A Leap Into The Dark: Khartoum

bridge across the River Nile

Khartoum is a large modern city of almost five million people built on the convergence of the Blue and White Nile. Currently the largest country in Africa, things are set to change following the recent referendum on Southern Sudan independence.

The airport boasts an foreign exchange office but you will get 20% better rates at the MTN office opposite. The taxis are all unionised and charge a whopping SP25 for the 4km drive into central Khartoum.

Unfortunately, the bureaucratic requirements mean that i have to spend my first few days registering in the “Aliens” office, collecting a photographic permit (Ministry of Tourism and Wild-Life) and procuring an Egyptian visa for my onward travels.

Take a stroll along the banks of the Blue Nile and the love of bureaucracy is clear for all to see. Government offices include the Ministry of Minerals (the petroleum office is a separate entity in itself), the Ministry of Youth and Sports and the Ministry of the Interior.

I base myself in the Central Hotel (negotiating a single for SP50) in the city centre only to find that the Alien Registration Office and Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife have now both been moved to the southern part of the city. The room is spacious, has local TV and even air-con. The toilet in 310 leaks however.

Registration is vital. Bring your passport, a copy of your visa and info page (available outside the office), a letter from your hotel and a photo. It takes some 2 hours and a loss of SP110 for this to be completed. A photographic permit is required from the Ministry of Tourism and Wildlife, but after Alien Registration, i just can’t be assed. Let’s see what happens.

Fortunately, the Egyptian Consulate is only a kilometre away from my hotel. Bring your passport, a copy, two photos and SP60 in the morning – it is meant to open at 9am although 9.30 is more realistic. It should be ready by 3pm the same day.

Wadi Halfa to Aswan ferry tickets can be pre-booked at Bahri (Khartoum North) train station and i book a first class ticket for SP153.

It’s a pleasant enough city and a stroll along the banks of the Nile is a great way to appreciate the city.

Photographic prohibitions of taking pictures of/from the bridges means the best way of getting a photo of the Nile convergence is from the Ferris wheel at Al-Mogram Family Park. It is open from 10am-11pm but the rides only open from 3 or 4pm on week-days.

The sprawling Omdurman Market is the largest souq in Sudan where you can purchase pretty much everything. Crocodile heads seem to be particularly popular.

There is a camel market in the far west of Omdurman, although it only gets interesting on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays. There is no public transport to the market and i sort out a rickshaw from and return fare from Omdurman Market for SP40.

With such a short visa and running around sorting out bits of bureaucracy, i really don’t have enough time to do the city justice.

I see riot police in vans, but witness no demonstartions, although i later find out there were protests on the university campus.