Khartoum to Cairo

[WorldRider]

I see there is quite a bit of information of travelers going south with vehicles from Aswan to Wadi Haifa. But what about the other direction?

1) Does anyone have information on schedules and process of putting a bike on a barge and going north?

2) How is the road from Wadi to Atbara? How much sand does one have to deal with on a loaded bike?

3) Egypt Plates? So can I get them in Aswan? And where can they be returned?

4) Is Egypt worth it or should I just try finding a boat in Port Sudan and going North this way? Anyone done that?

I posted in the Route Planning Forum questions regarding the route from Dar to Karthoum, so for you experienced African travelers maybe you can have a look here and see what my plan is and offer any thoughts:

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...ia-north-33198

thanks

allan

[enfieldtravels]

Hi Allan,

1 - can't remember the day it goes North but basically just turn up the day before and all will be sorted. Definitely the schedule is on the HUBB somewhere.... Ideally get the number of the guy who sorts things out in Wadi Halfa and give him a bell from Khartoum. As a tip for Wadi Halfa don't bother to stay in the hotels there, not very nice or particularly cheap either. Just ride out from the town a bit and camp in the desert.

2 - There's plenty of sand, some bad sections of deep deep corrugations and some good stuff too. They're well on the way with building a new tar road so you can use that for long sections. It's all quite doable though. Advice would be to take it slow, be prepared to spend at least 5 days from Atbara and carry a lot of water. There are plenty of villages most of the way and they all have shade and water which you will need to purify ideally.

3 - Yep you get the Egypt plates in Aswan and return them at the border you leave Egypt from. Aswan port is a bit away from, town so you have to leave your bike at the port and go into town to sort out the plates. You'll probably have to leave your bike at the port and sleep in town at least one night.

4 - I didn't particularly enjoy most of Egypt personally. Lots of hassle in the tourist areas and the convoys were a pain in the arse. But places away from tourists were nice and the Sinai laid back. But the ride up the Nile in Sudan was a definite highlight for me so I would strongly recommend going through Egypt even if only to see the North of Sudan.

Hope that helps. Cheers

Richard

[Gades]

Hi WorldRider

If you are rounding Khartoum - feel free to give me a buzz, might be able to provide free accomodation for a night or two.

Take care of the Amjag's (small mini-busses - I believe they call them busito's in El Salvador ) and the yellow cabs, they wont know you exists

+249 9123 95 546

Your log is nice and the pics makes me dream

Kristoffer
VFR parked in EU while I am eating dust here ...

[WorldRider]

Originally Posted by enfieldtravels

Hi Allan,

1 - As a tip for Wadi Halfa don't bother to stay in the hotels there, not very nice or particularly cheap either. Just ride out from the town a bit and camp in the desert.

sounds great.

2 - There's plenty of sand, some bad sections of deep deep corrugations and some good stuff too. They're well on the way with building a new tar road so you can use that for long sections. It's all quite doable though. Advice would be to take it slow, be prepared to spend at least 5 days from Atbara and carry a lot of water. There are plenty of villages most of the way and they all have shade and water which you will need to purify ideally.

okay. so the sand? for how long are the deep sections. were you loaded. it's very slow or guaranteed fall for me. and going alone a fall can use a LOT of water and be nearly impossible to pick up alone or without removing everything.

3 - Yep you get the Egypt plates in Aswan and return them at the border you leave Egypt from. Aswan port is a bit away from, town so you have to leave your bike at the port and go into town to sort out the plates. You'll probably have to leave your bike at the port and sleep in town at least one night.

sounds like a hassle and lots of time. but that's egypt.

4 - I didn't particularly enjoy most of Egypt personally. Lots of hassle in the tourist areas and the convoys were a pain in the arse. But places away from tourists were nice and the Sinai laid back. But the ride up the Nile in Sudan was a definite highlight for me so I would strongly recommend going through Egypt even if only to see the North of Sudan.

Hope that helps. Cheers

Richard

Helps a lot. I've long wanted to go to Sudan and do that trip... I just don't want to "work" to hard or put myself in a risky position (from the riding or potential fall point of view. i'll deal with the convoys... oh are they through the sandy areas? i wouldn't mind the sand and corrugation so much if I didn't have my gear, perhaps I could put it on a truck or 4x4 while riding through the convoy?)

thanks much for your thoughts.. where are you now?

I met a guy in Windhoek in December who had come from London or somewhere up there... on an Enfield down this route we're discussing. Didn't have much time to talk with him, but maybe you've been in contact or heard through the HUBB?

The mud you dealt with on the west coast looks like hell!!! but you seem to have a lighter load than me but still no friggin' fun...

ride safe and stay in touch...

/allan

[WorldRider]

Originally Posted by Gades

Hi WorldRider

If you are rounding Khartoum - feel free to give me a buzz, might be able to provide free accomodation for a night or two.

