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Khartoum, River Nile State,

Eastern Desert,

Red Sea State

15 nights

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T r u s t e d i n s i d e r k n o w l e d g e f r o mh a n d p i c k e d e x p e r t s

From $6,007 pp

See final page for inclusions

Guide Price

*Based on 2pax sharing

W H O ?I T I N E R A R Y

O V E R V I E W

1 night | Grand Holiday Villa Hotel 1 night | Meroe Camp6 nights | Wild Camping7 nights | Liveaboard

A 15-night set departure which will takeyou on an exciting and very adventurouscross-country tour of this beautifulcountry. Starting off in Khartoum you’llhead off to the River Nile State. Herethere are many archaeological sitesmainly dated back to the MeroiticKingdom. Pyramids, temples, nice desertareas and Nile cataracts are the mainfeatures of this area. After this, a numberof nights crossing the Eastern Desertwhich is part of the greater Nubiandesert. Here there are number of ancientwadis, valleys and nomadic tribes. Finallya week on board a boat setting sail onthe Red Sea to experience Port Sudan,the ancient Suakin Port, the Red Sea Hillsand the amazing Red Sea Barrier reef.

H I G H L I G H T SThe Blue & White Nile confluence in the heart of KhartoumLake Nasser’s rescued temples rescued by UNESCO The Royal Necropolis and Pyramids of MeroeMeet Bisharin nomads with their caravans and herds ofcamels and donkeysCross the Nubian Desert through wild wadis rich in acaciasand valleys with prehistoric rock carvingsAncient pre-Islamic cemeteries and rock carvings at BirNurayet and Jebel MagardiThe small village of Mohammed Qol near the Red Sea A week on a stunning liveaboard boat cruising along thecoast on the Red SeaSpectacular diving opportunities at Mesharifa Island Mayetib Island, the “island of snakes” Admire a number of “Khors” (Arabic for “natural fiords”) withwhite beaches, crystal and clear waters The Taila Islands with white-pinkish sandy beaches. Amazing reef snorkelling at Gurna Reef, Sha’ab Rumi andWingate ReefThe beautiful Sanganeb lighthouse

Older Families | Couples | Active Individuals | ArchaeologyEnthusiasts | Photographers | Outdoor Enthusiasts

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S u d a n

J a n F e b M a r A p r M a y J u n J u l A u g S e p O c t N o v D e c

Good Better Best

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Today you’ll visit the National Museum that, besides many beautiful objects, contains two beautiful templesrescued by UNESCO and moved from the Lake Nasser area, when it was flooded by the water.

Journey northward into the Butana Region. After passing the last stretches of Khartoum, you’ll be driven througha desert area characterized by desert and granite rocky hills. We follow the West banl of the Nile on the newroad that crosses nice landscape. We cross the bridge on the Nile in Shendi then continue North on the busyAtbara Road till we reach a level ground area where there are many small camel thorn acacia trees as far as wecan see. All of a sudden you’ll get to see more than 40 pyramids, located on top of a hill, some of them perfectlypreserved that belong to the Royal Necropolis of Meroe.

D A Y 2Transfer: By car to MeroeDepart: Grand Holiday Villa HotelArrive: Meroe Camp1 night at Meroe CampInclusions: Full Board

Centrally located in the heart of Khartoum’scommercial hubAn elegant hotel which overlooks the famousBlue Nile River Formerly known as the Grand Hotel andconstructed in the late 1800s Housed the office of the famous British Explorer:Thomas Cook. Previously hosted royal visitors and famousdignitaries including Queen Victoria and SirWinston Churchill

Grand Holiday Villa Hotel fast facts:

Welcome to Khartoum… The Khartoum capital area includes 3 major areas: Khartoum, where most of the hotels,the airport and all the city offices are; Omdurman, the old capital, where there is the largest market of thecountry; Khartoum North, the industrial area. Khartoum is a very safe city, but the traffic can be chaotic.

Transfer: By car to Khartoum hotelDepart: Khartoum airport | Arrive: Grand Holiday Villa Hotel1 nights at Grand Holiday Villa HotelInclusions: Breakfast

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Meet and greet at the airport and transfer to the Grand Holiday Villa Hotel for your first night in Sudan.

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Today you’ll meet nomadic Beja people of the Bisharin and Hadendowa tribes.

The approach with these nomads is very interesting, but very delicate, because they are absolutely not used toseeing foreigners. The huts, round shaped and made out of acacia branches, are often at the centre of acircumference of stones that delimit a sort of courtyard. On the East side, some large flat stones placed alongthe circumference indicate the direction of Mecca. Women and girls wear long brightly coloured dresses, goldearrings and gold bracelets and often decorate their noses with round plaques. Men with curly, puffy hair wearvests over white jallabies. These nomads live like 1000 years ago: isolated without any contact with civilizationand consumerism. Virtually no plastic objects are part of their equipment.

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This morning you’ll get to enjoy a sunrise at the pyramids of Meroe. You’ll be driven North to the town of Atbarato buy the last provisions before heading in the middle of the Eastern Desert. After about 100 km on the tarredroad you’ll finally be driven off across the desert.

Transfer: By car to MeroeDepart: Meroe Camp | Arrive: Wild Camp3 night at Desert Wild Camp

D A Y 4We drive towards the Red Sea Hills which run parallel to the Red Sea. Amongst wadis and desert areas we willmeet some gold seekers. In recent years there is a gold rush happening in Sudan following the ancient gold reef.

