Travel in Sudan

Here is a short and technical text giving informations about our travel in Sudan in October 2010. Though the rest of our blog is written in french only, we decided to translate this text since we found it very difficult to obtain accurate informations about travel in Sudan. For the first time in our travel around the world, we have used a travel guide, the Bradt by Paul Clammer, but though reprinted in 2008, our edition found in Kampala dates back to 2005, and fresher news would have helped us a lot to prepare our travel, especially in the South. That's why we write this article, to help you if you go there.

We arrived from Uganda, there are direct buses from Kampala to Juba. We were in Gulu, and have waited from 5:30 to 9:00am without seeing the bus. Around 9am, a dala-dala (small bus) offered to take the many waiting passengers to the border town of Nimule. It cost us 20000 ugandan shillings per person. The unsealed road is hard the first 30km, but better afterwards. It took 4 hours to reach the border. In the last Ugandan town, officials stamp our passports out, and we can change currency for a good rate (1 Sundanese Pound = 750 Ugandan shillings). The dala-dala drops us at the border, and we cross the bridge walking. Officials stamp our passport in Sudan, and we are lucky enough to find a Kenyan bus leaving immediately (3 seats left, 40SP to reach Juba) otherwise we would have had to spend the night in Nimule. The unsealed road is very good. A few military controls, where the driver has to pay to pass, and we arrive at Juba at 7pm, by night.

A Sudanese guy we met in the bus had given us the name of a hotel. We ask two boda-boda (moto-taxi) to drop us there (not easy with our two backpackers bags, but by night in an unknown town, with loads of cash moreover, we had little chance to go by foot). A double room for the night costs 200$. We try the Olympic Hotel, it is still 120$. We end down at the Flamingo (not sure of the name) for 25SP by night. It is digusting : one person bed, walls made of metal plaques, a small fan stops at midnight when the generator is turned down, fleas in the bed, rats running around, and an ugly bathroom where we vaguley wash out of a tub with Nile water. Strange people also. One of our neighboors tries to sell us mercury to bring back to France. He sleeps with a gun below his pillow. Very special place indeed.

The neighooring Mountain View, built in stones, and which we discovered two days later, is much better. We bargained the price to 120SP (150SP asked for), that is 50$. There is air conditioned when the electricity is on, at least a fan when on generator. Private bathroom perfectly clean. There is even a TV and a pile of DVD in the hall. One of the very rare intermediate standing in Juba, though the prices might increase if the owner follows his plans to add private TV and WiFi in the rooms. This will mainly depend on the result of the referendum on independence of South Sudan, to be hold in January 2011.

So far, the political situation is unclear, with a double administration, one from Khartoum, and the other by a semi-independent GoSS (Government of South Sudan), which provides most of the entry permit in the area, mainly to Ugandans and Kenyans businessmen who come for the economic boom. We made our visa in Kampala, with the national administration of Khartoum in order to continue further North. Dropped on Friday, our passports were ready on Tuesday and have cost us 55000 Ugandan shillings per person, that is around 25$. At our arrival in Juba, we had to register at the migration office of the police. This cost 150SP, that is around 50$. We asked for and obtained a receit (they would not have given it otherwise). They did not even write down our names, but they stamped our passports, though in Arabic so we could not read it.

Juba is far from a fascinating city. There are three mains zones : downtown called "Juba", the konyo-konyo market by the harbor, and the bus station of Kustom, next to which where our hotels Flamingo and Mountain View. You can find black market exchange of currency at Kustom. Everybody wants dollars, and the forex bureau do not provide enough (or without proof ?) However, at the forex we had a rate of 1$=2.36SP against 1$=2.90SP in the streets (at a nice stand with table and umbrella (note that if the bill is not perfectly clean, the rate drops to 1$=2.80SP).

Our plan was to join Khartoum without taking the plane. Roads are swamped (this is the case 9 months out of 12), but there are boats linking Juba to Kosti. We were unlucky that there was one leaving the hour we arrived at the harbor, our bags still at the hotel, and us without groceries. Indeed, the travel lasts 8 days (half for Malakal). The boats are around 50m long, and built only at the back, on 2 or 3 levels. As a passenger, you sit on the deck, with no shade, nor organized meals. Therefor you need a tent to protect from the sun and the rain (we had very heavy rains in Juba), a mattress, pills to clean the Nile water pure, and enough food for 10 days. On the boat we visited, they said we can use the kitchen, but we advise to have a pot and a gas. An organization that was hard to provide in one hour, but is still easily manageable. In Juba, you can buy rice (4SP per kg), canned food (5SP per can) as corn, tuna, beans... Harder to find a pot (they would sell us the whole set with the pot of 1m diameter !) or gas, that we advise to buy as soon as Kampala. We were told the price is 70SP per passenger, though it might cost as much as 100SP if you get a nice place on the roof. The boat we have seen was completely full, people often bring a rope bed to sleep on.

