Find places in Sudan

Must-Haves

• Al Mogran, the confluence of the Niles (Al Mogran)
  The point where the Blue and White Nile meet, with two colours of water running side by side.

Fun for Everyone

• Tuti Island (Tuti)
  A farming island in the middle of the confluence, with fields, palms and village lanes.

Off the Beaten Path

• Sunt Forest (Al Mogran)
  Acacia woodland on the White Nile where migrating birds gather in winter.
• Jebel Aulia Dam (Jebel Aulia)
  A dam on the White Nile south of the city, known for fishing and Friday picnics.

Great for Date Night

• Tuti Bridge at sunset (Tuti)
  The suspension bridge to Tuti Island glows over the confluence at dusk.

Must-Haves

• Hamed al-Nil Tomb Friday dhikr (Omdurman)
  Sufi dervishes in patched green and red robes whirl and chant at sunset every Friday.

Fun for Everyone

• Mawlid al-Nabi celebrations (Omdurman)
  Tents, drums and sweets fill the squares for the Prophet's birthday.

Must-Haves

• Tomb of the Mahdi (Omdurman)
  The silver domed tomb of the nineteenth century leader who drove out the Turco Egyptian rulers.

Fun for Everyone

• Khartoum Great Mosque (Souq Arabi)
  The landmark mosque at the heart of the old commercial centre.

Off the Beaten Path

• St Matthew's Catholic Cathedral (Nile Street)
  A graceful early twentieth century cathedral on the Blue Nile waterfront.

Must-Haves

• Souq Omdurman (Omdurman)
  One of the largest markets in Sudan, with silver, spices, leather, perfume and wedding goods.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Souq Arabi (Khartoum Centre)
  The sprawling central market where Khartoum shops for everything from fabric to phones.

Fun for Everyone

• Nile Street (Khartoum Centre)
  The riverside boulevard where families stroll and tea sellers set out stools in the evening.

Off the Beaten Path

• Kerreri battlefield (Omdurman)
  The desert plain where the 1898 Battle of Omdurman was fought, with memorial stones.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Sitt al-shai tea sellers on Nile Street (Nile Street)
  Spiced tea and coffee brewed by tea ladies on low stools, the true Khartoum café.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Mawrada fish market (Omdurman)
  Fresh Nile perch fried to order beside the river in Omdurman.

Must-Haves

• Port Sudan Corniche (Port Sudan Centre)
  The seafront promenade where families gather each evening to catch the breeze.

Fun for Everyone

• Port Sudan harbour (Port Sudan Centre)
  Watch container ships and dhows come and go from the country's main port.

Off the Beaten Path

• Port Sudan old town (Port Sudan Centre)
  Coral stone colonial buildings from the city's founding years.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Port Sudan fish market (Port Sudan Centre)
  Pick your fish and have it grilled on the spot, Red Sea style.

Great for Date Night

• Corniche seafood grills (Corniche)
  Evening grills along the seafront serving fish with bread and salad.

Must-Haves

• Sanganeb Marine National Park (Sanganeb Reef)
  A coral atoll with a lighthouse and some of the clearest water in the Red Sea.
• Umbria wreck (Wingate Reef)
  An Italian cargo ship scuttled in 1940, one of the world's finest wreck dives.

Off the Beaten Path

• Sha'ab Rumi (Sha'ab Rumi Reef)
  Site of Jacques Cousteau's undersea village, famous for hammerhead sharks.
• Dungonab Bay and Mukkawar Island (Dungonab)
  A remote bay with manta rays, dugongs and nesting seabirds.

Fun for Everyone

• Arous beach (Arous)
  A sandy cove north of the city with reef just off the shore.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Port Sudan main souq (Port Sudan Centre)
  The busy central market for spices, cloth and coffee pots.

Fun for Everyone

• Port Sudan gold souq (Port Sudan Centre)
  Rows of goldsmiths selling Sudanese wedding jewellery.

Must-Haves

• Coral Port Sudan Hotel (Port Sudan Centre)
  The established seafront hotel used by many official and business visitors.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Beja jebena coffee sellers (Port Sudan Centre)
  Strong ginger spiced coffee poured from clay jebena pots, a Beja tradition.

Must-Haves

• Red Sea liveaboard season (Port Sudan)
  From autumn to spring, dive boats set out to the northern and southern reefs.

Off the Beaten Path

• Beja sword and dance performances (Port Sudan)
  Beja men perform sword dances at weddings and national celebrations.

Must-Haves

• Suakin Island old town (Suakin Island)
  Ruins of a coral stone trading city that was the Red Sea's great port for centuries.
• Hanafi and Shafi'i mosques (Suakin Island)
  Restored historic mosques on the island, among its few standing buildings.

