Dear Friends and Followers. Please note, I am once again having continual service issues with IONOS, the company that hosts the blog. My “tech support,” dear brother Don, is helping to get it resolved. But meanwhile, if you attempt to comment and receive “access denied”, please let me know via email at suzanne@taketothehighway.com, wait a few hours, and please try again. Sorry for the frustrating circumstances, but thanks for sticking with me. ~Suzanne
I booked my overland trek through Sudan and Ethiopia with a UK-based company, “Dragoman.” They’ve been in business since 1981, still owned by the original founders, specializing in overland travel all around the globe. They have a fleet of 30 purpose-built overlanding trucks built in Suffolk, UK, and shipped around the world. They are billed as active tours that get off the beaten track and interact with locals in the more remote sites. We would be traveling in a giant orange truck with a Mercedes engine and integrated cab, 24 coach-style seats with two tables, and a large refrigerator, with 350 liter drinking water tank, fully equipped kitchen, camp chairs, and tents in the storage bins below.
Dragoman names their trucks, typically after notorious women. I would be spending 30 days traveling in “Amelia,” named for Amelia Earhart, with our leader Louise and driver James, both from UK. (But I will let you in on a little secret…Louise was an even better driver than James!)
The trip would be comprised of two loops…8 days through Sudan from Khartoum to Khartoum. Then we would cross the border into Ethiopia for another “lollipop” loop from Gondar to Addis Ababa. When I first booked this tour, I was told there were 22 passengers on board….almost a full truck! I thought it would be the same group for the entire 30 days, but I was pleased to learn we would get a whole new group in Ethiopia. This was good news, because while we were near full on the first loop, there would only be 11 travelers on the 22 day loop, giving lots of room to spread out, and a guaranteed window seat.
On board were passengers from Australia, Ireland, England, Denmark, Netherlands, Germany, and much to my surprise, five US citizens. One of the main reasons I often book tour companies based outside the US is primarily because you don’t find these kind of tour operators based in the US, and if you do, they are ridiculously expensive. But I also enjoy traveling with people from other parts of the world. So I was surprised to learn there were four other US citizens on board, all who had come to Sudan specifically for this loop of the trip only (they had all four been to Ethiopia on previous trips.) Who knew word was out on Sudan already?
The Sudan loop would be very different than the Ethiopia loop, simply because once one leaves Khartoum, there really aren’t any “hotels” or even restaurants for that matter. So we would be wild camping in the Sahara desert for six nights, shopping for groceries in the local markets, and preparing our own meals.
There would be two opportunities to “upgrade” to a guesthouse along the way. These guesthouses were no more than several cots in a concrete-block room with a pillow and thin mattress on a wooden frame strung with twine for springs. There was no bedding, so one still had to sleep in a sleeping bag. But for only 150 Sudanese Pounds (three bucks) it was worth not having to pitch a tent in the wind and inflate a sleeping pad that night, then cram it all back in the duffel bag before sunrise. There was a squat toilet across the courtyard. If you have never used a squat toilet, well, it’s just as it sounds. Two opposing foot platforms (if you are lucky) straddling a hole in the ground. One of these two guesthouses had a “suicide shower” (electrical heating unit attached to the shower head) affording the only opportunity for a rinse-off during the week. Otherwise, baby wipes were our best defense. Thank goodness the weather was so surprisingly cool!
Camping in the bush under the magnificent stars was stunning, and in the early hours, I could see the Southern Cross low on the horizon. Then later in the week, the waxing moon reached full on our last camp night. All six nights, the skies were clear, air was dry and warm during the day, and cold at night, like most deserts. It was much cooler in Sudan than I expected, but I managed to stay warm inside the sleeping bag, and my new down “puffy” purchased for the trip is now well broken in.
I learned a valuable lesson after my first night of pitching a tent in the Sahara….one needs to “read” the dunes to study the shape and curvature before staking out a spot. Wind tunnels through troughs in the dunes, so steer clear of any “notches” on the nearby horizon, but rather use the sand banks as a wind break. While it was a comfortable sleep, I was concerned at times that I would wake up inside a skeleton of tent poles around me.
A little known fact (at least to me,) Sudan has more pyramids than Egypt. Yet unlike the Pyramids of Giza, there were no neon “Pizza Hut” signs flashing in the background, no taxi scams, and no lines waiting to enter. Every day, we would stop at least twice to visit ancient temples, fortresses, or historic sites, and with a few rare exceptions of the odd couple here or there, we would have the sites all to ourselves. I’ve never experienced tourism like that before. That alone made me grateful for the opportunity to visit Sudan.
Here are chronological scenes from the first half of the week, Khartoum to Meroë:
Next Up: Sudan’s most famous tourist attraction, the Meroë Pyramids, and the second half of the loop, Meroë back to Khartoum.
Ooh, I’ve been waiting for another post. 🙂 Sudan looks amazing so far!
We are gobsmacked by what you are sharing! Thank you so very much. Our American educations are so lacking on including this fascinating part of the world. We are fascinated on the nightly accommodations having begun our travels over 50 years ago with tents and privys, but long ago graduated to roadside restaurants and restaurants. Of course ours was an economic decision, not an availability one. You are giving us google goals that will take months to fill. thanks
allen and deede
I bow down with admiration of your willingness to be roughing it. I think I’m not built for overlanding. The bus is great! Thanks for sharing a location I will probably not ever see.
Gobsmacked is a good word. What a wonderful opportunity!
I too read the first comment of this post and thought “yeah gobsmacked is exactly the right word”!!!! So that makes me the third reader who’s been gobsmacked by Suzanne’s fantastic adventures.
Goodness, Suzann. You are wandering worlds I have never thought about much less seen. What an amazing way to travel. Always on the travel edge so few of us dare to go.
Count me in as gobsmacked as well. These blog posts are captivating!
Gobsmacked am I too. So smart to book a foreign tour.
What an adventure, makes me want to learn more about Sudan
Wow, I find the Black Pariahs fascinating. Makes you wonder what else is out there waiting to be discovered.
Wow! Wow! Wow! The archeology and history is amazing! Those red granite temples and blue painted carvings and historic burials and beehive graves! Yep, “gobsmacked” says it all! And this: “…unlike those little monsters in Ethiopia…” Hahahaha! I’ve had a tiny taste of overlanding, but this? This takes the cake!
I’ve never in my life wanted to be thought of as a stalker. But, daaaang, please, please consider taking me along on some future, wondrous trek, Suzanne. I promise with all my heart I will stay at least five steps behind you and never speak unless spoken to. Pinky promise, even!
I can’t wait til your next installment…You got spunk, girl. I so admire spunk! 🙂
What an incredible journey! Amazing sights and photos…I am loving following your travels!
This reminds me so much of Egypt. My parents lived there for three years and we flew over to visit. I’ll never forget the first time we saw the “squat” toilet!! Not for us!! It was 30 years ago we went and thing were much more rustic than today. They leave the tail on the animal so you will know what it is. This was how my mother would shop for meat. This was the only vacation I lost weight on!!! Your photos are spectacular. Your are one brave lady!! I am sharing your posts with my mother. This is her idea of places to visit.