Sudan: Getting there & around

Sudan Airways connects Khartoum with destinations throughout Africa. There are also services from Port Sudan and from Dongola to Egypt and Saudi Arabia. In the south, Juba is becoming slowly connected to flight routes to Kenya. Of the international airlines, EgyptAir serves Cairo, Kenya Airways fly to Nairobi and Ethiopian Airlines fly to Addis Ababa. Lufthansa flies frequently to Europe and the USA via Frankfurt; Gulf Air and Emirates connect with worldwide destinations via the Middle East. The airport departure tax for international flights is the usual hefty US$20.00 , payable in dollars.

Sudan shares borders with many countries, but not all are open. Overland travel to the Central African Republic, Democratic Republic of Congo remain unstable and dangerous, but connections to Uganda and Kenya are becoming viable and secure. The frontier with Eritrea is closed to travellers.

The roads between Sudan and Egypt are closed, however it's straightforward to go by the weekly ferry that leaves Sudan's inland port of Wadi Halfa and sails along Lake Nasser to the port near the Aswan Dam about 20km south of Aswan in Egypt. Saudia Arabia is also an option by water, with regular ferry services running between Suakin and Jeddah.

Sudan Airways flies to all of Sudan's major cities (Ed-Debba, Dongola, El-Fasher, Al-Geneina, Juba, Khartoum, Malakal, Merowe, Nyala, El-Obeid, Port Sudan, Wadi Halfa and Wau) but be prepared for last-minute schedule changes and overbooked flights. There's a domestic airport tax of US$4.00 .

Sudan's major highway is the sealed road linking Khartoum with Port Sudan via Gedaref and Kassala. The routes from Khartoum to Atbara, Dongola and El-Obeid are also mostly sealed. Luxury buses run between Khartoum, Kassala, Port Sudan and El-Obeid, and less comfortable buses run on the other sealed roads. In the rest of the country, 'roads' are mostly desert tracks and the only public transport can involve hardy 'buses' adapted from trucks. For shorter distances, and around towns, the transport of choice is Toyota pick-ups known as boksi (plural bokasi).

The state-run rail network, once one of the best in Africa, is sadly run-down as a result of war and lack of investment and maintenance. The only remaining passenger services are from Khartoum to Wadi Halfa and Port Sudan (via Atbara). There's also a branch line in the west from Er-Rahad to Nyala.