Taba

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Taba is a village in the Sinai region of Egypt. At present, it is the only passengers border crossing between Israel and Egypt. There is also a ferry from Aqaba, Jordan to Taba.

Hitchhiking out

Because almost all the residents of Taba are involved in tourism, all transportation passing through Taba is meant to take tourists somewhere for a price. Right after crossing the border everyone will tell you that there is no traffic, no buses and no shared taxis - only overpriced taxis. Just ignore these people and continue walking.

Hitchhiking out for free is difficult, in fact nearly impossible. One can save money, however, by avoiding the Taba entry tax (63 Egyptian pounds as of March 2009, They stop you anyway and chck the foreigners' passport and you have to pay the tax April, 2013). Instead of walking out of the city through its only road, turn down the alley next to the bus station and walk down to the beach (you can pass through the gate there). Proceed along the beach for a kilometer until you are out of view of the entry tax station on the main road. You may then be able to get a lift 9 kilometers up to the police roadblock where the road splits west towards Suez and Cairo or south towards Nuweiba, Dahab, and Sharm el Sheik. From the roadblock you can wait for a shared taxi to arrive, which will likely charge a somewhat lower price than the bus company in Taba. The police will not tolerate your presence there if you are seen turning down taxis, so do not insist on getting a lift for free. Sample fares for buses/minibus are 60 EGP to Cairo, 12 to Dahab (20 by minibus), 25 to Sharem, 30 to Suez.