Istanbul to Cairo (and back!) in 7 weeks

Possible? Im thinking of going down to Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, and then a ferry to Egypt (since i cannot enter Israel) and then from Port Said in Egypt a ferry to Cyprus and then on to Turkey, all that in just a bit less then 2 months.

And i know this question has been asked to the rot, but roughly how much should i budget for? I have been getting lots of different figures from 60USD a day to 30... so i would really appreciate if any Middle East experts could clear my doubts here. Ill be staying in dorms, eating roadside meals and the like... roughly i think Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Cyprus would be more expensive?

Any advise is really appreciated, Middle East novice here (its my first post here! )

Many Thanks!

[ Edit: Edited on 04-Feb-2009, at 08:56 by itenerant ]

Well, Syria is indeed the cheapest country you will visit, but still the other countries are not expensive. I guess 60 USD will certainly do it for sure, 30 (including transport) probably is a little tight. Budget 45 and that will certainly do as well.

I guess you know about the places to visit, but if not, just ask. Palmyra, Damascus and Aleppo, as well as the area south of Deir Ez Zor (duro europos ruins etc.) are nice places.
Not sure about Lebanon right now but the area around Bcharré and Zahlé are great and Beirut is nice as well...not sure about safety nowadays, it seems ok.

Just one thing more: I would take it slowly and spend those 7 weeks one way and book a flight back from Cairo. I guess it is just as expensive as a ferry, if not much cheaper! If there is a ferry at all? That question has been asked before but if I remember correctly there is not much choice at all, and if so, it probably leaves from Alexandria.

I agree with Utrecht.. make sure that the ferry is running. From northern Cyprus to Turkey there is definitely a ferry. In fact, I can give you details about that but I am not sure about Egypt to Cyprus.

Also make sure to research well about visas to Cyprus. The regulations change very often. I am not sure but I think there is a rule that you can't enter Turkish side from the Greek side or the other way around.

Thanks for the replies guys. I think i will try the flight back from Cairo, then i will have some time to go check out Luxor and Abu Simbel. I think i should have no problems booking a flight from Egypt back, no? Should be plenty of flights to Istanbul....

Any recommendations on places to visit would be great, of course . Right now on my must see list is Troy, Cappadocia, Aleppo, Petra, Wadi Rum, and the pyramids. Any personal favourites to add to the list?

Thanks again!

Quoting itenerant

Thanks for the replies guys. I think i will try the flight back from Cairo, then i will have some time to go check out Luxor and Abu Simbel. I think i should have no problems booking a flight from Egypt back, no? Should be plenty of flights to Istanbul....

Any recommendations on places to visit would be great, of course . Right now on my must see list is Troy, Cappadocia, Aleppo, Petra, Wadi Rum, and the pyramids. Any personal favourites to add to the list?

Thanks again!

Check the wiki Cairo Airport website for your options about flights.

Like mentioned earlier, I wouldn't miss Palmyra, neither the old city of Damascus!
Also, the Sinai desert is great by the way.

Budget per day and person in EUR, backpacking, cheap hotels and hostels with roadside meals:

Turkey 35-40
Syria 15-20
Jordan 25 (keep an eye on the entry fees for Petra, they can blast your budget through the roof)
Egypt 15-25

Don't know about Libanon, but price levels should be somewhat close to Turkey, maybe a bit less. Turkish Cyprus should be the same as Turkey, Greek Cyprus should be the same as Greece, 50 EUR per day.

BTW, concerning the flight out of Cairo and the flight to Turkey: As a Malaysian you can enter the Schengen Area visa-free, I would thus check for cheap flights from Cairo to Europe and from Europe to Turkey. I've seen flights from Berlin in Germany to Istanbul for 70 EUR and from Cairo to Germany for 20 EUR.

See www.skyscanner.net

Flights Singapore-Frankfurt might also be cheaper than Singapore-Istanbul.

If that does not work for you, Cairo-Istanbul should be somewhere around 200 EUR return.

Personal favourites to add to the list:

Philae Island
http://looklex.com/egypt/philae.htm

If you go on a tour to Abu Simbel from Aswan book the long tour, it will include a visit to Philae Island. The price for the tour should be somewhere around 15 USD.

And although I haven't been, there are some raving reports from Dahab, mainly for hanging out, diving and relaxing.

And if you are really into Muslim culture, arts and architecture you should check out the desert castles in Jordan. Most people only go to see Petra, Wadi Rum and maybe the Dead Sea, so they are a bit of an insider's tip, but worth it if you are into these things.

http://www.saudiaramcoworld.com/issue/196303/jordan.s.desert.castles.htm
http://www.atlastours.net/jordan/desertcastles.html

http://www.kinghussein.gov.jo/tourism.html

One more tip: Check out the visa situation on Egypt, I think you need to get a visa in advance for Egypt if you enter via the Sinai (ferry from Aqaba to Nuweiba).

T_maia,

Thanks so much for the detailed reply, that really cleared alot of my doubts. Thanks!

Another recommendation: I liked Krak Des Chevaliers, in Syria.

Another recommendation is Antioch in Turkey where you will probably have to stay before crossing to Syria.