Home » Egypt » Cycle to the Summit Part 11 - from Dongola to Khartoum

Most advice says to take a bus from Dongola to Debba - the sand is too deep to cycle through. In this instalment, the intrepid team give it their best shot, get ill, tired, rejoice at the sight of tarmac, and do some moonlit night-riding before making it to Khartoum and the excellent hospitality of a senior french diplomat.

Cycle to the Summit Part 11 - from Dongola to Khartoum

Toby Hammond
2006-06-25 19:24:18

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a great tailwind. We stopped at a café to get out of the heat, and were soon surrounded by amazed ex-pats from Khartoum - on an excursion to 'escape Eid' - the muslim festival that involves quite a bit of goat-slaughtering. Several rolls of film and a few interviews later, and we left to get in some more miles before sundown.

23rd Some desert (tarmac) to some more desert (tarmac) 136km (Ruth and Paul) 180km (Owy and Toby)

24th Some desert (tarmac) to Khartoum 84km (Ruth and Paul) / 40km (Owy and Toby)

When we realised how close Khartoum was getting the next day - with the promise of ice cream, and rumours of illicit beer (unfounded)- Owy, Toby and Al couldn't resist cycling on into the night, and notched up 180km before falling asleep firstly on the road, and then at the side of the road, some 40km short of Khartoum. The others sensibly stopped a few hours earlier, and we were all re-united the following morning, having arranged to meet at the confluence of the Blue and White Niles - just west of the centre of Khartoum. An unsuccessful attempt at blagging a complimentary room in the Hilton later (we got free drinks though), we ended up in a campsite near the centre of town. Toby's delight at the availability of cheap food and drink in town turned to horror, though, when his beloved Sony minidisk player which kept him pedalling through the tough times, was stolen while he was busy filling his face..
At the time of writing we are staying as guests of a senior French diplomat, who we met on the road to Khartoum. We are camping in the grounds of his blue and white villa, complete with swimming pool, chef, and other staff. We even had our filthy clothes cleaned for us - It's a hard life! There has been a lot of admin to deal with since our arrival, endless permits, visas, and letters of recommendation to arrange. We hope to leave for Ethiopia in the next few days, providing the visas are approved, so for now, that's all!

All the best
Toby