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16 March 1999

The Kingsmill's Trans-Africa Overland Trip, Part 12: Sudan and Egypt

Geoff Kingsmill
2006-04-25 21:25:54

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its quiet sleepy atmosphere.

We asked about how we could get to Egypt and were told that the overland route to Aswan was open and that we were no-longer required to go by ferry. We were told three other tourist vehicles had successfully crossed overland into Egypt in the last twelve months. Excited by the news we completed the necessary paperwork and early next morning were escorted by the Sudanese Army, in uniform and thongs, to the border. It was like a scene out of a movie. The Sudanese and Egyptian soldiers sit in the Nubian desert every day watching each other through powerful field binoculars. Each is fortified on the edge of a hill separated by six kilometres of desolate sandy country. We were escorted by the Sudanese soldiers to the dividing line and then waited for the Egyptian soldiers to walk down to meet us. Both sides shook hands and we were escorted to the Egyptian border post. They explained to us that this was NOT an official overland route and that they needed to get special permission from their headquarters. After spending a night camped next to their rundown barracks we were told that we could not enter Egypt via this route. They told us that we had to go back to Sudan and if we still wanted to cross overland into Egypt we should try entering via Halaib on the Red Sea Coast. We protested and explained that our Sudanese visa had by now expired but were eventually told that the decision was final and that we were to be escorted back to Sudan. By coincidence this very day, the Egyptian General was due to inspect this border post in less than an hour. They told us it was imperative that we leave immediately or everyone would be in trouble. After more negotiations we agreed to sit and wait on the dividing line to plead our case before the Egyptian General. The Egyptians then asked us if they could borrow a tyre pump to pump up their flat tyres and then to tow start their jeep so that they could escort us to Sudan. With none of their vehicles ...

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