Sudan

Likes & Dislikes

Likes

Sudan - Meroe - v.g. photo

1. A great chance to be a guest in a gigantic wedding party in Omdurman - about 600 lovely people, all sort of beef stew, falafel, ful, fasooliya

2. Scuba diving in the Red Sea at Bur Sudan

3. See an unforgettable Islam ceremony with camel sacrifice at the Hamel-el-Nil mosque

4. Watch the whirling dervishes and feel dizzy myfelf

5. Ice Cream Dream shop in Port Sudan with great ice creams and shakes - I never expected to eat ice cream in Africa

6. In my ranking of the friendliest people in Africa: Sudan is number one! - everybody was very kind to us - People are much friendlier than in Egypt.

7. The long-distance buses are surprisingly modern, well-equipped

8. Khartoum has very modern neighborhoods, seemingly wealthier than Mogadishu or Juba

9. The Ruins of Kerma and its wonderful natural environment

10. Jebel Barkal was for us the most memorable attraction in Sudan

Dislikes

1. The deserted town of Old Dongola, a well-promoted tourist attraction, was not that interesting - or we were too tired.

2. Streets, basically everything in Sudan is dusty - our noses, eyes full of dust, all the time.

3. Too many bans on taking pictures - some are very stupid

4. The Sudanese cuisine has some strange combinations of flavors, like mangoes with red pepper, salt

5 The camel market in Khartoum was unpleasurable, even nerving.

6. Terrible toilets, the hygiene in general

7. All the garbage, litter along the country roads, plain-looking gas stations, dull desert landscape

8. Waste of time in getting all the permission documents to drive around the country and cross federal states

9. The locally heard information about the cruelties of the sharia and authoritarian behavior of law enforcement worsened my opinion about Sudan

10. Unable to use my credid card - they dont use international banking structure

11. All traffic rules are neglected in Khartoum (especially those related to parking) - traffic is a desaster in the Old Town - only the main streets are asphalted - all the city is full of car wrecks

12. Khartoum is very dirty

13. Photography ban in too many places

Opinions

Sudan - locals- m.z. photo

"If the traveler strictly adheres to the official advice and guidance when choosing which parts of Sudan to visit, he or she can feel completely safe. In regions not affected by military conflict (though more than one region is) there is no need to fear robbers or thieves, especially because Islamic laws genuinely do deter people from committing crimes. Nobody touched a hair on our heads (which in my case at least was guaranteed in advance!) Of course, we steered well clear of Darfur.

The people of Sudan are very kind and even more honest and pleasant than in Egypt. We barely had any instances where someone tried to trick us. Though taxi drivers are taxi drivers the world over and are the same here. We constantly had to refuse invitations to visit people's homes. We succumbed to the pressure twice and it turned out that there was no financial motivation behind the invitation. It is amazing how happy they are to see people visit their country with peaceful intent and curiosity.

Khartoum is not an attractive city, and it’s very dusty in many parts, but the internet was good and the accommodation was air-conditioned.” (Lóci, 2018)

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"The country is beautiful and full of magical places that the government doesn't appreciate, even though it could make a lot of money from tourism. When I saw the sights I just couldn’t believe my eyes. Though the country is so huge, and we only spent four days in Sudan, of course, we missed a lot. 😭 We did see the Meroe pyramids, which are 200 kilometers from the capital, but getting there wasn’t easy.

Khartoum has a lot of rubbish everywhere and live animals are sold all over the city. The fruit is very cheap, except for ‘trendy’ fruit and veg like avocado. Everything is available, and there are shopping malls, restaurants, and cafes, it’s just that people don’t have the money to shop there. And this does not interest the ruling regime. The medical care is practically non-existent – anyone who can go to Egypt for medical procedures. There are no pensions, unemployment benefits or other benefits!

The National Museum is worth a visit, and it costs pennies to enter, but there is a lot of dust inside. Still, that can be said for the whole city, because only a few main roads are paved.
What is very interesting about Khartoum is that it sits at the confluence of the Blue and White Nile, from this point on referred to simply as the Nile.

The best way to take a tour in one day is to rent an SUV with a driver, which cost us about $80. Gasoline (if there is any) only costs a few cents a liter. Here, too, you cannot book in advance from home!!!

You can expect a per-person $20 “duty” for tourists at checkpoints, but we were lucky. The entry fees for the pyramids, and for Musawwarat, 30 km away, are negotiable...

