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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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Greetings from Cairo Egypt,

We've had quite an adventure trying to get from Sudan to Egypt.

Three weeks ago we headed north of Khartoum for Atbara. On the way we visited the Royal Pyramids of Meroe. It was very hot and windy as we walked amongst the pyramids sitting atop a rocky outcrop, some partially covered by the sands of time. The pyramids were good however they are nowhere near as grand as those in Egypt. It was good to look inside some of the partially restored pyramid entrances.

At Atbara we crossed the Nile River by ferry and then headed North West through the Bayuda Desert to Karima. This was not a road per se but rather a track. In places the track is over one kilometre wide as vehicles search for a smoother ride and harder ground. This meant that we also had to stay alert to avoid taking one of the many side trips to no-mans-land. Some parts were sandy while others were very rocky. This is a real desert where almost nothing lives except for the odd camel. Very little vegetation and very different to the Australian deserts.

Just before Karima we again crossed the Nile River and camped at the foot of the Jabel Barkal Temple ruins. The following day we spent the first part of the morning exploring the ruins before buying some more fuel and fresh provisions. We then headed north west out through the Nubian Desert to Dongola. The Nubian Desert was fantastic. It was even more remote and desolate than the Bayuda desert we travelled through the day before and covers all the area north of Karima to Southern Egypt and across to the Red Sea. We had to register with the police before crossing and then notify the police on our arrival in Dongola. This was a real desert and just what you imagine the Sahara to be like. There were no signs of life or vegetation. Just mile after mile of sand, gravel, sand dune or rocky mountain. The route is marked by two metre high pegs every kilometre or so. There are tracks going everywhere ...