Take care of the Amjag's (small mini-busses - I believe they call them busito's in El Salvador ) and the yellow cabs, they wont know you exists

+249 9123 95 546

Your log is nice and the pics makes me dream

Kristoffer
VFR parked in EU while I am eating dust here ...

Kristoffer - Sounds great! Thanks I'll buzz you as I get closer. In Arusha now. Took a spill because of one of those mini busses on the road from Tanga to Mombasa. Trying to pass the bastard to get out of his dust and i was pushed down the road into a ditch... damn. a few sprained fingers and soreness and mangled brackets on the Jesse bags. but most is sorted other than my aching body...

YES. WATCH OUT FOR THOSE BASTARDS - EVERYWHERE!

thanks again and hope we connect!

allan

[MountainMan]

I see there is quite a bit of information of travelers going south with vehicles from Aswan to Wadi Haifa. But what about the other direction?

1) Does anyone have information on schedules and process of putting a bike on a barge and going north?

The passenger ferry leaves on the Monday going south, most bikes make it on that boat but if too full they get put on the barge, which takes a day longer to get down. Return trip north is on the Wednesday. I have the mobile number of the guy in Aswan for bookings if you want it.


2) How is the road from Wadi to Atbara? How much sand does one have to deal with on a loaded bike?

Don't sweat it. The road is very rideable. A few sections are a bit tricky but with some slow riding and paddling your Fred Flintstone feet, you can easily make it through. In my opinion, the tricky sections are where there is an un-noticeable transition from medium speed gravel to soft sand and you don't see it until you are in it. Keep your eyes open and you will be fine. As an example, of the six or so riders that did it around the same tie, the number of offs ranged between zero and two.


3) Egypt Plates? So can I get them in Aswan? And where can they be returned?

As mentioned.

4) Is Egypt worth it or should I just try finding a boat in Port Sudan and going North this way? Anyone done that?

Yes. But in particular I coupldn't recommend northern Sudan enough. It is a backwater for only a little while longer. The ferry and bad road combine to give it a end of the road feel. This will be gone in a couple of years. Ride it while you can, and go slow, it has been one of the highlights of trhe trip so far.

I posted in the Route Planning Forum questions regarding the route from Dar to Karthoum, so for you experienced African travelers maybe you can have a look here and see what my plan is and offer any thoughts:

http://www.horizonsunlimited.com/hub...ia-north-33198

thanks

allan
__________________

[enfieldtravels]

Hi Allan,

Maybe it actually was me you met in Windhoek? I was there very early Jan to pick up the visa for Angola. Yep, there's been some pretty rotten roads of late. Some of the mud has been fun as it's mostly been short sections but there's been long runs in deep sand through the jungle - didn't expect that. It's the potholes that have really worn me down. In Benin now waiting for a new rear rim to arrive....

Anyways, no need to stress about the riding in Egypt, you only go off the tar if you really want to and all the convoy routes are the tarred roads. Most people do the desert oasis loop to avoid the convoys but I went down the nile. There's times when if you are unlucky you have to join the tourist coach convoy - about 30 buses steaming it through small villages at over 100 - no wonder there's resentment against tourists. But most of the time I had my own private police escort. Some of them were nice gentle folks and some arseholes who just wanted to get rid of me asap so drove too quick and didn't even want to tolerate short stops for a drink...

But definitely no worries about Sudan - I did it with more luggage than I have now and my girlfriend on the back too; We fell off once and got bogged a few times - mainly going off piste to find somewhere to camp. We did it with a guy on an F650 Dakar who was carrying a lot of stuff and he didn't fall off once. The times we did get bogged, the effort of getting out pretty much finished us, for a couple of hours after all we could do was sit in some shade and drink water. Just take it easy and you'll be fine and it'll probably be a highlight for you too.

Cheers

Richard

[WorldRider]

Originally Posted by enfieldtravels

Hi Allan,

Maybe it actually was me you met in Windhoek? I was there very early Jan to pick up the visa for Angola. [...] Anyways, no need to stress about the riding in Egypt, you only go off the tar if you really want to and all the convoy routes are the tarred roads. [...] most of the time I had my own private police escort. Some of them were nice gentle folks and some arseholes who just wanted to get rid of me asap so drove too quick and didn't even want to tolerate short stops for a drink...

But definitely no worries about Sudan - I did it with more luggage than I have now and my girlfriend on the back too; We fell off once and got bogged a few times - mainly going off piste to find somewhere to camp. We did it with a guy on an F650 Dakar who was carrying a lot of stuff and he didn't fall off once. The times we did get bogged, the effort of getting out pretty much finished us, for a couple of hours after all we could do was sit in some shade and drink water. Just take it easy and you'll be fine and it'll probably be a highlight for you too

Sounds encouraging, Richard. Musta been you then. I met with the Aussie couple on the Vstrom at Chameleon... you? Musta been. Well, can't be too many enfield riders, eh? Yeah. From your website it just seems you've made quite a bit of time going north so I didn't think it coulda been you... where are you now?

