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Backpacking Through Northern Sudan

A July 2007 trip to Sudan by Markvh

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Quote: Northern Sudan has it all: ancient monuments, a fascinating landscape and some of the most hospitable inhabitants I've ever encountered.

Backpacking Through Northern Sudan Best of IgoUgo

Overview

Quote:
The northern stretch of the Nile where hospitality is still more than a words. Kerma with some of the oldest remaining ruins in the world. Karima: Piramids, temples, tombs and old Nile steamers, without the hassle of Egypt! Meroe: The most amazing collection of Piramids you can imagine.

Quick Tips:

Hurry up and get over there before it has been turned into a new tourist mecca. Now you can still visit all this places by yourself!

Best Way To Get Around:

Public transportation is very good, buses go everywhere and boksi's run between even the smallest villages. Car rental is very expensive and rail connections are quasi non-existent.

Juices Best of IgoUgo

Attraction

Quote:
Best places are the juice stands on the streets that sell ice cold juices, with or without added sugar, for like 10 cents. You have to drink it on the spot because you have to return the cup.About ten different kinds of juices: best are mango, banana, and some untranslatable kind of fruits!Don't be afraid for your stomach, just enjoy!

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on October 19, 2025

Alcoholic beverages Best of IgoUgo

Attraction

Quote:
Alcohol is strictly forbidden in the Sudan. If you get caught, the punishment is 50 whiplashes in public.That doesn't mean you can't get alcohol in this country. Outside the big cities, many people are brewing a local spirit, called araki, that tastes disgusting but contains loads of alcohol. Best of all, you are mostly offered it for free, but you will probably only see it when you stay with people at their place, not in any hotel.In Khartoum it's also possible to get European beers, mostly non-alcoholic, but also the alcoholic versions. Expect to pay around 8 dollars for a bottle of Heineken and pray that you don't get caught!Cheers!

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on October 19, 2025

Whirling dervishes Best of IgoUgo

Attraction

Quote:
Every Friday, except for Ramadan, you can see a group of Shiite monks perform a kind of dance, before entering their mosque for their prayers.The performance takes place in the courtyard of an indistinct mosque and it is entirely devoted for the pilgrims that come here from all over Sudan, just to see them whirling.The dance itself isn't that special, but the music, the singing and the moves are so hypnotising that you will soon find yourself joining the crowds.This is also one of the best places in Khartoum to buy an original souvenir, because lots of holy writings and other religious stuff are sold on the premises.

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on October 19, 2025

Museums in Khartoum Best of IgoUgo

Attraction

Quote:
The most important is the archaeological museum, next to the Nile.The collection has loads of artifacts on display, from the beginning of human settlement until the end of the classical periods. Some pieces on display are real wonders of the ancient world.In Omdurman you can visit the remains of the house of the Aga Khan, one of the most revered persons in Sudan. His house has now been transformed in a museum. The most amazing item is the oldest automobile of Sudan, looking more like a carriage than anything else.Another worthwhile visit is the Ethnographic Museum with displays of how the local people used to live (and in some places they still do) in this vast country....Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on October 19, 2025

Museums in Khartoum

Khartoum, Sudan

Confluence of the Nile Best of IgoUgo

Attraction

Quote:
Here, in the middle of the capital of Sudan, two of the biggest rivers in the world join each other to form the water flow that allowed the Egyptian culture to rise and thrive for thousands of years.

The White Nile comes from the Great Lakes region in central Afrika and flows continuously throughout the year, whereas the Blue Nile, coming from the Ethiopian highlands, swells to enormous heights during and just after the rainy season, supplying more than 90% of the waters of the Nile.

You can clearly see the whirlpools where the two mighty rivers collide from the bridge over the White Nile.

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on October 19, 2025

Omdurman Souq Best of IgoUgo

Attraction

Quote:
This is definitely the biggest market in Sudan, and maybe even the African continent. Everything is on sale here, from kalashnikovs to camels, and from exotic spices to plastic toys made in China.

The souq consists of a large number of small intersecting streets, alleys and courtyards where every single meter has been taken by a vendor to stall his goods.

It's also one of the rare spots in Sudan where you can find tourist orientated souvenirs.

Member Rating 4 out of 5 on October 19, 2025

Kerma Best of IgoUgo

Attraction

Quote:
Kerma is a small, lovely Nileside town. An ideal place to relax for a day on one of the many terraces with a view (and an amazing sunset).

This is a region that sees only a trickle of foreign visitors, most of them just passing through from Egypt to the better known sights of Sudan, but Kerma deserves to be a destination in its own rights.

Close by you find the Deffufa's, huge buildings dating back almost 5,000 years and constructed from sun dried bricks. The function of these enormous buildings is still unknown.

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on October 19, 2025

Karima Best of IgoUgo

Attraction

Quote:
If there is one town in northern Sudan where you just have ton stay for a few days, it's Karima. On the edge of the town you have the holy mountain of Jebel Barkal, with it's many remains of Egyptian temples that you can best see from atop of the mountain. That is also the best place to watch the sun set over the desert and the impeccable pyramids of Jebel Barkal, located just behind the holy mountain. A truly must-see.A few kilometers and easy bus ride away you have the tombs of El Kurru. Small and lousy decorated as they may seem, compared to their counterparts in the valley of the kings, it's the atmosphere of having them all for yourself that makes this trip wor...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on October 19, 2025

Piramids of Meroe Best of IgoUgo

Attraction | "Pyramids of Meroe"

Quote:
This must be without doubt the most stunning collection of pyramids on earth!Just next to the highway from Khartoum to Atbara lay three groups of pyramids, easily visible from the road. There must be several dozens of them all over the place: some heavily eroded, others beautifully restored and still others still in their original state, after an Italian treasure hunter removed their to search for grave goods in the 19th century.It's only a 2 hour drive from the capital, so you risk not being alone in this superb site, due to the big number of expats living in Khartoum and making day trips into the countryside. But don't let that spoil the image. There are more than...Read More

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on October 19, 2025

Temple of Naqa Best of IgoUgo

Attraction

Quote:
30 kilometers into the desert from the town of Shendi, you have two splendid temple complexes in quite a good state of repairs.

The most accessible and stunning is the lion temple of Naqa with both Egyptian and Roman architectural influences.

The most remarkable sight are the designs of the old Nubian deity Apedemak, the snake God.

You will have to book a tour to visit these temples because there are no roads, let alone signs, that lead you there.

Member Rating 5 out of 5 on October 19, 2025

About the Writer

Markvh

Markvh
Brussels, Belgium

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