|
Taba
|
|
|
TABA
is in the throes of development, with cafA©s, travel agencies and shops springing up on the Egyptian side, which is dominated by the deluxe
Hilton Taba Hotel
(tel & fax 069/530-140; A?E300-600 / US$100-200). It took ten years of bitter negotiations before international arbitration finally returned this disputed border enclave to Egypt in 1989. Hitherto, Israel had claimed that Taba lay outside the jurisdiction of the Camp David Accords, and then demanded US$60 million compensation for its investment in tourist facilities.
The
border
is open 24 hours, but as almost all transport and businesses in Israel shut down over
shabbat,
you'd be foolish to cross after mid-morning on Friday or any time on Saturday. The whole process can take up to two hours, and travellers must walk across a no-man's land between the Egyptian and Israeli checkpoints. There's an
exit tax
of A?E2 payable on leaving Egypt. The Israelis issue free three-month
visas
to EU, US, Australian and New Zealand citizens. From the checkpoint you can catch a shared taxi or a #15 bus into Eilat.
Coming from Israel
there is a NIS67 exit tax and a A?E17 entry tax into Egypt.
Buses
from Taba run daily to
Nuweiba
(6.30am, 9am, 2pm & 3pm; A?E10),
Dahab
and
Sharm el-Sheikh
(3pm; A?E10-15),
Cairo
(8am, 10am & 2pm; A?E65-70) and
Suez
(7am; A?E30). You can also get an A/C minibus operated by Europcar from the
Hilton
to Nuweiba (A?E35) and Dahab (A?E70) at 6.30am, 9.30am, 11.30am, 1pm & 5pm, while
service taxis
charge whatever they can get away with. Try and aim for per person rates of: Tarabeen A?E30, Nuweiba A?E30, Dahab A?E50, Sharm A?E75. Other useful information
for tourists (each section contains more specific sub-sections): |
|
Egypt,
|