want to narrow it to 2 countries.

Actually most tour guides suggest going to Egypt and/or Jordan before Israel. That’s how we did our tour. We did the same as bostonphil. We picked a tour from Mazada Tours and tweaked it to our interests - 6 people.

Just wanted to add that we did about 8 days in Jordan this past March, and used the same driver as TTM--highly recommend, Hamza was fantastic and we felt the price was reasonable.

Ah, Rachael, that makes me happy!

Speaking purely from the standpoint of getting from one country to another, Israel can be sensitive about what countries you have stamped in your passport. This is a warning I've heeded from several sources. Starting with Israel, then Jordan, then Egypt (if you do all 3) per your original plan sounds wise. And while it seems counterintuitive given the proximity, I agree with the idea that you consider flying from Tel Aviv to Amman despite the cost -- or look very closely as to how crossing the land border is done. The land-border security situation is complicated.

And please don't consider my post here to be any sort of official word. I loved our time in Jordan. Petra is not to be missed! Especially the night walk to the Treasury.

That's good to know, Andrew, thanks! I may be tacking on a trip to Israel after my Jordan and Egypt tour, and was thinking that going by car would be best since it's so close. I never thought about the political ramifications of crossing borders.

Israeli border officials are sometimes concerned not about politics but rather security. At Ben-Gurion airport people who are arriving from Egypt or Jordan may be asked to step aside for some questioning. Indeed, a couple months after I spent a few days in Jordan on an Israeli-led seminar (wonderful), I flew out of Ben-Gurion to Europe and was asked a few questions at security about why I was in Jordan! I have no idea if tourists entering Israel via a land border from Egypt or Jordan are scrutinized more than locals are. There is a lot of tourist traffic at both the Jordanian and Egyptian border crossings in Eilat.

It's easier to fly into Israel from a western country and then continue on overland. Most (all?) tours that include Israel and Jordan start here and then cross into Jordan.

Note that if you fly from Israel to Jordan you won't really save time. The airport is about 30 minutes from Tel Aviv, 45 or more from Jerusalem. You are advised to be at airport 3 hours ahead of your flight.

I have long been under the impression that some countries will not allow you to enter if you have an Israeli stamp on your passport. And for that reason, Israel will sometimes give you an additional piece of paper with a stamp and not stamp your passport.

Am I wrong?

Israel no longer stamps passports. they use a biometric system and then issue you a ticket of sorts as proof of entry/exit. Obviously you toss that so it's not a problem in less friendly countries.
Security in Israel is intense (rightly so) so they will ask you questions about certain countries if they see you've visited there. Just questions, not a big deal.
I personally would rather visit Jordan first, then travel to Israel. Although....flying into Amman maybe be more expensive than Tel Aviv. We lived in Israel and visited Jordan through the Eliat crossing to see Petra. I think 15 days in a good amount of time to see Israel and Jordan. Save Egypt for another trip, or add on a 3rd week.

@bostonphil7 You are correct in your understanding. Some countries in the past, and still today, have policies that restrict entry to travelers who have Israeli stamps or visas on their passports. This is primarily due to political and diplomatic reasons related to the Israeli-Arab conflict.

Great to know about the use of a biometric system @AmandaR. Thanks for the info!

Your suggestion of potentially saving Egypt for another trip or adding an extra week to accommodate Egypt is a practical one. Each of these countries has a rich history and numerous attractions to explore, so allocating sufficient time for each destination will allow for a more in-depth and enjoyable experience.

It will be colder in Israel and Jordan than Israel. Take warm clothes with layers.
In Egypt during most of the day it will be warm, even hot, but at night and the morning and early evening, chilly.

Only a week in Egypt, you need more time than that.