Travel Advice - Syria / Jordan

[Marmora Man]

I find myself with some time to spare and am considering travelling independently (ie no travel company involved) overland from UK to Cairo - taking in Vienna, Istanbul, Aleppo, Damscus, Amaan, Jerusalem and Cairo - then flying home over three weeks. I have spent some time in the Middle East (Kuwait, UAE, Saudi etc) so comfortable in Muslim countries but have not visited Syria / Jordan. I would be grateful for any advice - particularly on visas and road / rail travel in these two countries.

One particular question - the visa info for Syria states I should have a return ticket - but I intend to trevel through the country to Jordan but don't want to tie myself to a specific timetable or itinerary. Is there a way I can get around the return ticket conundrum?

I do know I have to leave Israel to be the penultimate country - after I've seen Syria & Jordan due to the "Israel Stamp in Passport" issue.

[mockney piers]

Works both ways. My friend spent 5 hours in immigration due to the Lebanese, Jordanian and Egyptian stamps in his passport.

I did say he should have pointed out that he was Jewish, but apparently that never occured to him. Doh!

Good luck, that sounds like an absolutely fantastic trip.

[Asset]

I went to Jordan over Christmas and New Year 88/89. We travelled independently. Myself and my mother flew to Amman, stayed there a couple of nights, hired a car and then travelled to the north to some Roman ruins - can't remember the name. Driving round Amman was hilariously freaky, mental traffic. Roads north hairy but doable, pretty mountainous. Hitchhiked back to Amman from some bizarre health spa resort on the coast of Dead Sea that we had gone to for Christmas day.

Then we got a shared taxi (more bizarreness) for the 8 hour drive to Aquaba (sp) on the Red Sea coast. Armed checkpoint just along coast at the border of Israel.

Also did a trip to Petra and a camel ride in the Wadi all organised by us while we were there.

It is pretty interesting, there is lots to see and evidently fairly easy to navigate without the help of a tour company as we managed it 20 years ago (gawd that makes me feel old).

No idea about Syria.

[Cassius]

Not been independently to Syria (just mind the bed bugs in Damascus) - however do know that you can have a seperate piece of paper stamped for your Isreali entry and you just slip that into your passport - however that was in the days before 9/11 so things might be less flexible now.

[mockney piers]

This, via emial, from an ex-prominent forumite who's forgotten his password.

"Jordan and Egypt should be fine with Israeli stamps, but might be a bit off with you. When I went to Israel I asked what to do as there was a chance I might have gone to Saudi Arabia, they just gave me two passports, which was nice (never really worked out how it was meant to work as I didn?t use the second, but they only ran out recently).

He should go to Petra (as the sun rises). It?s pretty cool, and even if you don?t like that kind of thing, you can play Indiana Jones (when he was good. And young(er))."

[Michael Palaeologus]

A duplicate passport is a good idea, so that you can kee your visa stamps separated. They also help in gathering the visas as you can hev two passports at two different Embassies at the same time.