Travel-Stained Life

As we complete border crossings, we want to provide some basic information about our experience at each of the land border crossings we traverse; good, bad and ugly. Hopefully it is useful to other travelers who may stumble across our site or perhaps inspire people who are nervous, scared, worried about crossings (like we were!) in their potential travels.

Note: the information we provide is true for US passports for sure since that is what we are traveling with!

Ecuador to Peru

Border post: Macara, Ecuador

Documents: Passport and free tourist card required for entry to Peru

Mode of transportation: Bus

Date and time: October 31, 2009 at 4:00AM

Tips:

• You cannot stay on the bus through the border.You have to get off and complete formalities on both sides of the bridge and get back on. Do not leave valuables!
• There is no bathroom, except a smelly alley behind the official buildings.
• Wait outside the bus for everyone to finish their formalities. It is hot in the bus and you will be waiting for awhile.

Peru to Bolivia

Border post: Yunguyo, Peru/Copacabana, Bolivia

Documents: Passport, copy of passport, visa form, yellow fever vaccination, passport photos, $135 (all for US citizens only)

Mode of transportation: Bus

Date and time: November 21, 2009 at 10:00AM

Tips:

• You cannot stay on the bus through the border.  You have to get off and complete formalities on both sides of the border and get back on.  Do not leave valuables!
• You will not change buses at the border, but you likely will in Copacabana.
• If going the route through Copacabana, you will be taking a ferry to cross the Tiquina Strait.
• The passage from Peru to Bolivia will not take 5 hrs, it will take more.
• Non-US passports should pay nothing for entry into Bolivia and will likely not be asked for any of the above documents, except passport.
• You should not have to pay more than $135 per person, it says it right on the sticker they put in your passport!

Bolivia to Argentina

Border post: Villazon, Bolivia/La Quiaca, Argentina

Documents: Passport

Mode of transportation: Walking

Date and time: December 5, 2009 at 8:00AM

Tips:

• We found no buses that go from Bolivia (outside of Villazon) across the border.  It is probably much easier to take a bus or train to Villazon, cross on foot and find another bus in Argentina.
• Supposedly going from Bolivia to Argentina can take a long time due to extensive bag checks on the Argentine side.  We did not experience this and would recommend crossing in the morning and without a big bus group to speed things up.
• You can walk from the bus terminal in Villazon to the border, but definitely want to take a cab to the terminal in La Quiaca, it is not close!

Argentina to Paraguay

Border post: Falcon Border Post (just north of Asuncion)

Documents: Passport and pre-obtained visa

Mode of transportation: Bus

Date and time: December 11, 2009 at 7:00AM

Tips:

• You need a visa to get into Paraguay for many countries and you have to get it in a nearby embassy.  We got ours in La Paz, Bolivia and paid US$45 for single entry (US$65 for multiple entry).
• The Argentine exit stamp and the Paraguay entry stamps are provided in the same building, a little bit obscure in our experience.
• Be sure to follow the order of your bus driver/assistant.  The Paraguayan authorities check the documents of the entire bus off of a checklist, so make sure you stay with your mates!
• The Paraguayan authorities will keep your passport and you are told to reboard your bus.  Don’t fret, your bus guy will collect everything and return it to you before the border crossing is finished.

Paraguay to Argentina

Border post: Ciudad del Este, Paraguay/Foz de Iguazu, Brazil/Puerto Iguazu, Argentina

Documents: Passport

Mode of transportation: Walking/bus

Date and time: December 17, 2009 at 6:00PM

Tips:

• There is no direct border with Argentina here, only between Paraguay and Brazil, but you do not need a visa for Brazil if you only want to transit directly to Argentina.  Do not walk all the way to the Brazilian immigration, it will be  waste of time if you want to go to Argentina!
• Complete exit formalities for Paraguay and cross to no man’s land, wait for the yellow bus that clearly says “Paraguay-Argentina” on the front and pay the man 5,000 guarani to go directly to Puerto Iguazu.
• The bus will continue on to Puerto Iguazu and drop you off at the convenient bus terminal.
• We are going to dedicate an entire blog entry to this, so stay tuned…

Egypt to Jordan

Border post: Nuweiba, Egypt/Aqaba, Jordan

Documents: Passport (and multiple entry visa, which is not required)

Mode of transportation: Boat

Date and time: January 25, 2010 from 2:30PM to 2:30AM

Tips:

