Ferry from Aqaba to Nuweiba (Jordan to Egypt): Everything You Need To Know

Taking a ferry from Aqaba to Nuweiba is definitely the best option to travel between Jordan and Egypt so that you can avoid the long overland process through Israel. Current information online is out of date and we didn’t find much of it helpful. We were quite sceptical and didn’t know what to expect but were pleasantly surprised by the entire journey. Here’s everything you need to know about taking a ferry from Jordan to Egypt.

Where to buy ferry tickets in Jordan

Ferry tickets can only be purchased in person in Amman or in Aqaba at the port. If you are in Amman, the AB Maritime office is near 7th Circle around the corner from the Jett Bus Station. The updated timetable and latest prices can be found on the AB Maritime website.

Where does the ferry leave from?

The ferry from leaves from Aqaba and arrives in Nuweiba. To get to the port, we took a Jett bus from Amman to Aqaba and then a taxi from the bus stop to the port. There is also another ferry from Aqaba to Taba but tickets for this ferry are return tickets ONLY so if you’re travelling one way, your only (and cheapest) option is to go to Nuweiba.

Getting from Amman to Aqaba ferry port

To get to Aqaba from Amman, we took a Jett bus which leaves from several locations throughout Amman every few hours.

• Bus times from Abdali (Central): Midnight, 7 am, 9 pm, 11 pm, 2 pm, 4 pm and 6 pm
• Bus times from 7th Circle (West Amman): 8 am, 12:30 pm, 3 pm, 5:30 pm and 7 pm
• Bus times from Tabarbour (North Amman): 7:30 am, 10 am, 12 pm, 2:30 pm, 5 pm and 6 pm
• Bus times from Al-wehdat (South East Amman): 12:30 am, 8:30 am, 10 am, 12 pm, 3:30 pm, 5 pm and 7 pm

The bus will take around 5.5 hours.  Tickets should be purchased at least a day in advance to make sure you get a seat. Fridays are particularly busy so if you’re planning on travelling on Friday or during Eid, you should buy tickets a few days in advance. Bus tickets can be bought online on the Jett bus website. Tickets are 8.60 JOD from all locations unless you take the VIP bus from 7th Circle which costs 18.70 JOD and leaves at 8:30 am and 4:30 pm only. In our opinion, there is no need to take the VIP bus. You will need to arrive at the bus station at least 15 minutes before departure time. The bus arrives in Aqaba bus station which is 10 km away from the ferry terminal. To get here, we took a taxi for 7 JOD between 3 people. To make the ferry, we recommend that you leave Amman no later than 3 pm. We took the 5 pm bus and arrived at the port at 11 pm. We only made the ferry because it was running late! 

At the ferry terminal

Upon arrival at the terminal, you will go through security where your bags will be scanned. After this, you will need to pay a departure tax of 10 JOD and keep the receipt for getting stamped out of Jordan. If you have overstayed your visa, you will need to pay (in cash) 1.50 JOD per day of overstay. After getting stamped out, you will then wait until boarding.

Onboard the ferry from Aqaba to Nuweiba

Once you have boarded the ferry, you will need to bring your passport to the counter in the middle of the ferry where it will stay for the duration of the journey. Your passport is safe here, don’t stress. Onboard, there is a little shop selling meals and drinks. Smoking is only permitted on the deck upstairs. The ferry is air-conditioned and has comfortable leather seats.

Arriving in Nuweiba

Our ferry departed Aqaba at 12:30 am and arrived in Egypt at 2 am (note that Egypt is 1 hour behind Jordan) so the ferry took a total of 2.5 hours. Once the ferry has arrived, an escort will take your passports and escort you into the arrival terminal at Nuweiba. Here, you will go through immigration. If you are planning on staying in the Sinai Peninsula only, let the escort know that you only need the Sinai stamp (free). If you are planning on travelling any further that Sharm El Sheikh (eg to Hurghada, Cairo, Luxor etc) or need to stay in Sinai for longer than 15 days, ask for the Egypt visa. You will need to pay $25 USD (cash) for the Egypt visa.

To make sure you have all the information you need, please read our post on getting an Egypt visa

By the time we were done at immigration, it was around 2:30 am. Rather than take a taxi onwards, we decided to sleep in the terminal until the first bus at 6 am. We told our escort this and he came to wake us up at around 5:30 am and walked with us to the bus station. Talk about service!

Cost breakdown from Amman to Nuweiba

On the Jordanian side

• Bus from Amman to Aqaba: 8.60 JOD
• Taxi from bus station to ferry terminal: 2.50 JOD
• Departure tax: 10 JOD
• Ferry to Nuweiba: 53 JOD

Total cost: 74.10 JOD / $105 USD per person The bus departing Nuweiba travels to Dahab and Sharm El Sheikh. We took the bus to Dahab for 60 EGP each. Make sure you bring sufficient cash to depart Jordan and USDs to exchange in Egypt to pay for the visa and any onward travel.

If you’re heading to Egypt, please do yourself a favour and go to Dahab! It’s one of our most favourite places in the world and we promise you’re going to have a hard time leaving. 

Is there a cheaper option to get from Jordan to Egypt?

Yes – by crossing the border via Eilat in Israel. Coming into Jordan, we travelled from Dahab in Egypt to the Taba / Eilat border, did the border crossing and then did the border crossing into Jordan. It was a LONG day of travelling and we didn’t want to have to do it again so opted for the ferry. To get to or from the Aqaba border, you also need to take a taxi as it’s run by a taxi mafia that has fixed the price. You will then need to cross into Israel, take a bus to the Eilat Taba border and cross into Egypt. The total cost of this journey is approximately 92 USD per person.

Is the ferry or crossing overland better?

For us, the ferry was a much smoother experience and far better than having to cross through Israel. The Israel border crossing is seriously not a fun one and though it’s likely you won’t have any issues, we encountered some serious scrutiny (interrogation and questioning regarding one of our blog posts). We crossed from Egypt to Jordan through Israel and this took a total of We highly recommend taking the ferry from Jordan to Egypt and then spending time in Nuweiba or staying at the port before you take an onwards bus.