Wadi Halfa

The ferry & barge sailing days have changed just this week - the ferry now leaves Wadi Halfa every Tuesday. Not sure of the new barge day.

OK, this is the first time in nearly 4 years that we have engaged the services of a fixer. Although it hurt, it is necessary principally because you cannot load your own car on the barge, as it (generally) leaves the day after the passenger ferry.

We used Mazar, recommended by many and also by us. Business-like, efficient (apart from an inability to answer text messages), friendly & intelligent, he is everything you could ask for in a fixer. We certainly felt comfortable leaving him with our car. Tel: +249 122380740 EMail: mazarhalfa@gmail.com

Costs. Total SDG2094 ($360)
Car SDG 1478 ($255)
Ferry Tickets, 2nd class x 2 SDG 424 ($73)
Customs SDG 120 ($20)
Departure Tax SDG 42 ($7)
Ferry Reservation SDG 30 ($5)

Mazar’s fee. When we asked what his fee was he just said “pay me what you like” - always a potential problem. We paid him $30 & he was very happy. All I would say is, please don’t inflate it... people before paid $40.

On the ferry see the Captain, Mohammed (white turban, silver teeth!!!) & for a small tip (we paid SDG50) he will secure you a sleeping area near the helm.

Aswan

We used a fixer & regretted it - we don’t believe it’s necessary.

I won’t give you our fixer’s details, as we wouldn’t really recommend him. But he did do the job...eventually...with a lot of cajoling & prompting. He spoke very little English & didn’t want to communicate anything anyway.

HOWEVER, I will give you the details of a very helpful man who appears to be a senior port official. He clearly told us that fixers weren’t needed & gave us his contact details to give to other overlander: Idries Mahmoud Tel: 01006845201

Costs. Total E£ 800
Customs E£ 550
Insurance/number plates E£ 230
Port entry (baksheesh for police) E£ 10 p/person

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As has been mentioned several times before, I would perfectly agree with Taniya on the issue of fixers in Aswan. Mahmoud Idriss is indeed a good and quite professional guy who does speak some English and is in fact the guy the other fixers have to deal with at some point. Especially coming from the South, I would definitely recommend him as well.

Greetings,
Achim

So please do post his details; also negative experiences should be shared to help others!

I would like to share my experience with those recent border crossing.
In december 2012 I came up from Sudan do Egypt without using fixers and with out CARNET! it is possible, if you have time and you have to be very PATIENT! and POLITE! it works like charm,soon or later some one will help you, WITH OUT asking you for money,I learn that traveling over 40countries most of them 3rd world countries.
I must admit it, help me a lot financially and emotionally,it worked from me!
I was riding US register bike with Polish passport.

Since we're all sharing ;-)...

I used almost every single person available in dealing with our Sudanese visas and the ferry from Aswan - Wadi Halfa. Some background on us... We were 5 Americans and 2 Brits in 3 vehicles (2 w/ US plates, 1 UK plates).

We were trying to get to Sudan and spent about 4 weeks in Aswan trying to get visas and then waiting for the ferry (it was Ramadan). We did make it to Sudan, just in time for the US Ambassador to Libya to be killed and for people to riot in Khartoum!

In Aswan, we used Timur to help us basically do everything. We were there for so long, he was our go-to guy. We didn't actually pay him anything, but used him to book some tours and other stuff where he made money. He was able to hook us up with a lot of the other people we worked with and overall I think he is a great guy and a fantastic ally to have in a city like Aswan.

Mazar helped us get our Sudanese visas and he is just an awesome awesome guy. We hung out with him for about a week and just had a blast. He works with Midhat (who is his brother) and Magdhi (who is his uncle). We ended up hanging out with Midhat in Khartoum, but not using him for any services.

Due to all of our roadblocks, we went several directions with the ferry. We had Kamal help us do all the paperwork and get on the boat. He is definitely a weird guy, but he was always where he said he woudl be when he said he's be there...no Egyptian time with this guy. He got everything done that he said he would and for only $15 per person. We also had extra problems with our carnet, since the folks at the Salloum border apparently stamped it incorrectly. Kamal helped us sort it out with multiple trips to the port. Sidenote : not a single port person, nor Kamal tried to get bribes or anything from us for this, which was a pleasant surprise.

There was an individual named Jamal who worked at or near the Sudanese consulate (we never were sure which it was) and he helped us with visa updates and hooked us up with a guy taht worked in some capacity (I think managing cargo shipments?) at the port, named Mahmoud. He was the one that got our cars access to the port so that they would be guaranteed a spot on the barge. The parking fee was 30LE per day per car.

Saleh, the ticket guy wouldn't sell us tickets until he knew that we had our cars on the barge, but the barge couldn't guarantee that they would get on until the day after the ferry left (start circular logic here)!!

Essentially, while all working for us, Kamal, Mahmoud, and Saleh were constantly trashing each other and anytime we would tell one of them than another said something, we got a retort of "who is he? some taxi driver?!" or "he is just some cargo loader, he knows nothing!" In the end, they all were right about 50% of the time and full of BS the other 50% of the time.

As a general rule, trust EVERYTHING that Magdhi and Mazar tell you. They never had us going on wild goose chases, were honest, and extremely helpful. They didn't BS and at every turn, they got results.

