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Egypt-sudan route and beyond Egypt-sudan route and beyond
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North Africa Topics specific to North Africa and the Sahara down to the 17th parallel (excludes Morocco)
Photo by Andy Miller, UK, Taking a rest, Jokulsarlon, Iceland

I haven't been everywhere...
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Photo by Andy Miller, UK,
Taking a rest,
Jokulsarlon, Iceland



Trans Sahara Routes.

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  #1  
Old 27 Feb 2004
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Egypt-sudan route and beyond
I was just wondering if anybody has any advice about routes through egypt sudan ethiopia and kenya. I am planning a trip for the summer and was hoping to get some fresh info on the situation with southern Egypt and southern sudan. The plan is hopefully to end up in South Africa via victoria falls. Help, advice and condemnation is all welcome.
Steve M
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  #2  
Old 28 Feb 2004
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Im sitting in Genoa right now about to do the Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia Kenya route! Ill let you know how it all goes - Ill be in Kenya by May.
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  #3  
Old 28 Feb 2004
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there are no great problems with the route, but its going to be ridiculously hot: 50+ in Sudan. personally, I wouldn't even consider doing it in the summer. you have to be extraordinarily heat tolerant to survive it so don't underestimate it, but maybe consider delaying a bit so you cross the nubian desert in oct/nov.

egypt is a load of carnet hassle. DO NOT freight your bike there by air cos the airport guys don't do enough vehicles to know what they are doing.

there's 500-600km of sand in northern sudan and only one fuel stop so you'll need a BIG tank to ensure you get there. count on high consumption of both fuel and water. maybe even more than 10 litres a day. I'd suggest you try to stay ahead of the weekly train so you have some chance of rescue if the motor croaks in the heat.

ethiopia ... I didn't believe the hype about rock/stick throwing and was saddened to find it worse than its reputation. beautiful country, though and, at 2000-3000m it will be cool compared to sudan.

the north Kenyan track from Moyale to Isiolo is OK, but very rough and you don't want to be there in the rains - there is black cotton soil north of Marsabit and you'll see where trucks have bogged beyond their axles.
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  #4  
Old 28 Feb 2004
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Hi Rich,
just about to take this route. Hope you don't mind if I pick your brains a bit?
Is Northern Sudan the only place I have to worry about fuel range? (I have roughly a 250l capacity including tank). Which route did you take south from Wadi Halfa? What was water availability like on this route?
When is the worst of the wet season in kenya? I know it's mainly the summer months but was wondering if april-may falls in this category.....sorry to ask so many questions but I guess I'd much rather find out now then risk getting stuck later!!
George
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  #5  
Old 28 Feb 2004
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hi. I came the other way in Oct/Nov last year. assuming you mean 25 litres, northern sudan would be the biggest test. I had a 45 litre tank and was either short changed at the mid-way or I was using a lot, but I was riding at 100kmh across the soft sand. in third! water: the river nile! but take a filter. I carried 11 litres and stayed a day ahead of the train and generally stayed within sight of the track so I had an escape route if something went wrong.

I'd hope the rains will be sufficiently ahead of you that april is OK for northern kenya. Swiss Steve told me it took 3 muddy days in January compared with 6 hours with the throttle pinned in october.

if you're heading further south, I wouldn't try the eastern board of Tanzania in April as its tough in dry weather and reckoned to be impassable in the rainy season
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  #6  
Old 1 Mar 2004
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Hello,
we have just crossed Egypt, coming from Khartoum (Sudan), and are now in Jordan.
Some views back:
* road from Khartoum North to Abu Dom is tar, from there to Dongola working on new road (now dust), from Dongola up North to Wadi Halfa at least 2-3 days, but with some local petrol stations (even accepted U$). Last 150 km severe corrugations (worst part between Cape Town and here !)
* Egypt: Port of Nuweiba (from Jordan) is very efficient as hundreds of trucks pass here in a week. Port of Aswan (to Sudan), slow as traffic police has to come from city to port, and they come only once every some days. Remember that strech Luxor-Qena-Hurgada-Cairo is in convoi (unless you talk at every checkpoint every 50 km).
* For info on cost of ferry connection Aswan-Wadi Halfa, see my info from some wks ago on this site below.
* For Sudan now again travel permit required if traveling out of Khartoum to South / Gedaref / Ethiopia
* See our website www.vtv1.nl/adriveforwildlife
for some travel-reports
Greetings from Petra/Jordan

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  #7  
Old 23 Mar 2004
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I planning to go up north to sudan, egypt and so on (i am in ethiopia now) in june, i do understand that it will be very hot, but can it be done ???
Fuel range : Do u think that the Nile ROUTE (the western lets say, not the one that follows the train track) can be done with an automony of 300 km ??
I meet several people coming from sudan heading to kenya and no one told me that there are such fuel problems ..
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  #8  
Old 24 Mar 2004
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By the sound of your email, the route you wish to follow is similar to the one I took last year, you can download it here: http://www.catchthepig.co.uk/the_route.htm

I captured a waypoint every evening and took the route following the nile as opposed to heading along the railway tracks to Atbara.
My fuel range was 400km and the only place I almost ran out was through the Omo valley in Ethiopia.

Geoff

ps Hello Mauro, glad to hear you'll be on the road again soon
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