It is advisable to come here (also) with no expectations because you’ll never imagine it in advance anyhow. And I suggest downloading a good, offline map, but that goes for all countries.” (hkr, 2019)

Practicals

Transport

Internet access: Sudan has several internet service providers, but since July 2019 a severe blackout exists, ordered by the Transitional Military Council. The outage seems to have been done to reduce the ability of the people to organize protests against the situation.

Sudan - road scene - s.v. photo

Sudan - transport means - s.v. photo

Sudan - Meroe - v.g. photo

Sudan - on a country road - s.v. photo

Accomodation

Sudan - Khartoum - Corinthia Burj AlFatih Hotel

Food

Khartoum - food - v.g. photo

Shopping

“The standard of living is terrible, and their money is worth nothing. People don’t even get their money in the bank. ATMs are usually empty, and when they are topped up, there are endless lines waiting to withdraw 1,000 Sudanese pounds, which is just a few dollars. There is no currency exchange, banks are closed ... you can change money on the street, at the taxi and at the hotel, and at a very depressed exchange rate. They love dollars. (hkr, 2019)

Sudan - snake skin for sale - s.v. photo

Khartoum - women’s footwear - v.g. photo

Sudan - Shendi - a costermonger - v.g. photo

Sudan - Darfur - Camel market - s.v. photo

Fun

Sudan - festivity - m.y. photo

Sudan - watching a FC Barcelona match - b.v. photo

Sudan - Omdurman - music - v.g. photo

Public safety

"The situation in Sudan is hot right now. in all respects, first because it was 41 degrees, but also because there have been strikes and demonstrations in the capital for weeks. We also often heard gunshots, although locals said they only shot people during the first few days. 😰
In any case, when a “security” car passes by, it’s better for everyone to bow their head and try to go unnoticed. Civilians always travel about the city by car, their heads completely tied with a scarf to make them unrecognizable. You have to be very careful about taking photographs, and I admit I did not dare to take any risks – I didn’t want to disappear in one of the women's prisons ...” (hkr, 2019)

Sudan - armed escort on the way of a mountain climbing - b.d. photo

Health

Don't drink tap water, avoid even to use it for cleaning the teeth.

Background

Sudan - national flag - i.a. photo

Destination in brief

Sudan is in Northeast Africa. Neighbors: Egypt (north), Libya (northwest), Chad (west), Central African Republic , South Sudan and Ethiopia (south), Eritrea (east). Sudan has a coast along the Red Sea.

Size: 1.886 million km² (728,200 mi²) - the third largest African country (after Algeria an DR Congo) - Most of the territory of Sudan is formed by two deserts - the Libyan and the Nubian, where vegetation is practically absent.

Capital city: Khartoum - the city is at the confluence of the White and the Blue Nile

Population (in 2020): 44.7 million

Languages: official languages are Literary Arabic and English

Religion: 75% Sunni Muslims, 20% adherents of local beliefs (animist, fetishist, a cult of ancestors, cult of nature forces), 5% Christians - Islam is the state religion - Most Muslims live in the northern provinces, and the Christians live in the southern areas and the city of Khartoum.

Form of government: presidential republic

The primary incomes of the country come from agriculture and oil production.

Currency: Sudanese pound (SDG)

Average net monthly salary (in 2020): 100 USD

Most common surname: Ahmed

Geography

The name of Sudan comes from black and was called the land of black people, which is the geographical area extending from the Horn of Africa to West Africa, but this area has shrunk to be limited to the current geographical space.

Sudan - dramatic landscape of Karima - l.d. photo

Sudan - Khartoum along the Nile - v.g. photo

Sudan - Wadi Halfa - v.g. photo

Nowadays

2020. May: Sudan has confiscated assets valued at $4 billion (!!!) from former President Omar al-Bashir, his family members and associates, the country’s anti-corruption body said.

Sudan - easy rider - s.v. photo

People

Sudan - man - m.z. photo

Sudan - a man with his daughters - s.v. photo

Sudan - young man - s.v. photo

Sudan - Meroe - Woman Carrying Faggot - v.g. photo

Sudan - Nomads - s.v. photo

Sudan - shoemaker - s.v. photo

Tourist etiquette

1. Don't wear clothes with such printing, image, motif that may offend the conservative Muslim locals - e.g., emblems of thrash metal bands, Christian symbols, messages of risky humor, naked, or even half-naked cartoons.

Gastronomy

Given its colonial past, Sudan 's national cuisine is influenced by theFrench, Italian, and English culinary traditions. Locals especially love lamb and chicken and prefer rice as a side dish.