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Sudan Travel and Tourism on Travel Notes
Find Sudan Travel and Tourist Information with links
to official travel and tourism websites and state resources for visitors
to Sudan.
About Sudan
The River Nile is the major feature of Sudan. Its headwaters, the White
Nile and Blue Nile, flow
through the country and meet at Khartoum; the capital of Sudan.
Countries neighbouring Sudan are: Chad, Libya, Egypt, Eritrea,
Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda,
Democratic Republic of the Congo and Central
African Republic.
In January, 2011 people in the south voted for independence from
Sudan.
With Juba as its capital city South Sudan formerly
declared its independence on 9th July, 2011; although the region of Abyei still remained
disputed.
A separate referendum may be held in the region to decide whether the
people of Abyei will join the North or South.
Sudan by Rail
While there is a good rail network in Sudan, the rolling stock is
fairly old.
Most of the major cities and towns in Sudan are linked by rail.
Trains Run From
Wadi Halfa (on the Nile, near the Egyptian border) to Khartoum.
This line branches at Atbara, for trains to Port Sudan (on the Red
Sea).
From Khartoum, the train runs south to Sennar, where the line
branches (east) to Kassala and Port Sudan, and (west) to Kosti, Nyala and Wau.
To get to Wau, leave the Nyala-Kosti line at Babanusah. This section
was often sabotaged by the SPLM (Sudanese People's Liberation Movement).
Sudan Schedules
Wadi Halfa to Khartoum:
Trains are meant to connect with the steamers at Wadi Halfa, although
you might find yourself waiting a day or two.
Trains are supposed to depart Wadi Halfa in the late afternoon, on
Thursday and Sunday.
North from Khartoum, trains are supposed to leave early mornings on
Sunday and Wednesday, the last we heard.
Trains are crowded (there are even people on the roof) and take around
50 hours; if they don't break down.
More interesting than travelling to Khartoum by train, is to follow
the course of the Nile.
Trucks leave Wadi Halfa for Kerma (15-30 hrs), then it's another lorry
(or shared taxi) to Dongola (2.5 hours).
Cross over the Nile and continue on to Karima (7-10 hours), or take
the steamer (if the river is high, from August to December) - two sailings a week, if all
goes well, and the journey takes 3 days.
From Karima, you can get on the train for the 36-hour ride to the
capital (Wednesday and Sunday). There are also buses: via Shendi, Atbara and Abu Hamed -
twice a week, which take about 24 hours.
Khartoum to Kosti:
Train schedules are erratic in Sudan but rumour has it that a train
leaves Khartoum, for Nyala (via Sennar and Babanusa), on Mondays.
Again, you might want to do the trip in stages - by road. Trucks leave
from the souk in Omdurman.
Khartoum to Kosti takes about 4.5 hours and another 4-5 days to Nyala.
From Kosti, there are buses to El Obeid and (by bus or truck) onto
Kadugli (5 hrs); an interesting, little town in the Nubian Mountains.
Buses and lorries run from Kadugli to Babanusa (via El Fula).
Khartoum to Port Sudan:
The rail route to Port Sudan, via Sennar and Kassala, is miserably
slow.
Trucks and buses leave from the Shabi souk (in south Khartoum) early
in the morning to Wad Medani, Gedaref, Kassala and Port Sudan.
The journey to Kassala - where the Port Sudan buses stop for the night
- takes around seven to nine hours.
Sudan by Boat
Sudan has over 4,000km of navigable waterways; nearly half of them are
useable all year.
Sudan by Road
Most of the roads are little more than dirt tracks, made impassable
after heavy rains.
A paved road exists between the capital, Khartoum, and Port Sudan; on
the Red Sea.
Sudan by Air
Airlines:
Sudan Airways has services throughout the country and operates scheduled international
flights. Several foreign airlines also fly into Sudan.
Weather in Africa:
Local weather forecasts for destinations around Africa.
The official language of Sudan is Arabic, although English is
widely spoken.
Before the displacement caused by the civil war, the northern
two-thirds of Sudan was an area of Islamic culture, while traditional cattle-raising
customs remained strong in the south.
Adventures of Sudan
Wild animals. Green river valleys. Endless desert. Red Sea diving. Mountain trekking.
Genuine camel caravans. Beautiful people. Nomads. Colorful markets without tourists. 150
ethnic groups. It's all the Sudan.
Sudan Tours
Raidan Travel & Tours:
Established in 2004 to purposely promote tourism to Sudan.
Khartoum, founded in the early 1820s as an Egyptian military post,
is Arabic for elephant's trunk; a referral to the Nile proper that starts just north of
the capital.
Bridges cross the Blue Nile to Khartoum North and the White Nile to
Omdurman.
During a revolt against Anglo-Egyptian rule, 1884-1885, the city was
besieged for ten months and the entire Anglo-Egyptian garrison was massacred.
Khartoum was recaptured by the British in 1898 and it became the
capital of the Anglo-Egyptian Sudan from 1899 to 1956.
Ancient Nubia
The ancient civilisation of northern Sudan existed along with the
Egyptian kingdom; between Aswan and Khartoum.
Nubian civilisation had it's own distinct culture.
Sudan Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
Established in January 1956, when Sudan attained independence, the Ministry Of Foreign
Affairs is entrusted with the conduct of the country's foreign policy and the management
of its relations with other countries.
Sudan Net:
A comprehensive Sudan website with information on The Republic of The Sudan, its people,
culture, geography, politics, current news, music clips and many other links to resources
on the Internet relating to Sudan.
Sudan Forum:
Discussion forum dedicated to Sudan.
Darfur, on Sudan’s western border with Chad, is one of the
world’s poorest and most inaccessible regions.
Map of Sudan:
Showing the traditional areas of Sudanese ethnic groups.
BBC Report on
Darfur:
The pro-government Janjaweed Arab militia has been accused of using systematic rape, as
well as killing and destroying the villages of black Africans, in the conflict in Sudan's
western Darfur region.
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