Sudan
Africa's largest country, Sudan has a connection with Egypt and the Nile that stretches back into antiquity.
The country's recent history has been blighted by civil, political and religious unrest, but this vast land was the powerbase of the powerful Kushite and Meroitic kingdoms for centuries. Its capital, Khartoum, sees the converging waters of the White and Blue Niles meet to form the great river itself and from here it begins its long journey north, through the desert landscapes of ancient Nubia and into the fertile ribbon of the Nile Valley to the Mediterranean. Rich in history and culture, the Sudan can boast nearly 600 ethnic groups, speaking over 400 different languages and dialects and divided between the Muslim north and the Christian south.
This cultural and religious divide has had a profound effect on the history of the Sudan, not helped by an isolationism policy by the British of the 1920s that barred movement between the southern tribes and the northern Arabs.
Now free to roam, the Sudanese people are a key highlight of any visit. Watching the busy market-goers, with their donkeys and camels resting in the shade, is one way to experience the unique colours and characters of this sun-scorched country. As for historic attractions, the pyramids of Jebel Barkal are just one example of Sudan's history, dating back to the 1st Century BC.
The ancient city of Meroe is home to more narrow pyramids, which sit above the royal burial site, and the southern villages of Kordofan with their round, thatched mud huts and semi-clad locals provide a truly rural Sudanese experience.
How to book a trip
What to do in Sudan
Camp in the Sahara desert
The Sahara
Few experiences can match the wonder of camping out under the stars in the middle of the Sahara. More varied than you might imagine the Arabic word "sahara" is actually a plural meaning "deserts" which is a good way to describe of the variety of desert landscapes that make up this region. From giant sand dunes to rocky outcrops and barren plateaus, this is harsh but mesmerising world but one that is sure to leave an indelible impression.
Explore remote Nubian temples
The Nile
Both Ramases and the Nubian rulers built a myriad of temples in Egypt and the Sudan, as tombs, places of worship and, of course, symbols of eternal power. Free from the swarming hordes that have conquered so many of the world's great monuments, visits to these monuments provide a rare chance to make your own discoveries and marvel at ruins, hieroglyphs and the fragments of ancient civilisations in almost complete isolation.
Visit the Meroe Pyramids
Meroe
Once a capital of the biblical Kingdom of Kush, Meroe is home to some of the most remarkable structures in the world - the great Nubian pyramids of Sudan, distinctive for their size, number and unusual proportions. Seeing only a fraction of the visitors that her more famous sisters in Egypt's Giza receive, the Meroe pyramids' soaring steps and engulfing desert sands might well give you a touch of the awe in Shelley's Ozymandius - 'Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair.'
Watch the whirling dervishes
Khartoum
There are many clichés about the once feared Whirling Dervishes, but only seeing them in action do you begin to understand something of the mystic heart of Sudan, and ancient North Africa. A dervish is an initiate of the Sufi path, the most tolerant, poetic and sensual of Islam's many tributaries, practised by the great poet Rumi, and these white skirted spinners, as part of the more formal 'Sema ceremony', enact the dhkir - remembrance of God - to bring themselves and the watcher to a point of almost ecstatic transcendence. It is sometimes possible to observe such ceremonies in Khartoum.
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Where to stay in Sudan
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Suggested Itineraries
How to book a trip
Sudan Travel Guide
Khartoum
The Sudanese capital since independence in 1956, Khartoum is home to the country’s largest museum as well as one of its largest souks, the expansive Souq Arabi in nearby Omdurman. The city began its life as an outpost for the Egyptian army under Ibrahim Pasha in 1821, growing to prominence on the back of the growing slave trade. Then, on 26 January 1885, the city became infamous as the site of the slaughter of the Anglo-Egyptian garrison by troops loyal to the Mahdi Muhammad Ahmad and the murder of General Charles George Gordon. The city’s National Museum contains the Egyptian temples of Buhen and Semna, originally built by Queen.
