12 Days North Sudan Adventure

The highlights of this adventure includes visiting Temples & Pyramids to discover the amazing Pharaonic architecture of northern Sudan – there are more pyramids here than in Egypt, Nubian hospitality, Desert landscapes, Nile – Take an exhilarating cruise along the world’s longest river to discover its hidden treasures.

Day One: Arrival in Khartoum

Upon your arrival in Khartoum, the guide from Afrikan Wildlife Safaris will welcome you and then transfer you to the hotel for dinner and overnight. Dinner and overnight at the Hotel Grand Holiday Villas.

Day Two:  Khartoum City tour

After breakfast, you will start up with one of the most iconic spots in the city – Al-Morgan, the confluence of the White and Blue Nile where the importance of the river and the tales of exploration that surround it. Then visit the tomb and small museum of the Mahdi, Mohammed Ahmed, the Islamic leader of the Sudan who fought in 1885 against General Gordon and English colonization. Have lunch in the local restaurant to get a taste of Sudanese food and then drive to Omdurman to visit the colourful souk and the Archaeological Museum, with its reconstructed temples, before returning to our hotel on the banks of the Nile. Dinner and overnight at the Hotel Grand Holiday Villas. Later this afternoon there is the an optional drive to the outskirts of Khartoum and attend a Nuba wrestling match. Held in a small stadium, this traditional sport is passionately followed by local fans, as a number of teams take part during each event. There is an element of ceremony and showmanship as wrestlers select opponents before bouts begin.

Day Three: Coptic Christian Temples at Old Dongola

After breakfast, depart Khartoum and head to Dongola. Along the way, we will stop for a chai at one of the small cafes that appear along the road. Lunch will be taken in one of these cafes. We continue our journey crossing the Nile to the ruins of ancient Old Dongola. From the 7th to 14th centuries Old Dongola was the ancient capital of the Makuria Christian capital. Whilst little remains of the former glory, the site is dominated by the Throne Hall, which was eventually converted to a mosque and pillars from a 7th century church. Located near the Nile the site is still used as a burial spot today. There are a number of large conical brick tombs which stand alongside more simple graves in this tranquil desert setting. After visiting the site, we travel through small Nubian villages before heading into the desert and look for a campsite amongst the dunes.

Day Four: Temple of Soleb

After breakfast, we will continue our exploration of this fabulous region. Heading back towards the Nile. We drive through small villages and will stop at any of the willing Nubian family houses to see the daily life of the local people in the area. Then drive across the Dongola bridge and drive north to reach Soleb located on the edge of the village in the New Kingdom in Nubia. its many walls are rich in hieroglyphic inscriptions and bas-relief figures. Dinner and overnight in the traditional house on the edge of the village.

Day Five: Visit the Temple of Sesibi

After breakfast, we will begin our journey to the south. Make a brief stop at the remains of the Temple of Sesibi, linked to Egypt historically.

Then we will cross the Nile by local ferry and continue and drive to the Cataract which used to be the third huge obstacle that the ancients Egyptians had to face when trying to sail on the Nile River.

In Sebu, right on the river bank of the Nile, you can visit one of the richest sites of rock engraving in Sudan with hundreds of images carved from prehistoric to Egyptian times. Visit also the rocks near the village of Tombos, there are the granite quarries and the remains of a huge statue of the King Taharqa left in the desert 3000 years ago. We spend this evening in Tombos, in large igloo tents with camp beds in a pre set camp located among beautiful granite boulders and desert.

Day Six: Temple Defuffas of Kerma

Today, we will drive south to the ancient city of Kerma. Kerma was a city that was first settled in 2400BC. A prosperous city it was at its most powerful almost 4000 years ago when Kerma’s rulers took advantage of political problems in Egypt to extend their rule to Aswan. The site is currently being worked upon by a team of archaeologists, who are unearthing more and more of the city. The most prominent remaining buildings are the famous Deffufas, the mud brick temples where ceremonies were performed. There are the east and west Deffufas, both temples very different in size and repair but incredibly fascinating. The Western Deffufa is reputed to be the second largest ancient building in Africa, only behind the Cheops Pyramid in Cairo. There is also a small museum at the site which is home to the 7 statues of the Black Pharaohs. We will then drive east to cross the Nubian Desert and make our way Karima. We stay on the very edge of town in the Nubian Rest house, a comfortable hotel which overlooks Jebel Barkal. The hotel is built in the style of a traditional rest house, around a beautiful garden. As sun sets there’s the opportunity to take a walk and watch the sun setting over nearby pyramids.

