Sudan

Exploring Sudan: a desert journey in pictures

To the wider world the North African nation of Sudan is often seen as a place of untold horror. A burning and featureless desert where war, genocide and misery are the norm. And although some aspects of this image are grounded in truth, for the most part the popular impression couldn’t be more off the mark.

Very few travellers make it to Sudan, but those who do normally come away raving about the wealth of ancient temples, monuments and tombs, which includes more pyramids than Egypt itself. They're so untouched by other visitors that you frequently have to brush away desert sands in order to get a better look at temple frescoes, painted back in a time when this part of the Sahara was still green savannah.