*This is purely a practical post for those looking for answers to how the border crossings are between these countries as of December 2015. Situations change fast and I was not able to find updated information online before I went, but if you’re not looking for these answers then don’t bother reading on*
The information I found online about traveling from Aqaba in Jordan to anywhere in Egypt was confusing, but in short there seemed to be three options available:
Fast ferry from Aqaba (Jordan) to Taba(Egypt):
This was definitely the quickest and easiest option taking only an hour, but the problem was that as of Dec 2015 they were still not issuing Egyptian visas on arrival. A visa had to be gotten in advance from an embassy which would take time and cost more than the 25U$ visa in arrival. Also the Jordanian government had enforced a law saying that you had to buy a return ticket within one week of departing Jordan which cost a hundred us dollars, so this option was quickly ruled out.
Slow ferry from Aqaba (Jordan) to Nuweiba (Egypt):
This was an extremely chaotic and unreliable ferry which should have taken me one hour but ended up taking eight. However it was the cheapest and easiest costing around 60 euros where I could get the Egyptian visa on arrival. Also it saved me a night of accommodation and was great arriving in the morning when I had plenty of time for onwards travel. A taxi from Nuweiba down to Dahab (40mins) set me back 15 euros and the bus ticket from Dahab to Cairo (11hrs) costed 11 euros.
Eilat (Israel) to Taba (Egypt) overland crossing:
I went this route on my way back from Cairo to Israel, and found it to be the most comfortable of all three options. The only reason why I did not use this way to Egypt was that the Taba border did not issue visas or arrival as of December 2005. Due to the security situation in North Sinai the government does no longer allow foreigners to travel with the minibuses that cross this area. Instead I had to take a nine hour bus ride from Cairo down to Sharm El Sheikh which cost 11 euros and then another bus up to the border town of Taba which took three hours and cost 5 euros. Just like when traveling to Cairo, the police checkpoints along the way were many and made thoroughly, where they woke you up to look through all your stuff and your passport. In the middle of the night the desert was freezing cold, but I guess it was all for the good and our own safety.
Entering Israel from Jordan I had numerous rounds of questioning and the SIX HOURS of waiting in the immigration afterwards. The border towns of Aqaba(Jordan), Taba (Egypt) and Eilat (Israel) are just a five minute taxi ride apart, so once across the border station it was quick to get into town.
The last kilometers of driving from the Egypt side has beautiful blue water on one side and tall sandy mountains on the other