Day Seven: Jebel Barkal

Karima lies at the foot of the Jebel Barkal. This landmark in the Nubian Desert, Jebel Barkal can be seen from many kilometres away whilst still in the open desert. At the foot of this wonderful isolated red sandstone mountain, considered holy since the ancient times, there is a large temple dedicated to the Pharaohs of the New Reign. This morning there is the option to take a walk to the summit of the mountain for sunrise. Heading up a sandy path it takes 10-15 minutes to reach the top of the hill. From the top there are fantastic views across the Nile, as well as a fantastic view of the temple below. After lunch we take a short drive to the village of El Kurru where there is the necropolis of the ancient capital, Napata. Here we visit a tomb, which was excavated in the rock under pyramids – partially collapsed – which is totally decorated with images of the Pharaoh, of the gods and multicolor hieroglyphic inscriptions. Before returning to Karima we take a short side trip through the Nubian desert and visit a petrified forest with thousands of fossilised trunks. This evening there is the opportunity to take a sunset walk to Jebel Barkal.

Day Eight:  Nile cruise and afternoon visit of the Pyramids of Nuri

For this day, we will visit the market in Karima, where we get a real insight into the everyday life of the Sudanese people. One of the specialities of this market is dried dates which make a delicious snack. Continue to the Nubian Desert which is almost sterile area where no vegetation survives. Until 2008 this drive would take you to the beautiful granite rocky formations of the fourth Cataract where the Nile ran turbulently among rocks forming rapids and a beautiful wild landscape, making navigation of the river very difficult. However in April 2008 the new Dam of Merowee was completed and following flooding an artificial lake was created. We take a cruise on the Nile taking the opportunity to walk on the small islands to explore the sandy beaches along the river edges. In the afternoon we cross the Nile and spend time at the Pyramids of Nuri, located a short drive from Karima, Burial place of Taharqa, recognised as perhaps the most powerful ruler of Sudan. The pyramids here are amongst the oldest in Sudan and have their very own evocative charm.

Day Nine:  Bayuda Desert, overnight at the Atrun Crater

Today, we will cross the Nile again this morning and journey across the Bayuda Desert. There is a combination of driving on asphalt and desert trails. At times we travel through flat desert scenery, punctuated with the occasional truck stop. We take the opportunity to visit a nomadic family, who have now settled in a fixed camp and then continue before hitting the asphalt road for 100kms and then back on to desert trails to reconnect with the Nile. If we are lucky during one of our desert crossings we may see Hassania nomads in the desert. They still live the true nomadic lifestyle and gather at desert wells to collect water. Coming across such a group is like a surreal, yet humbling step back in time. Men, women and children work with donkeys to extract the water from the deep wells. Water is then loaded onto camels and taken to the desert camps. Our destination this evening will be the Atrun Crater. This area is used by nomads of the desert to gather salt and is rarely visited by tourists. A simple camp will be set up nearby.

Day Ten:  Royal Necropolis and the Royal City of Meroe

This morning we leave our camp and head towards the Nile and cross using a local ferry to reach the royal city of Meroe. The excavations confirm that the town of Meroe used to cover a large area, and the royal city was located in a central position, surrounded by suburbs and a boundary wall. Most of the area where the city is located, formed by many small hills covered by red clay fragments, has still to be excavated by archaeologists, and may be out of bounds when visiting. We continue to our camp at Meroe. Accommodation is in fixed, comfortable tents. The tents are the large African safari style ones with ‘proper’ beds in them, along with a dressing table and chair. There is generator produced electricity, so phones and cameras can be charged. There is wi-fi in the main building, which houses a restaurant. The tents are not en-suite, although each tent has its own separate toilet and shower located in blocks which stand behind the tents. After lunch, later in the afternoon we visit the Royal Necropolis of Meroe which is located about 3 km from the Nile on hills covered by yellow sand dunes. It is a short drive across the desert from the camp – the adventurous may wish to walk from the camp, as the pyramids are clearly visible. Alternatively it is possible to take a camel for the 2km journey. Several pyramids stand out with their sharp shapes against the clear sky. Nubian pyramids have no mortuary room inside, the real tomb is dug inside the rock below and is connected with the outside with an inclined tunnel with a small temple at its entrance. The walls are fully decorated with bas-reliefs that show the King’s life and the gods. There is the option to take a camel ride between pyramids.

Day Eleven:  Visit temples of Naga and drive to Khartoum

This morning we pack up our vehicles for the final time and join the asphalt road to Khartoum. After about an hour we make a detour once again through the desert and head to to Musawwarat El Sufra where we will visit the Elephant and Lion Temples. Seemingly located in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by desert there is a real sense of adventure whilst standing at these temples. We then move on to the ancient site of Naga. Here we see the temple of Apedemak (1st century AD), a beautiful sandstone building with walls engraved with the images of the Meroitic Kings and gods. Nearby is another temple, in Greek-Roman style, called ‘Kiosk’, and another with the remains of statues of rams which was recently discovered in the sands by a German archaeological mission. This afternoon we return to the capital, Khartoum. Upon arrival we will visit the whirling dervishes. This ceremony is a dance used by Sufi practitioners to achieve religious ecstasy.

Day Twelve:  Fly Out

After breakfast, the guide will transfer you to the airport to catch your flight back home.