Travelling from Egypt to Jordan and Israel
 

We are currently in Cairo for the summer and we have friends who are here from the USA and they would like to tour Jordan(specifically Petra) and go to Israel(Haifa and Jerusalem).

I have looked for flts via Amman and such but it is very expensive.
Does anyone know if you can get from Amman to Israel via land, ie they would fly to Amman and tour there go overland to Haifa and then fly back to Cairo from Tel Aviv.

Also, years ago when I was working at the airlines a person couldn't enter Israel if they had a visitors visa stamp from Egypt in their passport. Does this still apply (can't find any info on this either).

Any info you can give will be greatly appreciated.

As reply to your other posting, you'll have to also check Egypt Air for flights to TLV (besides only ElAl), which as I recall fly on alternate days and may still do so. But these will not be inexpensive regardless the carrier.

There are routes by land between Jordan and Israel, but you'll have to check which Jordanian tour operators handle this.

Regarding the Visa stamps, it was that if having been to Israel with their entry stamp in passport you couldn't enter an Arab country. That was then, but since the peace agreements between Egypt/Israel/Jordan, this is no longer the situation. No problem transiting between the three, but would be to some other Arab countries, i.e, Syria (others).

sandi is correct that stamps from Jordan, Egypt and Israel is not a problem when travelling within those countries. With stamps from other Arab countries does mean you can enter Israel, althought the Israeli immigration officers may ask why you went to [name of country]. If you have an Israel stamp there are alot of Arab countries that will not let you enter. Even if your passport shows evidence of a trip to Israel (like an Egyptian stamp from the border crossing with Egypt and Israel) you will not be allowed to enter some Arab countries. Depending on where else you'd like to travel to, make sure you visit any Arab countries that disallow entry to those with an Israel stamp, before you travel to Israel.

Flights in this part of the world are expensive simply because airlines that operate these routes have a monopoly. Your open jaw flights will be expensive especially if you use Royal Jordanian and El Al, since you would need to purchase two one ways. It's best to check with Egypt Air for flights Cairo to Amman and Tel Aviv to Cairo. If Egypt Air does have flights, at least there is a change you can get a discounted fare since you would be flying the same airline for both sectors.

A Jordan tour operator often recommended on this forum is Desert Horizons, not sure if they can arrange tours in Israel too.

Thanks for all your information..very informative.

Our friends really wanted to go to the Bahia gardens in Haifa however the "tomb" they wanted to really view is closed from july 29th so they may be out of luck.

I can't give you specific information but there are public bus routes in Jordan (taxis as well) that connect between Amman and the Allenby crossing to Israel. Once in Israel there are taxis and there are Arab buses to Jerusalem. From Jerusalem it is a simple matter to get to Haifa, or anywhere else in Israel.

Concerning a visit to Jordan and, specifically, Petra, it would be best to contact a company in Jordan. They can arrange to pick you up upon arrival in Amman, and make all of the other necessary arrangements, including travel to Petra, any necessary hotel arrangements, and transportation to the Allenby Bridge for entry into Israel. You can get a taxi after crossing into Israel to get you to Jerusalem.
Unfortunately, as stated above, it is expensive to fly from Tel Aviv to Cairo, whether you fly El Al or EgyptAir.
IMHO, if your friends, be they Jewish or Christian, have never been to israel, they should not miss this opportunity to do so, if only for a short period. It is an amazing country, full of history, religious and otherwise.