Meroe
The Nubian pyramids at Meroe once lay at the heart of a Kushitic Kingdom that flourished for over 1000 years. The site is strewn with a fabulous collection of pyramids that number in their hundreds, and whilst many now lie in ruins, the significance and sheer majesty of the site remains. Discovered by a French mineralogist in 1821, the pyramids sit above a collection of sepulchral chambers that once held the bodies of Meroitic royalty and it has been ascertained that at its peak the city was trading in iron ore, textiles and gold with countries as far afield as China and India. The site today contains the largest collection of pyramids in the Sudan, some of which have been restored to something approaching their former glory, including the beautiful ‘Lion Temple’ at Musawwarat es Sufra and some of the temple complexes at nearby Naqa.
The Nile
The longest river in the world, the Nile has always been central to life in Egypt and the deserts of the Sudan. Its two major tributaries begin in the great lakes of Central Africa and the highlands of Ethiopia and both come together in the Sudanese capital, to form the mighty river whose timeless course still passes through landscapes that have changed little since Pharaonic times. Even today its life giving waters are still essential to the communities that live beside it and as it passes through northern Sudan and beyond the cataracts into the Nile Valley, its fast running waters still nourish fields of corn, sweet potato, watermelon and dates. The Nile of today flows through an incredible landscape that spans countless millennia of human development, from the haunting remains of lost civilisations and remote rural villages, to the remarkable engineering feats of Lake Nasser and the Aswan Dam.
How to book a trip
Sudan Travel Information
Visa Information:
UK passport holders require visas for Sudan.
Your passport must be valid for at least six months after the end of your tour, and it must have two consecutive blank pages in your passport " one for the visa and one for the passport registration.
Please note it is your responsibility to ensure you have the correct visa documentation when starting your tour. Country entry regulations can alter daily and it is always best to check with the relevant embassies for any changes.
To obtain a Sudanese visa you first need an authorisation code which Wild Frontiers will apply for on your behalf. In order to do this we must have a scanned copy of your passport two months prior to departure. Once the code is received you will need to apply to the relevant embassy for the visa itself, in London the address is:
The Sudanese Embassy
3 Cleveland Row
St James’s
SW1A 1DD
Your application must include three passport sized photographs and a completed visa form. The process can take three/four days. Upon entering Sudan you will still be required to have an additional two passport sized photos. It is important to note that visa requirements for the Sudan are in a current state of flux, so please contact us two months before departure to check if the requirements above are still correct.
If you are travelling on a non-UK passport, please contact your nearest embassy for up to date visa information. If you live in a country without a Sudanese embassy we can help arrange for a visa to be issued on arrival, just contact us for further details.
Insurance:
Insurance that provides cover for emergency repatriation in case of a medical emergency is compulsory for all tours.
You should be aware that many standard insurance policies may not cover you adequately for all aspects of a Wild Frontiers trip and so we strongly recommend that you purchase a suitably designed insurance policy.
One such policy is the "Wild Frontiers" policy underwritten by Ace European Group Limited (ACE " firm reference 202803), which is available to EU residents (which excludes Norway & Switzerland) through our website or via the insurance company direct on 0845 345 3456. Under this policy there are two different levels of cover available.
Standard policy: a comprehensive travel insurance policy that provides cover for all Wild Frontiers activities, including trekking up to 6,000m. This policy does not provide cover for travel to areas where the FCO is advising against all or all but essential travel.
Elite policy: provides the same comprehensive level of cover as the standard policy. In addition the Elite policy also provides cover for travel to areas where the FCO is advising against all or all but essential travel. The policy will not provide cover for any claims arising from or relating to the reasons why the FCO is advising against travel.
If purchasing the Elite policy you also have the option to extend the cover provided by the policy to include cover for claims arising from a terrorist act in an area where the FCO is advising against travel. You can add this cover to your policy when purchasing online or over the telephone.
These policies are only available to those travelling on a Wild Frontiers holiday.
For more information and to purchase your policy online please visit the Insurance section of our website.
The cover is underwritten by Ac
Health and Vaccinations:
There are no mandatory immunisations for travellers to Sudan though you should be up-to-date with Typhoid, Tetanus, Polio and Hepatitis A. Malaria is present throughout so we recommend you seek advice from your local GP or travel centre as to the correct immunisations and preventative treatments.
We also recommend:
• A dental check-up prior to travelling.
• You inform us of any pre-existing medical conditions or medication.
To be on the safe side you can also check on www.fitfortravel.scot.nhs.uk
