Sudan - Kingdom of the Black Pharaohs
Sudan - Kingdom of the Black Pharaohs
Style: TravellerCultural discovery away from the crowdsDuration: 8 days
Type: GroupSmall group tours with a maximum of 12 travellers
Experience
Client Trip Report
I really enjoyed the Sudan trip. I
would certainly recommend it warmly to any prospective clients in the
future. The long visa process was a little off-putting but it's worth
saying that the formalities once in the Sudan were very straightforward
both on arrival and departure, with a swift passage through immigration
and customs in both directions. And your local agent took very good care
of the various permits to travel and to take photos: there is no need to
fret on those scores. This was typical of the excellent, professional
and friendly service provided by your agent. The logistical organisation
of the trip itself was first-rate and inspired complete confidence. We
were equipped with all the necessary basics such as sand plates, as well
as GPS navigation. The igloo tents were fine, easy to erect and
dismantle, and the provision of sleeping mats was certainly helpful. The
food was good throughout and there was always bottled water available.
Ali was an outstanding driver, patient and seemingly inexhaustable, and
our guide Musab, who took over later in the trip was also very good.
Both had relaxed, easy temperaments, important, I think, on a long and
fairly tiring trip. I would advise anyone who has the time and budget to
do the longer, "hard" tour, rather than just the ten-day Black Pharaoh
tour. The northern section added some wonderful desert landscape and
camping sites, especially in the Bayuda, as well as some priceless
sites, such as the temple at Soleb which was, for me, probably the
highlight of the trip. This was not least because we were the only
people there. A definite attraction of the Sudan at the moment is that
it gets so few visitors.
I thought the itinerary was
well-balanced, taking-in all the major archaeological sites of the
north, as well as some pure desert driving, in a steady, methodical way
which was pleasingly tiring - but not exhausting or stressful. There
were one or two unexpected bonuses: there is currently a gold-rush going
on in the Nubian desert, north east of Station 6: we were able to
witness the diggings and even to see an example of the still-unrefined
gold which the prospectors extracted, though the asking-price was too
high to make a purchase! Perhaps inevitably, the strongest human
experience was the genuine warmth and hospitality to strangers shown by
the Nubian people. I know that this is a bit of a traveller’s cliché,
but I really felt that this was an outstanding aspect of the trip: we
had many brief but charming encounters that have left me with a very
strong sense of solidarity with the people we met.
So, a great
experience. Thank you for your part in making it possible.
Michael
Raw, UK
Very good tour, well organised. Staff,
accommodation, drivers all excellent.
David McLoughlin, UK
I just wanted to let you know that the tour was way beyond my expectations - in passing, Carla is a real gem! - and to thank you for making special arrangements to accomodate my travel dates. I can hardly wait for my next annual holidays.
Grant Walter, Australia