Fully catered wild campingIgloo tents, 2 x 2 m with firm foam mattressesFolding tables and chairs

Wild Camping Fast Facts:Gas lightsA water basin for personal washing

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Today you’ll continue the desert crossing driving through wild wadis rich in acacias.

In some valleys today you can admire a site with prehistoric rock carvings.

We then reach an unusual mountain by day 8, Jebel Magardi in the shape of a cusp near a well, Bir Nurayet.Only a few years ago a Polish archaeological mission discovered a large number of rock carvings, mainlyrepresenting cattle, evidence of human presence several thousands years ago. Probably a caravan route thatled from the Red Sea to the Nile. This place was certainly a "sacred" area, as there are numerous gigantic pre-Islamic tumulus tombs in the surroundings: these are ancient pre-Islamic cemeteries dating back to theMiddle Kingdom period.

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D A Y 9We keep crossing few valleys amongst the Red Sea Hills. Some peaks are as high as 2.000 m. We finally reachthe Red Sea near the small village of Mohammed Qol which takes the name from a Saudi Arabian fishermanwho moved here to start trading in this region. When the British founded Port Sudan in the 1900’s, this port inthe North lost its importance.

Today we board our boat - welcome drink and let the sea adventure begin.

A fully catered liveaboard with air-conditioning, a lounge area, bar and huge shaded sun deckA skilled crew will ensure exceptional serviceThe boat is complete with all the necessary dive equipment and facilities to explore the depths of theRed Sea

Red Sea Boat Trip fast facts:

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The Red Sea warm waters and comparative isolation have resulted in a spectacular array of marinefauna. Soft and stony corals thrive to produce a wondrous reef, providing home to innumerablecrustaceans, molluscs, echinoderms and fish. Along the Sudanese cost, water temperature average 27-28°C. This is hot enough to reduce the planktonic and algal blooms that are so common further north. Asa result the sea is generally clear with visibility of up to 30m depth. Mesharifa Island is only 4 miles outof the Red Sea cost and this will be our first opportunity to swim in the crystal clear waters. We reachMayetib Island, called the “island of snakes” where an endemic species, not poisonous, of snakes live.Here we have a very nice sandy beach from where we can do some snorkelling along the reef.

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“Khors” is the Arabic word that means “natural fiords”and there are a few of them in this areas. This area isquite different that the other beaches and lagoonwe have seen so far. Inkeifal Khors are two lagoonswith white beaches, crystal clear waters and there isthe possibility to walk on land taking nice views overthe desert as well as the sea. In the shallow watersof the see there are also mangroves trees.

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D A Y 1 5On the way to Port Sudan we will stop to the WingateReef where the Italian ship “Umbria” sank here in 1940and lies on its side at a maximum depth of 36m. Theshallowest point can be explored by the snorkelers.For lunch time we arrive in Port Sudan and with aminibus we drive to the ancient port of Suakin. In itsglorious past it was known as “the Red Sea Pearl”,now is a ghost town recently being restored. Themodern port of Suakin is now used for the Pilgrimageto Saudi Arabia.

In the morning we move to Gurna Reef, a wonderfulreef that reaches the surface of the water reach incorals and fish. We then reach Sha’ab Rumi. The reefhere is considered one of the best in the world. Alagoon behind the reef contains the remnants ofJacques Cousteau’s Conshelf 2, where the famousoceanographer created an environment in whichmen could live and work on the bottom of the sea.Possibility of snorkelling.

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We then reach the beautiful Sanganeb lighthouse. From its top we can enjoy breath-taking views of thesurrounding area. Sanganeb reef was declared a World UNESCO site in July 2016.

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After cruising for 15 miles out of Shambaya we reach Taila Islands. These are 3 small islands with white-pinkishsandy beaches. The first two are connected by a sandy isthmus on low tide, while the third island is further east.It appears green with acacia trees where ospreys nest. On this island we may also find coquina clams which willbe a great addition to our pasta dish prepared by the cook on board!

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ITC Sudan is the largest DMC in Northern Sudan and they are specialists in tailor-made cultural andarchaeological tours with an unmatched passion for the country.

I N P A R T N E R S H I P W I T H I T C S U D A N

H E L L O @ T H E A F R I C A H U B . C O . U K | W W W . T H E A F R I C A H U B . C O . U K

2 Airport/Hotel transfers ·1 night at the Grand Holiday Villa hotel 4*(BB) 1 night at Meroe Tented Camp (FB)English speaking cultural guide All the camping equipment for theovernights in the desert (FB) A cook in charge of the meals Transport by Toyota Land Cruisers orToyota Hilux (Guaranteed 3 pax per car)Meals as per itinerary (B.L.D.) 7 nights on the boat (FB)

Includes:Soft drinks - Wine and spirits (available onlyon board of the boat)Sudan entry visa and visa authorisationSleeping bag, pillow and towel for thedesert partSnorkelling equipment (fins, mask andsnorkel)Video camera permits at the archaeologicalsites (at the moment 20 USD per site pervideo camera)Personal expenses TipsLocal taxes (quoted separately and to bepaid cash in Sudan) Flight from Port Sudan to Khartoum at theend of the trip

Excludes:

SET DEPARTURE (can be quoted on an individual basis)

Price from: $6,007 (sharing)** (Guide Price only)

**Entrance fees at the sites and passport registration (compulsory and to be paid cash in Sudan):EU 260 per person

D A Y 1 6Today you’ll disembark the boat. Onward journey back to Khartoum at your own arrangements.