Funny side note...the daily joke was about how the consulate was always waiting for a fax from Khartoum allowing them to process our visas. The name of the guy who was supposedly receiving these faxes was "Mohammed Ramadan." We joked taht CLEARLY this is a fake name, as John Christmas would be the most western equivelant. Well, it turns out there really is a Mohammed Ramadan, and he does indeed receieve faxes (just not ours because the ministry of foreign affairs never sent it...until we got Mazar involved).

Lastly, there is a guy named Mohamed Abd Alim. He is the customs manager and was very helpful and friendly. He said that with the vehicles in the port, he needed to hold on the carnets. We reluctantly let him hold them, but there were no issues and he got them to us promptly when we returned a few days later to get the vehicles on the boat. Apparently he is manager of Mahmoud and somehow has Saleh reporting to him (although we are still unsure if Saleh works for the same company or a 3rd party). Mohamed Abd Alim is also the one who decides which barge is going to sail...there are a couple to choose from, one that can fit more cargo and one that fit vehicles, so getting in with him is helpful. His number is 122 640 6861. Lastly, he is the one that also sells the tickets for vehicles on the ferry (Saleh deals with tickets for people).

Sounds like from all the posts here there is a lot of great info for the future idiots that are planning to do this ;-) Good luck intrepid fools!

Spoiler Alert : (It's totally worth it - Sudan was fantastic!)

We Took the Ferry Wadi Halfa to Aswan


We arrived two-up on a motorcycle on Wadi Halfa on Wednesday. We put the bike on the barge on Thursday. We took the ferry on Friday, May 17th.

Note: The ferry dates have changed leaving one day earlier. From Wadi Halfa the boat leaves on Tuesday (not on Wednesday) and on Sunday from Aswan. Once in a while they run two ferries on the same week leaving on Friday from Wadi Halfa.

Prior to arriving to Wadi Halfa we contacted Magdi (+249 905 568968) who has several good reviews here on the HUBB. We sent him a scan copy of our passports, carnet the passage and vehicle import documents that we got from customs.

Magdi made the ferry bookings on first class for us and made the booking at Cangan Hotel. We paid around USD14 per night. The hotel has no towels or toilet paper, which is quite common in Sudan. We agreed on the prices via email prior to arrival. He waited for us in Wadi Halfa, took us to have lunch, showed us where the hotel was and where to find the internet café. He took our passports and carnet the passage.

The next day he came to the hotel to take the motorcycle to the port. I sat on a chair while he worked his magic. We showed the custom office the chasis and engine number. Then we took the boat to the barge that Magdi had already made the arrangements for. I had to the tip the captain 4 USD and no other tip to the people that helped us put the bike on the barge.

The next day Magdi arranged transport to the ferry. He did all the necessary paper work and forms. We just sat waiting until it was time to board. Magdi took us all the way to our cabin and finally he asked for us to pay him.

We paid a total of 240 USD for 2 people on first class cabin, the barge for the motorcycle and all the necessary paper work.

The ferry ride:
The boat left 3 hours later than scheduled and one of the engines of the boat was not working. So instead of the 16 to 18 hours boat ride it took around 24 hours to reach Aswan. We had lunch/dinner and breakfast on the boat. The food was ok and they sell cold drinks. We recommend taking snacks and drinks as the prices are higher than on mainland. We also used our own sheets because the bed did not look very clean.

The boat ride was slow and uneventful. Definitely take movies or books to keep you entertained. We were happy to pay the extra dollars for the cabin as it provided privacy and we were able to relax.

Aswan:

Magdi had already communicated with Mohamed Abouda (+201 225 111 968) of our arrival. He was waiting for us at the boat exit. It took a bit of time to clear customs and we went to the ISIS hotel as we wanted the best we could afford after Sudan. We were able to negotiate a 50 USD rate per night per room. We still think it was overpriced, as we would expect more of a 4 star hotel. It was wonderful though, to finally use a nice bathroom with strong water pressure for shower, good towels and clean sheets.

The next day Mohamed came to pick me up to take the bike out of the barge and through customs. I agreed on the price with Mohamed prior to leaving the hotel. I paid 900 Egyptian pounds (exchange was 7 Egyptian pounds per USD) for the taxi all the necessary paper work and random tips. Then Mohamed charged me 50 USD for his fees (I read on another post that when there are several bikes he charges 20 USD).

Mohamed did all the talking and the entire running around. I just followed and waited. We were able to get the bike out of the barge and clear customs in less than 6 hours. We were very happy with the service and decided to hire Mohamed to take us on his boat on a tour of the Nile for 300 EGP.

The next day Mohamed arranged for us to go visit Abu Simbel, Philae temple and the dam for 100 EGP per person. We heard that you can pay as low as 75 on a van. We actually think it might have been more comfortable to go by bus, but it would be difficult to visit more than one sight.

Mohamed also gave us tips about places to visit and hotels to stay on the way north to Cairo.

Overall we feel extremely happy and lucky with the service that both Magdi and Mohamed provided. You might be able to negotiate better prices than we did but we felt that the service they provided was great and they deserved the money. Magdi/Mohamed is the winning combination!

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