Introduction
Souq it out with some nomads along the Nile. Sudan remains a politically unstable country. While the north remains calm, Darfur is wracked by crisis while the aftershocks of a decades-long civil war continue to reverberate across the south.
The security situation in Sudan is highly unstable and several areas, particularly in and around Darfur, are no-go zones. Check Safe Travel for current government warnings.
Destination Facts
Capital: Khartoum
President: Lt Gen Umar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir
Government: Power-sharing government of national unity
Time zone: GMT +3
Area: 2376000
Population: 38114160
Religions: Sunni Muslim (70%), traditional (25%), Christian (5%)
Currency: Sudanese Pound ( £ Sd)
Country Dialing Code: 249
Getting there and away
Sudan Airways connects Khartoum with destinations throughout Africa. There are also services from Port Sudan and from Dongola to Egypt and Saudi Arabia. In the south, Juba is becoming slowly connected to flight routes to Kenya. Of the international airlines, EgyptAir serves Cairo, Kenya Airways fly to Nairobi and Ethiopian Airlines fly to Addis Ababa. Lufthansa flies frequently to Europe and the USA via Frankfurt; Gulf Air and Emirates connect with worldwide destinations via the Middle East. The airport departure tax for international flights is the usual hefty 20.00, payable in dollars. Sudan shares borders with many countries, but not all are open. Overland travel to the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo remain unstable and dangerous, but connections to Uganda and Kenya are becoming viable and secure. The frontier with Eritrea is closed to travellers.The roads between Sudan and Egypt are closed, however it's straightforward to go by the weekly ferry that leaves Sudan's inland port of Wadi Halfa and sails along Lake Nasser to the port near the Aswan Dam about 20km south of Aswan in Egypt. Saudia Arabia is also an option by water, with regular ferry services running between Suakin and Jeddah.
Getting around
Sudan Airways flies to all of Sudan's major cities (Ed-Debba, Dongola, El-Fasher, Al-Geneina, Juba, Khartoum, Malakal, Merowe, Nyala, El-Obeid, Port Sudan, Wadi Halfa and Wau) but be prepared for last-minute schedule changes and overbooked flights. There's a domestic airport tax of 4.00. Sudan's major highway is the sealed road linking Khartoum with Port Sudan via Gedaref and Kassala. The routes from Khartoum to Atbara, Dongola and El-Obeid are also mostly sealed. Luxury buses run between Khartoum, Kassala, Port Sudan and El-Obeid, and less comfortable buses run on the other sealed roads. In the rest of the country, 'roads' are mostly desert tracks and the only public transport can involve hardy 'buses' adapted from trucks. For shorter distances, and around towns, the transport of choice is Toyota pick-ups known as boksi (plural bokasi).The state-run rail network, once one of the best in Africa, is sadly run-down as a result of war and lack of investment and maintenance. The only remaining passenger services are from Khartoum to Wadi Halfa and Port Sudan (via Atbara). There's also a branch line in the west from Er-Rahad to Nyala.
Weather
Sudan's climate ranges from your typical blisteringly hot desert weather in the north to humid and tropical in the equatorial south. Any rain in the north (rarely more than 150mm/6in per year) normally falls between July and September. In the south, annual rainfall can exceed 1000mm (39in) and usually occurs between April and November. Even in January daytime temperatures above 30 ° C (86 ° F) are almost a certainty, and at night in the middle of the year the mercury still lingers around 25 ° C (77 ° F). Northern temperatures are particularly high, climbing to more than 40 ° C in Khartoum in summer when there are also frequent dust storms. Humidity is only really noticeable in the south and is rarely uncomfortable.
Souq it out with some nomads along the Nile. Sudan remains a politically unstable country. While the north remains calm, Darfur is wracked by crisis while the aftershocks of a decades-long civil war continue to reverberate across the south.
The security situation in Sudan is highly unstable and several areas, particularly in and around Darfur, are no-go zones. Check Safe Travel for current government warnings.
Capital: Khartoum
President: Lt Gen Umar Hassan Ahmad al-Bashir
Government: Power-sharing government of national unity
Time zone: GMT +3
Area: 2376000
Population: 38114160
Religions: Sunni Muslim (70%), traditional (25%), Christian (5%)
Currency: Sudanese Pound ( £ Sd)
Country Dialing Code: 249
Sudan Airways connects Khartoum with destinations throughout Africa. There are also services from Port Sudan and from Dongola to Egypt and Saudi Arabia. In the south, Juba is becoming slowly connected to flight routes to Kenya. Of the international airlines, EgyptAir serves Cairo, Kenya Airways fly to Nairobi and Ethiopian Airlines fly to Addis Ababa. Lufthansa flies frequently to Europe and the USA via Frankfurt; Gulf Air and Emirates connect with worldwide destinations via the Middle East. The airport departure tax for international flights is the usual hefty 20.00, payable in dollars. Sudan shares borders with many countries, but not all are open. Overland travel to the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo remain unstable and dangerous, but connections to Uganda and Kenya are becoming viable and secure. The frontier with Eritrea is closed to travellers.The roads between Sudan and Egypt are closed, however it's straightforward to go by the weekly ferry that leaves Sudan's inland port of Wadi Halfa and sails along Lake Nasser to the port near the Aswan Dam about 20km south of Aswan in Egypt. Saudia Arabia is also an option by water, with regular ferry services running between Suakin and Jeddah.
Sudan Airways flies to all of Sudan's major cities (Ed-Debba, Dongola, El-Fasher, Al-Geneina, Juba, Khartoum, Malakal, Merowe, Nyala, El-Obeid, Port Sudan, Wadi Halfa and Wau) but be prepared for last-minute schedule changes and overbooked flights. There's a domestic airport tax of 4.00. Sudan's major highway is the sealed road linking Khartoum with Port Sudan via Gedaref and Kassala. The routes from Khartoum to Atbara, Dongola and El-Obeid are also mostly sealed. Luxury buses run between Khartoum, Kassala, Port Sudan and El-Obeid, and less comfortable buses run on the other sealed roads. In the rest of the country, 'roads' are mostly desert tracks and the only public transport can involve hardy 'buses' adapted from trucks. For shorter distances, and around towns, the transport of choice is Toyota pick-ups known as boksi (plural bokasi).The state-run rail network, once one of the best in Africa, is sadly run-down as a result of war and lack of investment and maintenance. The only remaining passenger services are from Khartoum to Wadi Halfa and Port Sudan (via Atbara). There's also a branch line in the west from Er-Rahad to Nyala.
Sudan's climate ranges from your typical blisteringly hot desert weather in the north to humid and tropical in the equatorial south. Any rain in the north (rarely more than 150mm/6in per year) normally falls between July and September. In the south, annual rainfall can exceed 1000mm (39in) and usually occurs between April and November. Even in January daytime temperatures above 30 ° C (86 ° F) are almost a certainty, and at night in the middle of the year the mercury still lingers around 25 ° C (77 ° F). Northern temperatures are particularly high, climbing to more than 40 ° C in Khartoum in summer when there are also frequent dust storms. Humidity is only really noticeable in the south and is rarely uncomfortable.
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