A little more
Sudan.
A lot less roaming.

Travelling to Sudan: what to know before you go

Sudan is a land of desert, Nile valley and Red Sea coast, home to the ancient Kingdom of Kush and more pyramids than Egypt. It has been affected by armed conflict since April 2023, and most governments currently advise against all travel; anyone considering a trip must check their government's current travel advice first. This guide describes the country's genuine heritage, landscapes and culture for readers planning for the future.

Where to go

• Pyramids of Meroë. Near the village of Bagrawiya, north-east of Khartoum, more than a hundred steep-sided pyramids of the Kushite kings and queens stand in clusters on desert ridges.
• Jebel Barkal and Karima. A flat-topped sandstone mountain beside the Nile that ancient Egyptians and Kushites regarded as sacred.
• Khartoum and Omdurman. The Blue Nile and White Nile meet at Khartoum before flowing north as one river.
• Nubian villages of the north. Along the Nile north of Dongola, villages of brightly painted mud-brick houses sit between palm groves and desert.

Best time to visit

Sudan's climate is hot and mostly dry. The cooler months, from roughly November to February, have historically been the only comfortable time to visit the northern desert sites, with warm days and cool nights.

Staying online in Sudan

Before 2023, mobile coverage was reasonable in Khartoum and larger towns and along main roads, with little or no signal across much of the desert. Since the conflict began, networks have suffered extensive damage and prolonged outages, and internet access has been cut in some regions for long periods. Power cuts are frequent. Anyone travelling, for example for humanitarian work, should not rely on mobile data and should plan for satellite communication. If networks are available on your route, install an eSIM before you travel and switch it on when you arrive, but treat it as a backup.