International buses & ferries from Egypt

There are currently NO passenger ferries between Egypt and anywhere in Europe, as the
services from Greece via Israel were all suspended in 2001.

  • There is a daily direct bus from Cairo to Amman, run by JETT of Jordan and taking 19
    hours, exact times northbound not known - note that this crosses Israel, and you may be
    refused entry to Syria later on if you have any sign of a visit to Israel in your passport.  
    Alternatively, if you want to avoid Israel:

  • Take a bus from Cairo to Nuweiba on the Red Sea.  A bus leaves Cairo main bus station at
    around 07:00, taking about 6 hours to reach Nuweiba.

  • Take the daily fast catamaran (departing 15:30, crossing 1 hour) or the daily conventional
    ferry (departing 15:00, crossing 3-4 hours) from Nuweiba to Aqaba in southern Jordan.  
    The fare is about $45 for the ferry or $50 for the fast catamaran.  You must check in at
    least 2 hours before departure, and pay your fare in US$ cash.  There may also be an
    Egyptian exit tax to pay, about $10.

  • You will probably need to spend the night in Aqaba.  There are regular buses and service
    taxis from Aqaba to Petra and Amman, costing around 3 or 4 JD, see the Jordan page.  
    For trains and buses onwards to Damascus, see the Jordan page.  For trains from
    Damascus to Aleppo & Istanbul, see the Syria page.

Cairo - Tripoli (Libya) - Tunis (Tunisia) - Morocco...
  • IF you have a Libyan visa, there are buses from Egypt into Libya.  However, at present the
    Libyan government will not grant visas for independent travel to Libya, only for people on
    tours organised by a recognised Libyan travel agency.  There are buses from Libya into
    Tunisia, but it's not possible to travel on to Morocco overland, as the Algerian/Moroccan
    border is closed and Algeria has security problems which make it a no-go zone for
    westerners.

Cairo - Aswan - Wadi Halfa - Khartoum (Sudan)...
  • A weekly Nile steamer links Aswan with the Sudan, with a twice-monthly train connection for
    Khartoum:

  • For trains from Cairo to Aswan, see above.  

  • A weekly Nile steamer, run by Nile Valley River Transport, sails every Saturday from Aswan
    High Dam (El Sadd el Ali) to Wadi Halfa in Sudan, arriving on Monday.  The 1st class fare
    (with cabin) costs about £E 131, meal included, the 2nd class fares (deck place) is around
    £E 78.  Call (202) 578 9256 for information & reservations.  Northbound, the ferry sails
    from Wadi Halfa on Tuesdays around 17:00, arriving Aswan lunchtime on Wednesday.  
    Northbound ferry fare around 5,000 Sudanese dinars (£12 or $20) 1st class.  Don't forget
    the Sudan exit tax when leaving Sudan.

  • A twice-monthly train connects with the Nile steamer, leaving Wadi Halfa at 02:00 every
    second Thursday (Wednesday night) arriving Atbara at 23:45 on Friday night and
    Khartoum at 17:00 on Saturday.  It has 1st class sleepers, 1st 2nd & 3rd class seats.  You
    can work out the days of running from the timetable of the northbound train, as the
    southbound train departs the same night that the northbound train reaches Wadi Halfa.  
    The northbound train leaves Khartoum New Central station at 08:00 on the 1st and 3rd
    Monday of each month, arriving Wadi Halfa at 22:30 on Wednesday.  The train is slow, old
    and basic, but should get you there give or take the odd breakdown...  It's not air-con, so
    bring plenty of water as it can get very hot as the train crosses the desert.  The Wadi Half-
    Khartoum 1st class fare is reportedly around SD 4,500 (£10 or $18).