All Sudan
A great adventure crossing two different deserts in a 12 days itinerary, visiting all the most important sites of Sudan from Khartoum to the Egyptian border. Southern Nubia is waiting to be explored.
12 days
Oct-Apr
all accommodated
A great adventure crossing two different deserts in a 12 days itinerary, visiting all the most important sites of Sudan from Khartoum to the Egyptian border. Southern Nubia is waiting to be explored.
The services include:
Meet and greet at the airport and transfer to your hotel. Dinner NOT included and overnight stay.
Journey Northward across the Western Desert. We travel in a flat desert where the view can span 360° around and we cross Wadi Muqaddam with its many acacia trees. We will make a short stop at a “chai house”, literally tea houses, simply a sort of very spartan “motorway restaurants” in the desert where local truck drivers usually stop for a quick meal and some rest. We then reach Merowee and once on the other side of the river Nile we arrive in the small town of Karima, located right at the foot of Jebel Barkal holy mountain.
Landmark in the Nubian Desert, Jebel Barkal (“Jebel” means mountain in Arabic) can be seen from a far away whilst still in the open desert. Besides the ruins of the big temple there are still several sculptured granite rams that were supposed to border a long avenue that probably led to the pier on the Nile. In the mountain wall there is a big room decorated with bas-relief. Jebel Barkal archaeological sites are on the World Heritage list. In the afternoon we move southwards to the village of El Kurru where there is one of the necropolises of the ancient capital, Napata. Here we can visit one tomb, which is excavated in the rock under pyramids – partially collapsed – and it is totally decorated with images of the Pharaoh, of the gods and multicolour hieroglyphic inscriptions. Not far from here there is an interesting site of petrified wood, an ancient forest with hundreds of huge trunks. The sunset will be the perfect end of the perfect day.
Today we drive west through the Nubian Desert. We reach the Nile and we cross the Nile on the Dongola Bridge, we continue north to the amazing Temple of Soleb, the most beautiful Egyptian temple of all Sudan, testimony of the New Kingdom in Nubia, with many walls rich in hieroglyphic inscriptions, bas-relief figures and many columns. We enjoy our lunch in a local Nubian house nearby. After the visit we drive off road to reach the Nile and cross it to the East coast. A short drive south will take us to Tombos. Here there were the ancient granite quarries with the remains of a statue of the King Taharqa, simply left there in the desert about 2800 years ago and some interesting Egyptian stele engraved on the rocks.
In Sebu, right on the river bank of the Nile it is possible to visit one of the richest sites of rock engraving of all Sudan with hundreds of images from prehistoric to Egyptian times. We continue to the Third Cataract which used to be the third huge obstacle that the ancients Egyptians had to face when trying to sail on the Nile River. We walk up the hill to the ancient Ottoman Fort where we can have beautiful views of the cataract. We drive further north to then cross the Nile on a fisherman boat to reach the Island of Sai an important archaeological area where we can find ancient remains from Kerma civilization, Egyptian and Christian culture. During the navigation to the island we may hope to see Nile crocodiles on the shore of the river. After the visit we drive back to Tombos.
Today, early in the morning, we visit in Tombos the stalea just on the shore of the Nile, where we can also see a small cataract and not far there are the granite quarries and the remains of a statue of the King Taharqa, left in the desert. A short drive south takes us to the monument of the Kerma civilization called “Defuffa”. Here there is also an interesting museum (closed on Mondays). continuing south we stop in a Nubian Village to eat our picnic lunch enjoying Nubian Hospitality before reaching in the early afternoon Old Dongola and the ruins of the Christian capital Makuria. Late afternoon reach Karima.
After breakfast, we visit the market in Karima, where we can have a real experience of the life of Sudanese people. We then board a small motorboat for a ride along the Nile to enjoy the beautiful sand stretches and cultivated islands along the river. A little further northward there used to be the beautiful granite rocky formations of the 4th Cataract, which prevented the Nile from flowing slowly and formed many rapids that obstructed the navigation. In April 2008 the Dam of Merowee has been completed and the flooding of the artificial lake started. In the afternoon, we visit the archaeological site of Nuri where we can see many pyramids among which there is also the one of the great Taharqa. Little walk among those ancient pyramids.
