Starting and Finishing your Trip
 We recommend arriving a couple of days before the start of your Middle East adventure tour, or staying a couple of days after your trip is finished in order to explore these exciting cities at a relaxed pace. We can advise you on places to stay and can also book accommodation for you.

On all our Middle East overland tours that depart from Cairo, we organise free airport transfers and reservations at the hotel from where we depart. In Istanbul we depart from a campsite and can reserve hotel accommodation if you wish. Your tour leader will reserve accommodation for you at the end of the tour, if required. Accommodation that we reserves for you is a free service to our clients. You pay the hotels direct, on arrival. We have obtained group rates, and prices are from as little as £5 per night in Cairo.

Passports and Visas
Most nationalities require visas for most Middle Eastern countries visited on our Middle East overland tours. However we can currently obtain these en-route so you are not required to obtain any visas before you travel. Please ensure that you bring US Dollars to pay for your visas. You will need at least one blank page in your passport for each country you enter, which must be valid for at least 9 months. Passports or vaccination cards with an Israeli stamp, or any indication of travel to Israel, must be replaced if you are on a  Middle East adventure tour. If you have dual nationality you can only use one passport.

Turkey - Visas are issued upon arrival in Turkey. For British they cost US$20 and for Australians US$30. NZ and South Africans are free at present.
 

Syria & Jordan - All nationalities need a visa. We pre-book these and collect them on the border as a group visa so you do not require a visa before you join the tour. Syria costs US$15 and Jordan US$18 both to be paid in US$ cash only at the border. This price includes entry and departure taxes and reduces our time at the borders considerably.
 

Egypt - The visa costs US$15 for most nationalities (excl. Sth Africa) and is obtainable on entry into Egypt. South African passport holders must obtain visas before travelling.
 

Lebanon - Visas are included in the price of the excursion and are obtained at the border

Personal Spending Money and Local Payment
At the beginning of all our Middle East overland tours, our crew will collect the Local Payment in Cash, Sterling or US Dollars. For personal spending we suggest an average of £80 to £120 per week. Personal spending habits vary hugely depending on individuals. We cannot specify every cost, however you need to allow for visas, drinks, occasional meals out, curios and local crafts, telephone calls and emails etc. Budget on optional side trips separately. Credit cards are virtually useless outside main cities so you need to bring at least a third of your spending money in Cash US Dollars and the rest in Dollar Travellers Cheques. Please note that most historical sites give 50% reductions with a valid International Student Card or Youth Card.

Climate
Our Middle East overland tours cover fairly large distances and so we find that the topography affects the climate as much as seasons. As a general guide, Turkey is best visited from around April to October. From November to March most of Turkey experiences cold winters. Cappadocia has cold nights year round so you will need warm clothes and sleeping bag. Syria and Jordan have hot days year round but nights are cold in the desert and more so from November to March. Egypt is hot all year round and has very high temperatures in the south at Aswan and Luxor in the summer months of June to August. Of the countries we visit, only Turkey has a high rainfall.

 

Travelling Style & Group sizes in the Middle East
We camp in either designated campsites, or bush-camps using two person tents. We usually cook over open fires or gas stoves in a rota system. Driving days normally start around 8am and finish around 5pm with stops for lunch and buying food, seeing local sights etc. We won’t be travelling every day, although there are times when we will travel for two days in a row. We will then be stopped for three to four days relaxing somewhere.
We have two expedition vehicles for our Middle East overland tours. Although the average group size is around eighteen, one of our vehicles can carry a maximum of 24 people and the other 28.

Vaccinations
There are no compulsory jabs needed although it is advisable to be immunised against Tetanus, Polio, Typhoid and Hepatitis A. Consult your doctor or a medical clinic for up to date malarial and medical advice.

Local Customs
Remember that all the countries we visit on our Middle East overland tours are Muslim countries. People are usually extremely friendly and helpful, but please respect their customs and beliefs. This means that both men and women should dress modestly, especially when in small villages and towns in rural areas and women particularly should wear clothes that cover their legs and arms. However, on the Mediterranean and Red Sea beaches attitudes are more western and relaxed.

Ramadan
This is the Muslim holy month during which Muslims do not eat, drink or smoke during daylight hours. Although non Muslims are not expected to fast it is courteous to respect the restrictions when in public places. During this time (which varies from year to year), many shops will be shut during daylight hours. However, in the evening market stalls and restaurants hum with noise and activity.