We asked to know when the next boat would leave. They told us in two days. We got ready and came back, but they told us once again "in two days". We could not wait this long. We cannot know for sure, there can be quite a while waiting. However, we still believe it is an amazing travel. We lacked information. Had we known we would have gone earlier the first day. The boats tend to leave in early afternoon. If you plan such a trip, better come as soon as possible to the harbor, that is just after police registration. Mind also that in order to make such a trip, you need a military authorization, that is delivered at the harbor the day of sailing. Maybe the military ask for a (official or not) tax, but we truly do not know. If you make this travel, and that our info is of any help (or needs improvement), please let us know !

So we gave up and took a flight to Khartoum. We had only two weeks of visa (though extendable) and we did not think Sudan would be that expensive (especially in the South), so financially we were limited. We think 80$ per waiting day in Juba is a reasonable budget for two persons, and ths\is may last almost a week. If you give up, a flight Juba-Khartoum costs 360SP (SunAir) and lasts 2 hours, in plane almost empty.

Travel in North Sudan is much more easy, but not much cheaper. The "taxi" (in fact a small bus, since what we call taxi Sudanese call "special") costs 1SP in Juba, and 0.40 or 0.50SP in Khartoum. Good meals for two in restaurants in both towns have cost us between 15 and 20SP. It got as cheap as 10SP further North. You should not miss the pomelos juice, 1SP for a big glass, that we elected "best drink in the world", no less ! In Khartoum , we prefered to change money at a forex (1$=2.46SP) rather than in the streets, because it is much more informal than in Juba. We still believe the black market is a higher deal.

In Khartoum, we stay in a cheap hotel, the Khalil, at the souq Al-Arabi, ie the city center. WE have no choice but to take a room with three beds for 3*12=36SP. The shower-toilets (that is both in the same room) are just decent, but I wouldn't shower without flip-flaps. Hotels in Sudan are strangely bad for the price we pay. We tried to find something better, but a dirty room with air conditioned was 95SP (and you can haggle it a little down). Same kind of room at the Al-Nassr in Karima (20SP) and very little better in Wadi Halfa (30SP). We appreciated the Al Muallem hotel in Dongola, where we had air conditioned, a TV and a private bathroom for 55SP. The Lord Hotel suggested by Bradt was ugly and expensive.

Transport in the North are excellent. The roads have been sealed recently. Buses with air conditioned from Khartoum to Karima (30SP, 6h, breakfast included) and from Abri to Wadi Halfa (20SP, 2h) are extremely confortable. Minibuses between Karima and Dongola (20SP,2h), Dongola and Kerma (8SP, 1h) and Kerma and Abri (25SP, 3h) are not as good, and leave only when they have enough passengers, which meant we had to wait a lot.

Internet was very expensive in Juba (3SP for 15 minutes, but the prices get slightly lower for longer) and very cheap in Khartoum and Dongola (1SP per hour). Also be aware you need a permit to make photos. It can be obtained easily in Khartoum, at the ministry of tourism, free and fast. It is forbidden to take pictures of strategic places, such as bridges or electricity lines, and of degrading things, such as beggars. It is advisable to ask before taking a picture, a Canadian we met had troubles with the police for picturing a donkey.

We have seen the national museum in Khartoum for 3SP per person, and the Mogran park to see the confluence of the Niles (5SP per person). The archeological sites we have seen cost 10$ per person, always converted into a cheap 20SP. WE were alone or almost on the three sites of Jebel Barkal, El Kurru (Karima) and Defufa (Kerma).

After 15 fantastic days (the Sudanese are the most welcoming people we have seen), we took the ferry to Egypt in Wadi Halfa. It was 95SP per person (160SP in first class with a cabin). The price includes one meal. WE stayed on the higher deck almost all the way, especially for sleeping. On board, everybody is happy to have a little chat with us. It departs at 5pm, but we were on board as soon as 1pm, after many administrative things that are easily fixed (note a tax of 21SP per person to leave Sudan). We arrived in Aswan at 10am the next day. Only trouble, I had forgotten 100SP in a pocket, and we could only change it in the streets for an awful rate of (1SP=1.6Egyptian Pound), when it is 1SP=2.4EP via dollar.

To conclude, let us say that traveling in Sudan was fantastic, though there is little special to do. Only problem, there are no ATMs for Visa nor MasterCard (there are only Islamic bank ATM), so you need to budget in advance, and carry a lot of cash with you. We spent for the two of us 1050euros (1400$) in 14 days, including 230euros (300$) for the flight between Juba and Khartoum. For such an expense, the comfort was really bad comparatively with neighboring countries such as Uganda and Egypt. This is for us the only defect of Sudan, to be really expensive, because it is very isolated.

Contacts : We met two friends who work in tourism in Dongola, so we advertise for them. They organize trips in the desert, with Jeeps or camels, visits of archeological sites, hotel reservation... They can even write a letter of invitation to Sudan as required for visa. They speak English, French and German, and are extremely kind. Amin Awad, email: amzoo_2008@hotmail.com, +249912498206, and Abdul Kader, email: gadoora2006@yahoo.com, +249912634205, webpage (in arabic) : www.kaawa.blogspot.com