By truck from Moyale to Isiolo

The road from the border town of Moyale to Isiolo in Kenya is probably the most infamous along the whole Cairo-to-Cape Town route. Not only do the dirt tracks eat 4x4s for breakfast but there is also the added risk from the bandits that run amok across Northern Kenya. If you are travelling by public transport the choice is a twice (or perhaps thrice) weekly bus or jumping on the back of one of the trucks passing through daily. The journey takes around 18 hours if you are lucky. We were lucky. Our truck was full of bags of maize, which was good as they made comfortable seats and are heavy enough to stuck worrying about overturning, which a worrying number of the trucks are prone to doing. We left Moyale around 10:30am, stopped in Marsabit around 7:30pm and finally arrived in Isiolo at around 3:30am.

Here is a brief taste of this journey:

DISGRACEFUL!

No, I am not talking about the cricket! Something more important. How can anyone in Britain vote for the BNP? It's pathetic and makes me feel sick, and glad I am not there. How can we still have Nazis in Britain in this day and age, dont these people realise that multiculturalism is what makes Britain Great? Do these ignorant oafs realise that by voting for the BNP they are basically saying "You know Hitler, he wasn't bad, his heart was in the right place". If you vote BNP you are disgracing the actions of the brave souls that fought for freedom during WWII. People claim that they should be allowed due to freedom of speech, well, freedom of speech is only valid until you start abusing other peoples human rights, which seems to be the basic premise of the BNP. Parties such as the BNP and the UKIP (wake up guys, we have been part of the EU for years, and it has benefitted us greatly) should be forcibly disbanded and their leaders jailed under the terrorism act. Bastards.

Trekking in the Simien Mountains

Everything in Africa seems to cost a lot more than it should do, especially tourist activities like trekking, safaris etc. The Simien mountains in Ethiopia are the exception. Amazing trekking can be arranged at prices that don't break the bank. You can pay much more for organised treks with cooks, beer and wine, and other luxury personal services. We saw a lot of these and they do look nice. If however you want to do it the independent way, here is how:

We did a four day trek. The bus from Gonder costs 21.50 birr and leaves quite often, not only at 5:30am which is a rarity. Dont listen to any of the touts in Gonder or the bored guys in Debark who want to be your guide and folow you around ad nauseum.

Simien Park Hotel (good place, rooms without/with private bath 70/180) is THE place to stay in Debark and they do good food and good draft beer.

If you head straight for the park office in Debark (about 500m back along the road away from town from then Simien Park Hotel) they can organise everything. The mandatory scout is 40birr per day and park fees are 70 birr for two days (inc. camping). If you want an official guide he will cost 120 birr per day. We intended to take a guide but in the office they told us the scout knows the way and where the water is (there are actually showers at the campsites!) so unless we wanted more info we didnt need a guide, but they recommend. Cooks are 75 and mules/muleteers are 35 each. The equipment costs are 15 birr for a sleeping bag, matress or raincoat, 30/40 birr for a 2man/3man tent and 30-40 birr for cooking materials. If you hire equipment there you will need a mule and handler as their equipment is very old and heavy, especially the cookers. If you have your own equipment, like us, then you can carry it yourself. It may be stubborn but I couldn't help feeling like some sort of colonial lord if I were to use a porter/mule and if I cant make a trek with my own gear I would rather not go.

You dont have to feed your staff but we shared tea/coffee, bread, dates and 'kolo' with our scout.

We trekked to Imet Gogo and back over four days, like this:

Day 1 - Debark to Sankaber, about 30km, 9 hours, nice views over the escarpment and lots of baboons
Day 2 - Sankaber to Geech - 12km - 5 hours, more amazing views including one precipice.
Day 3 - Geech to Imet Gogo and Imet Gogo to Sankaber - 22km - 7hours, amazing views from Imet Gogo, well worth it. More baboons on the return to Geech.
Day 4 - Sankaber to Debark - slightly more direct route, no views but quicker, 6-7 hours

In total our fees cost 140birr per person and the scout 40 per day. Split between two of us it came to 440birr plus about 300birr for food and supplies (best bought in Gonder). Because he had done what we expected a guide to do we tipped our scout quite well (100birr, although the average is 1days wage for every 3 worked). So 840birr between two people over four days works out at 105 birr or just under $10 per person per day. Of course if you want a guide etc it soon adds up. Also, we did not meet anyone else who walked out of Debark, most take some transport to Sankaber at least, and the charge for a one way trip is 800birr! I thought the walk was amazing although in the office they will tell you it is boring.

