Africa – we are definitely here!

10th April – 3rd May 2007 (Egypt and Sudan)

Eight days to travel a 1000 miles – 90% off road, on sand and corrugation (got to be experienced to be ‘appreciated’), temperatures exceeding 50 degrees centigrade, no washing facilities, a plague of Nile fly’s and dust every where – welcome to Sudan!

But I’m jumping ahead because when we last left you we were underneath Bula in Luxor, Egypt with a various mechanics trying to sort out a worrying ‘knocking’; after two days this was sorted (at least we thought so) and we spent the time exploring the fantastic sights around Luxor – the Temple of Hatshepsut, Valley of the Kings and various other tombs and temples. On Friday the 13th April we headed south again to Aswan, Egypts most southerly town and a very pleasant place (apart from the constant hassling from the touts). It is here that they have built the Aswan High Dam and it is therefore the departure point for the ferry to Sudan; however this only runs once a week so we had a week to wait. We found a great spot to camp and soon met other overlanders coming from both directions and managed to catch up on all the ‘tips’ for our next stage. While in Aswan we visited Abu Simbel, probably Egypt's most famous temple and also spent a fabulous 24 hours on a Felucca (a traditional Nubian Nile sailing boat).

Booking Bula onto the Ferry was the main objective for the week and it took all week, living up to its reputation of negotiation and hassle. As the week progressed more overlanders arrived which meant we could put the vehicles on a separate barge (as opposed to the people ferry) which would leave 2 days before the ferry but hopefully arrive in Wadi Halfa at the same time. The barge was to carry 3 Landrovers, 1 Toyota Cruiser, 2 Motorbikes and 1 Overland Truck, though unfortunately we were not allowed to travel with Bula which was a worry as thought we might never see her again and be stranded in Wadi Halfa – not a great scenario! However, as the German couple was traveling with a dog & Klaus the owner was allowed to go with the vehicles so promised to keep an eye on everyone else’s vehicles so we all felt a bit better. After 6 hours of ‘formalities’ we loaded Bula onto the Barge and waved her good bye. Saturday night was spent on the Felucca (a real trip highlight & so relaxing!) and Sunday night in a cheap hotel before it was our turn to follow Bula south across Lake Nasser (300 miles). We arrived at the port for 9am as instructed and eventually set sail at 6pm – the time in between being spent watching the amazing spectacle of loading an African Ferry……. quite unbelievable and too difficult to describe here! Once we set sail we had a 17 hour journey which was spent in our ‘1st class cabin’ – an absolute haven compared to the rest of the extremely crowded boat but hardly celeberous and the toilets were definitely not for the squeamish! So much for all the advice not to go to Sudan, as we now had 25 western travelers on the ferry ranging from Finland, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, Argentina, France, Australia and the UK in all modes of transport – backpackers (relying on public transport), 4 x 4’s, trucks, motorbikes and even a couple of cyclists…… and you all thought we were mad in a Landrover!

We eventually docked in Wadi Halfa, Sudan at midday on Tuesday 24th April, a real dusty one horse border town, so after negotiating our way through immigration, reuniting our selves with Bula (what a relief) and battling with customs (total of 5 hours) we drove out into the desert for a spot of wild camping and prepare our selves for the ‘leisurely’ drive to Khartoum! The fun started almost immediately the next day as we had our first blow out after only a few miles. Tyre changing in 45 degree centrigrade heat & in sand is not something I had practiced much but was it was quickly accomplished with Klaus’ assistance & it was back to Wadi Halfa to repair the tyre, another interesting experience! By now we were traveling in a ‘convoy’ – Ed & Sue from Gloucester in there specially made 130 Defender, Klaus, Alex and Basco (the Dog) from Germany in an overland truck, Retu and Victoria from Switzerland and Argentina respectively in a Toyota Landcrusier, Kevin and Kistina from Denmark in a Defender 110, Jason from Germany on a BMW 650 motorbike and finally Richard and Sasha from Bournemouth on there 1955 Royal Enfield Motorbike. The convoy format made sense as there was only 1 track south and it proved some what challenging, so safety in numbers seemed to make good sense. As it turned out this proved invaluable as we all needed to help each other out at some stage, plus the camaraderie and craic was great; evenings were spent cooking and chatting around the tents recounting the days events and earlier experiences; the only thing missing was a nice cold beer but Sudan is a ‘dry’ country and alcohol is strictly prohibited plus the fridges were all battling to stay cool with in cab temperatures exceeding 60 degrees c.

The trip to Khartoum (600 miles) took us a week with numerous ‘events’ along the way, with the bikers in particular definitely needing vehicle support as most things broke off, leaving us to carry all their luggage and water, with the latter proving essential as consumption was exceeding 15 liters + per person, per day so it was luck that we had bought a 130 liters in Aswan! Apart from the early puncture and subsequent oil seal leak in the rear half shafts Bula held up remarkably well and got us to Khartoum in one piece. In addition to the road conditions and heat we experienced a plague of Nile Fly’s for one evening and a two day sand storm so think nature gave us a pretty good test!


Those were the challenges we faced which may have made it sound a tad unpleasant but in actual fact has been great, with spectacular scenery, unbelievably hospitable and friendly people, wild desert camping and very much what Africa is all about and why we came – so Sudan is currently up there as one of our top spots. We are now in Khartoum, which is still exceptionally hot and unfortunately has poor camping facilities (ie. no running water) so we are treating our selves to two nights in the Hilton – air con, shower, bath and internet – all the things we take for granted back home but fully appreciate after a week or so in the desert! Yesterday was spent at the Landrover garage sorting a few of Bulas minor ‘aliments’ and we were treated to dinner afterwards at the manager’s house with his family, who also volunteered to do all our laundry….. not sure a UK garage manager would provide quite the same service?

Saturday we head back up north to see some of Sudan’s historic sights before heading east to the cooler (and wetter) climate of Ethiopia. So much has happened in the last few weeks and it is fantastic to finally be in the ‘real Africa’. Our experiences are to numerous to detail in the blog but be assured we will bore you on our return. The world, work, schedules etc all seem a million miles away as our daily routine has taken on a whole new perspective so getting back to ‘normality’ could be our toughest challenge yet!

The hardest part is missing our friends and family, particularly as communication is so difficult so hope we have not been forgotten and look forward to catching up over a few beers when we get back. Next stop Ethiopia!