Any recent info on Djibouti/Ethiopia/Sudan/Egipt?
 

Hi,
I'm considering crossing from Yemen to a porth in the west sore of the red sea to travel north through to Egipt and crossing to Jordan.
I'm traveling alone on a bike.
I will be most gratefull for any recent info.
Specifically about routes - roads/petrol availability and conditions, safety, border crossings and bureocratic issues.


(I posted here about this recently but it has since dissapeared! Did I dream posting it?).

Many thanks.
Fernando/DD

Should be no problem. Sudan can be a difficult visa to get - it seems to vary with where you apply for it. As for routes, there aren't many choices, In Sudan, you can follow the Nile or do a more central route that follows the train tracks. the central route looks like a bigger, easier road on a map, but by all accounts it is much more difficult. Following the nile is the way to go. With most of the rest of the trip, there will not be much choice of what route to take "the only one" will be the common answer.

petrol
 

Hi,
Thanks for the comment. I've been reading a couple of threads around here and everyone rates Sudan Top (and Egipt lowest! Bureocracy...).
Do you have any info about petrol situation. Are there plenty of refueling posts, I travel on a Dakar with the standard tank; it does just over 200miles, not loads, you see...)
and quality?
What about (beach like) sand stretches? Long, deep...?
Thanks Pete
DD

Sudan is really a great country for biking, nice people and beautiful landscape, but the bureaucracy can get heavy.. just smile nod. As for your fuel I would say you need to carry at least another 5L with you. I can t remember what the furthest distance between refills was, but there were times when i I came close to running out on a 28L tank. Remember also that sometimes you will get to a village with a fuel pump, but it will be empty which can really mess with your schedule!

As for sand; you can do the trip easily without ever hitting a lot of sand if you choose to stick to the main road the whole way (Nile route), there are plenty of opportunities to find sand if you want to. Some of the "shortcuts" are very difficult but also very rewarding.

Hope you have as much fun as I did!
Jim