• There is no land border between Egypt and Jordan.  If you want to transit the two without an Israeli stamp, the ferry we took is the way to go.
• There are two options for the ferry: fast and regular.  The fast is supposed to take 1 hour and the regular 2 hours.  The fast is US$80 and the regular is US$70, including the departure tax.  You must pay in US currency!
• Arrive plenty early as the ticket office in Nuweiba is not right next to the ferry port and you will need 20-30 minutes to make the walk to immigration and then on to the boat.
• There is no guarantee that your ferry of choice will run the day it is supposed to or that it will arrive on time.
• You are allowed to get a free, 14-day visa into Jordan when transiting on the ferries, which can be extended, but you are allowed only a single entry.
• If catching a taxi in Aqaba, be careful not to be stuck in a “Chevy Suburban” taxi that will wait for other passengers for some time!

Jordan to Israel

Border post: King Hussein Bridge (between Amman and Jerusalem)

Documents: Passport

Mode of transportation: Shared taxis, buses and minibuses

Date and time: February 4, 2009 at 11AM

Tips:

• The border is actually between Jordan and the West Bank (Palestinian Territory) so it was rumored to be busy and security checks exhausting.  We found the crossing to be quiet and security checks were limited and quite smooth, at least for US citizens.
• There are no buses direct between Amman and Jerusalem, a bus or shared taxi can be taken from Amman to the border.  Another bus must be boarded to transfer from the Jordanian side to Israeli side of the border.  In Israel, minibuses head to Jerusalem for 36 sheckels and regular buses go to Jericho in the West Bank for 12 sheckels.
• If you want to go to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq or Iran after visiting Israel, ask the Israel AND Jordan border security to stamp a separate piece of paper.  They will do this in most cases without much hoopla.
• DO NOT tell the Israel immigration people that you want to visit the West Bank (or the Gaza Strip).  They will ask and you will be denied entry if you admit to this.

Israel to Jordan

Border post: King Hussein Bridge (between Jerusalem and Amman)

Documents: Passport

Mode of transportation: Minibuses, buses and shared taxis

Date and time: February 9, 2010 at 12PM

Tips:

• There were very limited security checks on the way back to Jordan on the Israeli side.  Jordan really only ran bags through a x-ray machine and very little mind was taken.
• On the Israeli side of the border you are required to pay an exit fee of 167.5 sheckels per person.
• There are no buses direct between Amman and Jerusalem, a minibus has to be taken to the border from near the Damascus Gate in Old City, Jerusalem.  Shared taxis will be waiting at the Jordan side of the border to take you back to Amman.  The trick is that the border checks are split by Arab nationalities and foreigners, so the taxis will try to charge much more than they should.  It should cost no more than 7 JD per person for 4 people.  If they try to charge you more, walk outside to the street and join the Arabs and you can surely get a cheaper ride.
• If you want to go to Lebanon, Syria, Iraq or Iran after visiting Israel, ask the Israel AND Jordan border security to stamp a separate piece of paper.  They will do this in most cases without much hoopla, especially on the way back to Jordan.

Jordan to Syria

Border post: Jabir, Jordan/Nasib, Syria

Documents: Passport, copy of passport and prearranged visa (if you have been at home shortly before your trip)

Mode of transportation: Shared Taxis

Date and time: February 11, 2010 from 1PM to 10PM

Tips:

• It is best to have a prearranged visa from home if you are coming to Syria as the official stance of the Syrian government is that you are not allowed to apply at embassies outside of your home country or at the border.  In practice, both are possible.
• As we had not been in the US within 3 months of our visit, we obtained our visa at the border.  We had to provide our passport, fill out an incoming entry card and provide a copy of our passport.  We then had to wait 9 hours.  We have heard of waits ranging from 2 to 12 hours for US citizens without a prearranged visa.  If you have a prearranged visa, you will continue through immediately.
• The border security will allow you to wait at the duty free shop across the parking lot while you wait for your visa to be processed.  There is a hotel there as well as a reasonably priced restaurant and a business center with really nice couches, and internet access.  It is much better than the high school desk chairs you otherwise wait on and you can go back to the immigration building once an hour or so to check on your status.
• Without a prearranged visa, American citizens pay $16 to enter Syria and it must be paid in US dollars.  This is much cheaper than a visa from home if you are on a serious budget and have time to spare.  Try to have exact change as the banker will give you your change in Syrian pounds and keep a bit for himself.

