Traveling from South Africa to Kenya has been easy, the
transport infrastructure is set and its simple to go from one country to the
next on only one bus.
I had to fly into Addis Ababa from Nairobi due to visa
issue but I honestly would not recommend road travel North of Kenya to anyone,
it is really not safe.
From Addis to Khartoum you will need to take a 12 hour
bus to Gondar, long distance traveling is prohibited in Ethiopia after dark so
your bus will leave Addis Ababa at 5am. You will arrive in Gondar just before
sunset. This bus will set you back 485 Birr.
Be aware that all the bathroom stops are in the bushes,
and only lunch is at a restaurant that is not really appealing so I suggest you
have a packed lunch.
Find a hotel in Gondar, there is one right next to the
bus station, about a 50 metre walk. Stay the night and in the morning you will
take a mini bus taxi to Matema which is the neighbouring village to Sudan. This
is a 4 hour drive because you keep stopping for people to get on and off. This
mini bus will cost you 70 Birr.
At the Matema Bus station, take a Bajaj (Tuk-Tuk) to the
border, it is about 4 to 5 kilometres away. Do not pay more than 10 Birr for
the minibus.
At the border you will go through customs to check your
bags, then get stamped out and just like that you are out of Ethiopia.
Then you walk 50 metres and this is where your nightmare
will begin to build up. Walk 50 metres over the bridge to Sudan customs, on
your way there will be guys to exchange your money for you into Sudanese
Pounds. I however changed my money back in Gondar.
To get stamped into Sudan is quite a process, especially
because the customs officials would rather sit outside in the heat under a tree
and drink their coffee.
Should you go out and ask for assistance, do it in English
as they only speak Arabic. They will help you quickly to get rid of you.
At the Sudan border you will need a copy of your passport
and a copy of your visa. I don’t know what for but just be prepared. You will
also be required to pay 50 USD to register as a tourist if you intend to spend
more than 3 days in Sudan. And if you are using public transport, you will
definitely spend more than 3 days.
Yes, the 50 USD is to be paid even though you paid for
your visa.
Then proceed to have your luggage checked by Sudanese
customs officials. This is simple and real quick. From there drop your bag off
at the bus office and proceed to the security office. I am not very sure what
happens here but have your passport and someone will write your details on a
piece of paper and you are good to go get that bus ticket.
Here is the real nightmare – due to the fact that buses
cannot drive in Sudan after dark just like in Ethiopia you have to spend a night
in Gallabat. Gallabat is a bordering village to Ethiopia. Be aware that there
are no good hotels in this place. They call them hotels but what they really
are shelters with beds, mattresses two fingers thick and look bed bug riddled.
Good luck, you are going to need it. I spent the night at the hotel by the
police station, it was much better than some of the places I saw that looked
like a scene from a horror movie.
At 7am, you will take the bus from Gallabat to Khartoum
which costs 115 Sudanese Pounds. Toilet breaks are just in the middle of the
dessert, stay away from liquid although you can’t because Sudan is extremely
hot. Just good luck, you need it.
After 12 hours on the bus, you will have arrived
in Khartoum. And you will meet the nicest people who just want to feed you.
These are the Sudanese people.
Feel at home.
x0x0
#TheSolowanderer