I spent the past three weeks visiting the lowest point in Africa at Lake Assal in Djibouti, wandering the streets of Somalia’s war-torn capital Mogadishu, hiking Erta Ale in the hottest inhabited place on Earth (the Danakil Depression), feeding hyenas with my mouth in Ethiopia, and visiting the self-declared state of Somaliland. I found it much cheaper to work my way back home via Khartoum, Sudan than Hargeisa, Somaliland.
Logistics
Organizing a short stopover in Sudan was stressful. Back in January, I booked a multi-city ticket on Turkish Airlines for the following flight segments: 1. Chicago (ORD) to Djibouti (JIB) via Istanbul (IST); 2. Djibouti (JIB) to Mogadishu (MGQ); and 3. Khartoum (KRT) to Chicago (ORD) via Istanbul (IST). I used Jubba Airways and Ethiopian Airlines for the other flight segments within Africa.
The process for obtaining a visa for Sudan has recently changed (for U.S. and other passport holders). At the time of booking, visas were issued upon approval from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Khartoum. All applications first had to be presented to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Khartoum by one of the following: a sponsor (relatives or friends in Sudan), a sponsoring company based in Sudan, a business partner based in Sudan, or by a hotel or travel agency based in Sudan.
I reached out to Makis Pagoulatos at the Acropole Hotel – the oldest existing hotel in Khartoum run by a Greek family that was recommended to me by fellow travelers. At the same time, I contacted Real Sudan Tours to arrange a tour for my one full day in Sudan. Samir, the owner of the company, offered to take care of the entry permit. Given the sanctions, I had to send my deposit to Cairo, Egypt via Western Union. I was a bit skeptical about sending money to a complete stranger halfway around the world, but I decided to trust Real Sudan Tours.
Shortly after, Real Sudan Tours processed the entry permit and emailed me a copy just days later. I was instructed to print the entry permit in color and use it to board my flight to Khartoum. Further, I was to show it at the airport to get my visa stamp after paying the visa fees (about $100 USD per person and $150 USD for Americans). About a week before my departure, I received an email from Real Sudan Tours advising me that there have been changes to the laws in North Sudan for granting visas that came into existence on January 3, 2018. My patience was tested, especially given that it was now March and we were all just learning about the changes.
Translation from Arabic of the new rule lists the following points:
Article 1. Foreigners will be given the tourist visa in embassies without restrictions.
Article 2. Any tourist with a tourist visa will be allowed to travel freely anywhere in the country.
Article 3. All offices that specialize in travel permits across the country will be closed.
Article 4. All departments are instructed to put these instructions into effective immediately.
Signed by President of North Sudan Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir on January 23, 2018.
I started to panic; I was leaving for the first leg of my three week trip days later. Although the changes to the laws were technically beneficial to travelers as they could now go directly to the nearest Sudanese embassy and purchase a visa for North Sudan, the changes jeopardized my travel plans. Instead of getting a visa, I was relying on an entry permit to enter the country – an entry permit that was no longer required. Neither I nor Real Sudan Tours knew if these changes would invalidate the already issued entry permit. I could not take that chance, especially since my flight back to Chicago was booked leaving from Khartoum. Within minutes, I contacted VisaHQ to begin the visa application process and sent my passport to Washington, D.C. Luckily, I received my passport with the entry visa two days before leaving for Africa.
Khartoum
I arrived at Khartoum International Airport early in the evening on Saturday, April 14, 2018. Upon arrival at the airport in Khartoum, a Real Sudan Tours representative and driver were waiting for me inside of the airport terminal. They took me to an office next to the airport for registration – at the time of travel, registration within three days of arrival was required.
Historically, permits were also required for visitors wishing to travel anywhere outside Khartoum. Real Sudan Tours took care of this. Same with photos. However, after the mentioned changes to the laws for granting visas, travel and photo permits are no longer required.
After checking-in to the Acropole Hotel, I had the rest of the evening to myself. I really wanted to explore the city. The hotel is perfectly situated near the world’s longest river – the Nile.
The river’s main tributaries (the White Nile and the Blue Nile) actually meet in Khartoum.
Now, that is a sight to see. Unfortunately, the only sight that I would be seeing was the view of Khartoum from the hotel.
After three weeks of eating and drinking well below any sanitation standards, my body finally decided to give out on me – still not too happy that it could not wait just two more days!
Ancient Sudan
I am not a history buff. I will openly admit that I did not know what Sudan had to offer – ancient or modern. Sudan was just another country on the list for me. It was not a destination, but instead just a convenient addition to an existing itinerary. It was only after I booked the stopover that I started to learn about all that Sudan has to offer.
I only had one full day in Sudan, so I chose to see the Meroe Pyramids, Musawwarat es Sufra and Naqa. Prior to arriving in Sudan, I arranged a full-day tour with Real Sudan Tours to visit these ancient ruins. As the disclaimer put it: Sudan is a country of extremes – hot temperatures, long distances, huge deserts.
My itinerary required a lot of driving. The guide and driver showed up at my hotel early that morning and we began the three and a half hour drive to the first stop: the forgotten Pyramids of Meroe.
I associate pyramids with Egypt, as I assume most people do. Embarrassingly, I actually did not even know that Sudan had pyramids before planning this stopover. I quickly learned that not only does Sudan have pyramids, but it actually has a collection of them. Fortunately, my guide was also an internationally recognized archeologist who wanted to ensure I was up-to-date on Sudanese history by the tour’s end. In Meroe, the ancient city of the Kushite Kingdom, nearly 200 pyramids sit in the desert of eastern Sudan.
Although not as grand as the Pyramids of Giza, the Meroe Pyramids are special in their own way. For one – the pyramids are missing their tops.
In the 1800s, Italian explorer Giuseppe Ferlini destroyed the tops of many of the pyramids in a quest to steal their treasures.
The remains were brought back to European museums. The imperfections of these structures actually made them memorable.
After walking around the grounds of the Meroe Pyramids, we headed towards Musawwarat es Sufra. The drive took us through the desert off the main road. These ancient sites are literally located in the middle of the desert – with nothing around, not even a soul in sight. I was the only tourist at each stop all day.
Musawwarat is known for the Great Enclosure, which is one of the major ancient monuments of North Sudan and inscribed on the World Heritage List in 2011.
As I was exploring with my guide, the driver prepared a delicious, multiple dish picnic style lunch. Absolutely delicious.
After lunch, we made our way to Naqa – another ancient city of the Kushite Kingdom.
The site consists of a large well-preserved temple dating back to the first century.
Nearby, I noticed a group of nomads gathering water from a well – a water well literally in the middle of nowhere, in the middle of the desert.
When the tribe saw me trying to take a picture of the well from a distance, they signaled for me to come over.
I realized, the more remote I venture, the friendlier the people are. They really wanted to demonstrate how the process worked. It was rather interesting and a perfect way to end my tour of ancient Sudan.
After a long drive back to Khartoum, I grabbed my backpack and headed to the airport for my midnight flight to Istanbul, Turkey. [see post: Istanbul Layover]
Things to Note
• The process for obtaining a visa for Sudan has recently changed.
• Your passport should not carry any Israeli stamps.
• ATM and credit cards will not work in Sudan, so bring cash.
• Airport Authorities only accept U.S. dollars.
• If using U.S. dollars, all bank notes should be after the year 2006.
• Do not exchange money in the airport.
• Sudan does not allow drones into the country.
• Alcohol is strictly prohibited by law.
• For women: Loose, long clothing is enough; no abaya or hijab needed.
• Weather is very hot and dry; carry ample amounts of water at all times.