The trekking is not hard but carrying your own gear and food makes it slow going. If you are not at least used to some trekking you might find it tough. However these guys are used to taking out-of-shape tourists into the hills, they know we need to stop and rest and eat something. Just because they don't stop, doesnt mean you can't stop. Just call out that you need a rest, or just sit down. I know it sounds obvious but apparantly some people didnt think so, they were waiting for someone to tell them what to do, you have paid so you are in charge. Even at this altitude it leave one short of breath so we had at least two 10-15min breaks in addition to our lunch break.

Oh, and you can buy water purification liquid in Goha Pharmacy in Gonder for 4birr, just one drop per litre. The water from the taps at the camps looks crystal clear but you wouldnt want a dose of the trots three days walk from Debark so it makes sense to take this with you, the Amheric name is 'Wuha Agar'.

We had rain on two evenings but nothing too heavy, I suppose it will get worse as the rains draw in more.

How to travel through Sudan

Here is our recipe for travelling in Sudan:

The visa application in Cairo was relatively simple (if you can get the letter of introduction from your embassy, Czech nationals will have to write their own letter and ask for a proof of signature instead, Brits will pay around $50 for the letter but ti will be issued within 5 minutes). The visa cost $100, required two photos, the form written in duplicate and photocopies of the passport and Egypt visa. There is a guy with a photocopier in the embassy who charges 1LE per copy.

The fare for the Aswan to Wadi Halfa ferry is 306LE for seat class and can be bought in Cairo, in a small office at Ramses train station.

We arrived at the port at 10am on Monday. Immigration and customs are fairly painless (unless, like most of the Sudanese passengers, you have boxes and boxes of luggage!) and you should be onboard by 12ish. You are given a meal ticket before boarding which entitles you to one meal, which was very nice - chicken, rice, bread, vegetable dish, salad and fruit. Most people used their ticket before we left. Further meals cost 14LE and a small packet of biscuits int he 1st class restaurant cost 1LE. Water and soft drinks cost 2.5LE. If you have any problems on the ferry you can look for Mr Mutaba, the chief engineer, his english is great and he can translate any questions to the immigration officials or anyone else you need to speak to.

The ferry should depart around 6pm but we were delayed due to high winds on the lake and left around 2:30am, I was happy to see such safety measures in place. During the journey we submitted our passports to the immigration officials in a cabin behind the 1st class restaurant. We passed Abu Simbel around 4pm and the captain came in very close so people could take photos, many people crowded to do so, not just the four western tourists on board. Later we stopped on the 22 parallel to swap the Egyptian guard for a Sudanese one and around 9pm we reached Wadi Halfa. Before we arrived we were ushered into the 1st class restaurant where the immigration procedure began. Once the officials arrived we had to fill three separate forms of our details and were required to have our temperature taken (we were not sure whether this was normal procedure or a result of the swine flu epidemic). It took about half an hour and we were able to disembark. Customs were very friendly and waved us through without even a cursory glance. Boksi (converted pick-ups) wait outside and charge 5SD to get to town.

In Wadi Halfa we stayed at the Nile Hotel, they charged 7SD for a bed. There is a separate section for females although they will allow foreigners to share a room mixed. Close by are restaurants where you can eat fuul, falafel or meat, prices are from 2-8SD. Bottled water costs 1SD for a small (500/600ml) bottle and 2SD for a 1.5l bottle, soft drinks Pepsi/Stim (something like Appletize) are 1SD. The registration office is on the main road close to the bus stand. It should cost 103SD (Around $40) per person but there is a guy who will help you register and take care of the toing and froing from several offices and will charge $50, worth the extra $10 I thought. YOU ONLY HAVE TO REGISTER ONCE IN SUDAN. Many travellers told us we need to register again in Khartoum, and pay again, but all officials were very explicit in telling us not to. Buses south only leave on Wednesday so dont hang around unless you want to wait a week! We paid 30SD each for a space in a boksi to Abri. A bus ticket to Dongola cost 45SD but they fill up quickly. In any case we wanted to take our time. I think jeeps to Dongola cost 70SD per person.