Syria to Turkey

Border post: Al Salama

Documents: Passport

Mode of transportation: Minibus/Taxi/Hitch

Date and time: February 23, 2010 at 1PM

Tips:

• Our crossing was between Aleppo, Syria and Gaziantep, Turkey, but there is no bus that goes between these two cities.  If you want to go from Aleppo directly to Turkey by bus, you must head to Antakya, Turkey.
• To get to Al Salama border from Aleppo, you must take a minibus to Azaz, the border town in Syria.  This bus does not leave from the main minibus station in Aleppo, but from NW of town.  It is best to go to the main station and ask about Azaz and they should provide you a taxi to take you to the right station.  If you give the minibus driver some extra money, he will take you the extra 5km to the border post.
• It is necessary to pay a S£550 exit fee when you leave Syria.
• On the Turkish side, it is necessary to pay $20 for a Turkish visa that is good for 90 days and multiple entries to the country.
• From the Turkish post, it is possible to hitch or hire a taxi to the town of Kilis a few kilometers from the border.
• From Kilis, there are minibuses that run to Gaziantep that should cost 6 Turkish lira.  Don’t expect to change any money in Kilis as we did not see any agencies.

Greece to Bulgaria

Border post: Promachonas (Greece)/Kulata (Bulgaria)

Documents: Passport

Mode of transportation: Train

Date and time: May 16, 2010 at 7:30PM

Tips:

• For the time being, until Bulgaria fully adopts the Schengen Treaty scheduled for March 2011, full immigration control is completed when crossing into Bulgaria from Greece.
• You will not have to get off the train, as the Bulgarian officials will collect your passport and complete Schengen exit stamps and Bulgarian entrance stamps
• Don’t expect to go very far while you wait for immigration to finish.  Police are stationed outside the train to keep an eye on people while they are “between borders”.

Bulgaria to Romania

Border post: Ruse (Bulgaria)/Giurgiu (Romania)

Documents: Passport

Mode of transportation: Train

Date and time: May 27, 2010 at 4:30PM

Tips:

• For the time being, until Bulgaria and Romania fully adopt the Schengen Treaty scheduled for March 2011, full immigration control is completed when crossing into Romania from Bulgaria.
• Unlike coming into Bulgaria from Greece, the train stops twice for immigration checks, once in Bulgaria and once in Romania.  In neither case do you have to exit the train, but the officials are quite lax and it is no problem to step off for some fresh air.
• As the train nears Bucharest, it reverts to being used as a regular train by commuters, so expect the last 30 minutes or so to be quite crowded.

Romania to Ukraine

Border post: Sighetu Marmatiei (Romania)/Solotvino (Ukraine)

Documents: Passport, Entrance Card (Ukraine)

Mode of transportation: Walking

Date and time: June 7, 2010 at 11AM

Tips:

• It is easy to walk from the border town of Sighetu Marmatiei in Romania to the border.  Once there, go to the right of the cars and wait in line.  As soon as the guards see you are a foreign tourist, they will pull you up to the front of the line and take care of your passport first.
• On the Ukrainian side, the first set of border police give you a form to fill out, which must be taken to passport control.  Fill out the arrival and departure cards as they won’t stamp the passport without both!
• The walk into Solotvino is quite long and we did not see a bus terminal.  Instead, we waited by the side of the main highway (thanks to some generous Romanians and Ukrainians!) to catch a bus to Rakhiv.

Ukraine to Poland

Border post: Rava Ruska (Ukraine)/Hrebenne (Poland)

Documents: Passport, Exit Card (Ukraine)

Mode of transportation: Bus

Date and time: June 12, 2010 at 11AM

Tips:

• This is the border used by buses on the way from Lviv to Lublin and is not the same border post if someone is coming from or going to Krakow.
• It seemed to us that it would not be wise to attempt to cross this border in a private car.  There is a separate line for buses and there were no other buses when we arrived.  The crossing still took us 2 hours and the lines for cars were much longer and did not move much faster.
• The long waits are due to the high incidence of smuggling of cigarettes and liquor across the border into Poland.  It is probably not wise to leave your daypack by itself because locals seem very desperate to store their smuggled goods wherever they can find a good place.
• Using the toilet on the Polish side costs 2 PLN and is much cheaper on the Ukrainian side.