Today we enter the Bayuda Desert. This desert is an area bounded by the loop that the Nile forms between the 4th and the 6th Cataract and characterised by sharp black basalt mountains, most of them volcanic and typically cone-shaped. They alternate with level pebble stretches and large valleys crossed by dry wadis, where little vegetation can be seen. It is very likely to meet isolated groups of Bisharin nomads, who live in familiar groups in small huts made of intertwined branches close to the rare water wells, with their caravans and herds of camels and donkeys. We leave the main road and have some desert crosing stopping at a well where nomads gather water for their herds of camels and goats. Once we reach the Nile we cross it on a ferry boat (ponton), then a short drive takes us to the Pyramids of Meroe.
Morning dedicated to the visit of the Meroe pyramids. The Royal Necropolis of Meroe which is located about 3 km from the Nile on some hills covered by yellow sand dunes. Several pyramids stand out with their sharp shapes against the clear sky. Each one has its own funerary chapel with the walls fully decorated with bas-reliefs that show the King’s life and offers to the gods. We visit the Tarabil school (if open), that we support as part of our responsible tourism policy. Coffee break at the local village of Kabushia. In the afternoon we move along the Nile to visit the ruins of the Royal city (please note that the Royal Baths will be closed for restoration until 2021). Sunset at the Pyramids.
After breakfast we begin the journey southward. The site of Mussawarat is located in a beautiful valley crowned by hills. Here the ruins of a very big temple are visible; it once played an exceptional important role. Its main characteristic, the “Great Enclosure” is made by many constructions and boundary walls which surround a temple built in the 1st century A.D. We then go to Naga which is one of the two centres that developed during the Meroitic period. In Naga, in a typical Saharan environment with rocks and sand, we find a temple dedicated to Apedemak (1st century A.D.): a wonderful building with bas-relief decorations depicting the god with a lion’s head, the Pharaoh, noblemen and several ritual images. A few metres away there is a small and odd construction with arches and columns, named “kiosk”, in which we can notice Egyptian, Roman and Greek styles, all at the same time. Not far away we reach another temple dedicated to Amon with many statues of rams and beautiful gates decorated with bas-reliefs. In the evening we reach Khartoum. Drop off at your hotel.
In the morning we start Khartoum city tour crossing the confluence between the Blue and the White Nile near the Presidential Palace where in 1885 General Gordon was beheaded by the Mahdi’s troops and we reach Omdurman, the old capital of Sudan, where we see the Mahdi’s Tomb and we visit the interesting Khalifa’s House which holds a small museum about the Mahdyia (reopened on 28 Mar 2020). We take a pleasant boat ride to see the confluence between the White and Blue Nile. We will also walk in Omdurman Market. In the afternoon we visit the National Museum (at the present the inner part is closed for refurbishment, it is allowed to visit the temples in the garden) that, besides many beautiful objects, contains two beautiful temples rescued by UNESCO and moved from the Lake Nasser area, when it was flooded by the water. At sunset time we move near the tomb of the sufi leader Ahmed al Nil to attend the involving Dervishes Ceremony (only on Fridays).
Transfer to the airport and boarding your international flight
The Acropole Hotel is the oldest existing hotel in Khartoum, founded in 1952. It is family run, cosy and characterized by a very friendly and warm hospitality. It is centrally located near shops, banks and important business firms.
An elegant architectural masterpiece of steel and glass set in the heart of Khartoum’s commercial district, the Burj Al-Fateh Hotel redefines the luxury hotel category with state-of-the-art technology, five-star accommodation and unrivalled service. Situated at the meeting point of the Blue and White Nile and set among exquisite landscaped gardens, the Corinthia Khartoum will be your gateway to Central Africa.
Formerly known as the Grand Hotel, it was constructed in the late 1800s and housed the office of the famous British Explorer: Thomas Cook. This elegant hotel which overlooks the famous Blue Nile River also hosted royal visitors and famous dignitaries including Queen Victoria and Sir Winston Churchill. The hotel is centrally located in the heart of Khartoum’s commercial hub.