Ride safe and maybe we'll catch up somewhere... i will look forward to Sudan and Egypt and I'll brave the sand the best I can... going slow, easy and taken notice of the great areas!

smiles,

allan

[enfieldtravels]

Hi Allan,

Looked at your blog after posting and realised we had met - I was staying at the same place as Grant and Jules in Windhoek.

In Benin now, I'm pretty amazed myself at the pace I hzve kept so far. Haven't seen a lot but money is running out and getting married soon after getting home so it is better to do it quick than not at all I guess. Held up here a while though as my rear rim has cried enough from all the dodgy roads, takes a week for one to qrrive from the UK.

Ride safe, enjoy your travels and if you come to the UK there is a bed available in Bournemouth.

Cheers

Richard

[WorldRider]

Originally Posted by enfieldtravels

Hi Allan,

Looked at your blog after posting and realised we had met - I was staying at the same place as Grant and Jules in Windhoek.

Yeah. I knew it. Wish we had more time to chat but glad you sorted your Angola visa and are motoring on!

In Benin now, I'm pretty amazed myself at the pace I hzve kept so far. Haven't seen a lot but money is running out and getting married soon after getting home so it is better to do it quick than not at all I guess. Held up here a while though as my rear rim has cried enough from all the dodgy roads, takes a week for one to qrrive from the UK.

Ahh. Well lovely Benin. Hang, enjoy it and it will come. I've had my share of waiting for packages.

Let me know how you like the west coast of Africa. I met a guy in SA, Butler was his last name, and he hated west Africa. Said he would never do it again even if someone paid him. I thought strong words. I was going to go that way originally, but shifted gears, hence the info requested on this forum.

Ride safe, enjoy your travels and if you come to the UK there is a bed available in Bournemouth.

Thanks Richard. Sounds like you've got a new life planned and soon this trip will be behind you... only to inspire you to plan the next one in the future. RIght?

thanks and let's keep in touch!

/allan

[WorldRider]

Mountain Man & Enfieldtravels -

thanks so much for good information here.

I do have a couple more questions about Ethiopia into Sudan?

Which route did you guys take? My map shows a route around Lake Tana to Gederef or those a route that looks rough to Ed Damazin then to Sennar going through Chagni and Goba?

[WorldRider]

Originally Posted by Gades

Hi WorldRider

If you are rounding Khartoum - feel free to give me a buzz, might be able to provide free accomodation for a night or two.

Take care of the Amjag's (small mini-busses - I believe they call them busito's in El Salvador ) and the yellow cabs, they wont know you exists

+249 9123 95 546

Your log is nice and the pics makes me dream

Kristoffer
VFR parked in EU while I am eating dust here ...

Hey Kristoffer -

You living in Khartoum? My sudan visa requires a contact or reference in Sudan. Would it make sense to use you?

let me know what you think?

thanks

/allan

[WorldRider]

okay. sorry to belabor this topic further but I'm confused... I see there are a couple routes to Wadi.

One more direct that goes through the desert long the Nile through Abu Hamed then straight north to Wadi.

Another route seems to go to Karima from Atbara and still yet anotherthat seems you can go from Omdurman to Abu Dorn then follow the Nile to Dongola... then north

which route did you guys take? and what do you know about these Sudan options?

thanks

[WorldRider]

Originally Posted by MountainMan

The passenger ferry leaves on the Monday going south, most bikes make it on that boat but if too full they get put on the barge, which takes a day longer to get down. Return trip north is on the Wednesday. I have the mobile number of the guy in Aswan for bookings if you want it.

Please send that number along. I'll give the guy a buzz next week! Thanks!

[enfieldtravels]

hi Allan,

first Ethiopia to Sudan - the only really obvious way to do it is to get up to Gondor, a nice town, well worth a stop, and then go across to Gedaref. It's paved all the way to Gondor then you have about 200kms down through the mountains on a gravel road to the border. Once you hit the Sudan border it's brand new Chinese asphalt all the way to khartoum and beyond.

Re the route through Sudan I would pick the one that follows closest to the Nile all the way. More inhabitation along it for shade and water and assistance in case of trouble. Plus for me the villages and villagers were the highlight as much as the scenery so heading out into the desert would mean you missing out.

Yep, when i get home a whole new and different trip begins. For the next few years the bike adventures will have to be a little less ambitious in scope! I've been enjoying the West Coast route. Undoubtedly a lot more hassle and hard work than the East Coast though. I think it's really a route that requires more time than I am giving it. At the moment it feels like half of my trip home has been taken up with fannying around to get visas and waiting in busy capital cities that i don't really want to be in. Still, the feeling of getting well of the beaten track is good. Overall though, in terms of Africa, I have found that you can definitely have too much of a good thing. Getting slightly weary of road blocks where policemen stop you to take a look at your passport upside down and kids in the street pester me with shouts of 'white man give me a present'!

Cheers

Richard