Sudan Travel Forum

Hi me and my girlfriend want to travel through Saden...

what the best way to go and how long will we need??

Is there busses or trains and are they safe??

thank you

First, you need to get a Sudanese visa. You can try in your home country, but it used to be better to get visas in Cairo or Aswan (it was 2004 when I last did it...check on the lonely planet thorn tree to see if that info is still valid).

A ferry leaves Aswan once a week for Wadi Halfa, the first town in Sudan at the south end of Lake Nasser. It is basic, crowded and slow, but fun in a masochistic sort of way. You also get good views of Abu Simbel as you float by. A day or two after leaving Aswan (expect delays), you'll limp into Wadi Halfa, a collection of houses, basic hotels and cafes surrounded by dust. While on board, make sure you fill out a yellow immigration form (look for an office on the upper deck)...you won't be allowed off the boat until you do. As soon as you've got through customs, get yourselves over to the town as soon as you can, as hotel beds are few and passengers are many.

From Wadi Halfa, you have 2 options. The first is the train, which is supposed to meet the boat, but usually doesn't...it heads south across the desert to Berber, Atbara, Shendi and eventually Khartoum 36 hours later. Take my advice and break the journey somewhere like Atbara, then continue by road...the train is usually crowded and you'll probably end up sitting on the floor, as tickets for seats sell out very quickly.

The second option is to take one of the buses/lorries that bump over the desert (there's no road) to Abri, Kerma and Dongola. From there, you can get transport direct to Khartoum if you are in a hurry, but there are lots of nice places to visit along the nile (Dongola, old Dongola, Marawi/Karima and the archaologicl sites, Atbara, Shendi and the Meroe Pyramids).

Khartoum is chaos in slow motion. It's not a pretty city, but there's enough to occupy a few days, especially over the Nile in Omdurman. You'll have to spend a few days in khartoum anyway, sorting out paperwork (you are supposed to register with the Aliens' Office in Khartoum within 48 hours of arriving in Sudan, but obviously that's not very practical if coming from Wadi Halfa, so they should be fairly lenient...but to avoid problems, talk to immigration at Wadi Halfa).

I doubt you'll get permission to travel overland to Kenya, as it would mean passing through areas like Malakal, which have been having a few problems recently. The south isn't set up for tourists of any kind, and you need permits to visit most places. Basically you need a good reason to go to the south. The only way really is to get on a flight down to Juba, then hope for onward transport to Kenya, but I can't help you getting on one of these flights....they're usually for locals and aid workers only.

Which means...you'll have to go through Ethiopia instead. From Khartoum, take a bus down to Gedarif, the last major town before the border. The road as far as Gedarif is good, and buses make the journey in about 4 or 5 hours. From Gedarif, take some form of transport (minibus or lorry) down to Gallabat and the border...and within a day or two, you'll be in Gondar, Ethiopia. There's an Ethiopian Embassy in Khartoum which was issuing visas last time I checked (2004), but again check this before arriving in Sudan.

That's the quick route...if you have to rush, you can probably do the journey from Aswan to Ethiopia in 10 days. But you'd miss out on a lot of Sudan. Stay longer, and maybe visit Kassala, Suakin and Port Sudan in the east, El Obeid and possibly the Nuba mountains in the west.

Sudan isn't the easiest place to travel around...away from tarmac roads, timetables mean absolutely nothing, so you could wait days for onward transport from some places. Paperwork takes far longer than it needs to. And it is hot...very hot. But the best thing about Sudan is the people...everyone, with the exception of one or two bureaucrats and policemen, is extremely friendly and welcoming. Sudanese hospitality is so great that arriving in a town with no hotel is never a problem.

Don't worry too much about safety. Sudan is often in the news because of Darfur, but bear in mind that Darfur is at least a week's travel from Khartoum...Sudan is huge! Khartoum is a very safe city, I've read that it is the safest in Africa...just watch out for pickpockets in busy markets, the occasional protest in the streets (very rare, but depends on international news...) and gun-toting policemen around the presidential palace. Parts of Sudan are dangerous, but you won't be given permission to visit those places...the route Wadi Halfa - Khartoum - Gedarif is troublefree and fast becoming popular with backpackers overlanding. Places off this route (Kassala, El Obeid, etc.) may need extra permits...ask around in Khartoum for the latest information.

Hope this helps, and let me know how you get on...

;@P
Maykal

hi there,
if you have not left as yet, take mykal's advice but i gotta clarify the that the leg from khartoum to juba is longer as daunting as it used to be. basically you can book a flight any morning in khartoum and be in juba before dusk as there there multiple flights between juba and khartoum. regional airlines like marsland aviation and sudan airways both have daily flights to juba and i understand three more airlines operate the same route all passenger traffic.
alternatively, and ofcourse depending on how long you have got for your trip, you can get a bus and or train to kosti and and catch the ferry to juba. gotta warn you though it takes at least three weeks, and there is a lot of mossies as you can imagine thats where they would bread which gives you every reason to take ati malarial drugs which your doctor willadvised you of anyway. dispite all these there are lots of scenic views on the wway down the nile which should make all the inconvenience least noticiable.
and from juba to kenya you will need to either get a flight kenya which you will notice is overpriced or catch a bus or minibus to kampala which i can tell you will be memorable then through to kenya.
i hope this helps.

>>regional airlines like marsland aviation and sudan airways both have daily flights to juba and i understand three more airlines operate the same route all passenger traffic>>

Can anyone take these flights? Do you need permits? It used to be just Sudanese citizens and NGOs who could go down to Juba...is it still the same? I'd be interested in going one day maybe...

es mykal, anyone can take those flights, you don't need a special permit to go to juba these days. infact as long as you got the ticket in your hand, no one will even ask what your bizness in juba is! indeed its almost as if they are back to good olde days. rego at the alien office is still the most important first to do once in the country of course.