Off the Beaten Path

• Kitchener's gate (Suakin)
  Fortifications from the British campaigns of the 1880s on the mainland.

Fun for Everyone

• Suakin causeway (Suakin)
  The causeway linking the island to the mainland town of El Geyf.

Off the Beaten Path

• Suakin ferry port (Suakin)
  The port for ferries to Jeddah, busy with pilgrims before Hajj.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Suakin market (El Geyf)
  A dusty mainland market where Beja herders trade camels and goats.

Off the Beaten Path

• Suakin lagoon (Suakin)
  The calm inlet around the island where egrets and herons feed.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Beja coffee in El Geyf (El Geyf)
  Sit with herders for jebena coffee by the market.

Off the Beaten Path

• Hajj pilgrim season (Suakin)
  The ferry terminal fills with pilgrims bound for Jeddah.

Must-Haves

• Pyramids of Meroe (Bagrawiya)
  Dozens of steep royal pyramids of the Kushite kings rising from the desert.
• Royal City of Meroe (Bagrawiya)
  Remains of the Kushite capital, with palaces, temples and iron slag heaps.
• Naqa temples (Naqa)
  The Lion Temple and Amun Temple, with carvings mixing Egyptian and Kushite styles.

Off the Beaten Path

• Musawwarat es-Sufra (Musawwarat)
  The Great Enclosure, a mysterious temple complex with elephant carvings.
• Wad Ban Naqa (Wad Ban Naqa)
  A lesser known Kushite site by the Nile with a palace and temple.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Shendi souq (Shendi)
  The nearest big market town, good for supplies and fresh fruit.

Off the Beaten Path

• Sabaloka Gorge, the Sixth Cataract (Sabaloka)
  The Nile squeezes through a rocky gorge in a rare stretch of rapids.
• Bayuda dunes at Bagrawiya (Bagrawiya)
  Golden dunes roll right up to the pyramid field.

Great for Date Night

• Sunrise over the northern cemetery (Bagrawiya)
  First light turns the pyramids and dunes deep orange.

Fun for Everyone

• Camel ride among the pyramids (Bagrawiya)
  Local camel owners offer short rides across the dunes.

Must-Haves

• Jebel Barkal (Karima)
  The sacred flat topped mountain of Kush, with pyramids at its foot.
• Temple of Amun at Jebel Barkal (Karima)
  Ruins of the great temple to Amun beneath the mountain's cliff.
• El Kurru royal tombs (El Kurru)
  Painted underground tombs of the kings who ruled Egypt as the 25th Dynasty.
• Nuri pyramids (Nuri)
  The pyramid field of Taharqa, the largest pyramid of Kush.

Off the Beaten Path

• Old Dongola (Old Dongola)
  Ruins of a medieval Christian Nubian kingdom with a throne hall and churches.

Great for Date Night

• Sunset from the top of Jebel Barkal (Karima)
  Climb the mountain for views over the Nile, the palms and the desert.

Off the Beaten Path

• Petrified forest near El Kurru (El Kurru)
  Fossilised tree trunks scattered across the desert floor.
• Bayuda Desert (Bayuda)
  Black volcanic hills and craters crossed by camel caravans.

Fun for Everyone

• Date palm gardens of Karima (Karima)
  Shady Nubian farms where families grow dates beside the Nile.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Karima souq (Karima)
  A relaxed market town souq selling dates, cloth and tea.

Fun for Everyone

• Merowe Dam viewpoint (Merowe)
  Sudan's huge hydroelectric dam on the Fourth Cataract.

Must-Haves

• Taka Mountains (Kassala)
  Granite domes rising straight from the plain above the city.

Fun for Everyone

• Toteel spring (Khatmiyya)
  A spring at the mountain's foot; local saying holds that a drink means you will return.
• Kassala sunset from the Gash bridge (Gash)
  The Taka Mountains glow pink in the evening.

Great for Date Night

• Gash river orchards (Gash)
  Fruit gardens of mango, banana and guava beside the seasonal Gash river.

Must-Haves

• Khatmiyya Mosque (Khatmiyya)
  A historic Sufi mosque at the foot of the Taka Mountains.

Must-Haves

• Kassala souq (Kassala Centre)
  A colourful market where Beja, Rashaida and Hadendowa traders meet.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Jebena coffee at Toteel (Khatmiyya)
  Sit under the mountain for spiced coffee from clay pots.

Off the Beaten Path

• Climb Jebel Taka (Kassala)
  Scramble up the granite for views to the Eritrean border hills.

Low Cost and Authentic

• Kassala fruit stalls (Kassala Centre)
  Fresh mango and guava juice from the city's famous orchards.

Off the Beaten Path

• Khatmiyya religious gatherings (Khatmiyya)
  Sufi celebrations at the shrine on religious holidays.