The ride to Abri took between 5-6 hours and the road is paved most of the way. In Abri there is only one lokanda and they let us camp on their yard for 5SD per person. If you need a room they will most likely want you to pay for four beds in it. There is a friendly restautant near where the boksi leave and they do falafel, fuul and fried fish, from 2-5SD per plate. The market here is quite lively in the mornings. A boksi leaves for Kerma around 9am, but you should get there at 8am, it takes over 6 hours and the road is not so good here. They should stop at least every two hours to get a drink and stretch your legs. In kerma there is only one lokanda and it is not so nice, but OK. We paid 10SD for the room as they would not allow camping but I think 20SD for the room is the norm. All of these lokandas have running water so showering is easy, although in Wadi Halfa you may need to fill a bucket and take it to a cubicle. There is not much food available in Kerma but there is one restaurant opposite the river that does some sort of stew for 3SD a plate. The boksi to Dongola leave in the morning. It is less than 2 hours, paved 90% of the way and costs 10SD each.

In Dongola we stayed at Lord Hotel, I think most foreigners stay here. The manager is helpful but he will try to sell you a room with private bath. We got a room with shared bath for 20SD. Beds are available for men at 7SD. Either side of the hotel are restaurants selling fuul, falafel and delicious fried fish., the fish is 5SD for a plate, the fuul and falafel 2SD each (I think).

You must register with the police in Dongola, this is free and takes two minutes but is quite far out of town so you might want to take a rickshaw, they will take you, wait and bring you back for 4SD. We planned to go to Karima but changed our mind, although if you do go you should ask in the office for a 'permission to cross the river' this is also free and seemingly pointless as you must come from that side from the north anyway! From Dongola there should be regular AC coaches to Khartoum. However they were all full when we went so we paid 30SD to ride in the back of a pick-up. the buses i think cost 30-35SD. The road is sealed all the way and the 440km journey takes under 6 hours.

Everyone knows about the Blue Nile Sailing Club in Khartoum. You can camp for 12SD per person, there are showers and a place to wash your dusty clothes. The small kiosk by the camping area sells water and soda for 1SD each and burgers (with egg) for 5SD. In town there are better, bigger burgers for 4SD. There is a juice stall that opens onto the car park of the BNSC, tasty juices cost 4/5SD (small/large) and the kiosk next door sells drinks and snacks. It is better to buy water here than at the 'camping' kiosk because the camping kiosk sells Crystal water which has a strange sweet aftertaste. All other brands taste normal.

In Khartoum it seems almost the only food available cheaply is burgers, they are everywhere. Normally with an egg on top as well, and sometimes cheese, they cost 4-5SD each. Fuul, fish and falafel are also available, as are shwarma but you have to look for them. At the 'Sea Scout meal' next to Blue Nile sailing club they do excellent BBQ chicken, for around 10SD.

Internet access in Khartoum is fast and cheap, normally 1 or 2SD per hour, the big one near the mosque (Netgate?) is 1SD but they have about 40 PC's of which at least 10 will be guys watching HD porn and slowing things up for the rest of us. A nice place is on Atbara road, or the fastest is Flower Net, part of a florists on the corner near the ethiopian embassy, they charge 2SD.

We visited the Al-Mogran park, entry 3SD, which was OK. The confluence of the two Niles is fairly unspectacular however.

There was a massive dust storm whilst we were there which made things cooler, we even had some rain in Dongola. It was dangerous however and there were many accidents because of it. From the campground you can hear ambulances wailing all night.

The Ethiopian embassy was closed for a week, an important meeting in Kassala apparently, but once it re-opened you cam submit your application in the morning and receive it at 3pm the same day. The cashier did offer to try to fast-track our application but it was so busy after the closure, maybe 200 people there, that it was not possible. There are several women in neighbouring streets selling tea and coffee, the highlight for us through Sudan has been jebbana (the coffee spiced with ginger, cardamom and sometimes cinnamon), they normally cost 0.5SD in the villages, 1SD in khartoum.

We did not visit any of the ancient sites as we had just come through Turkey, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt so we were more excited about the villages and life here. I would imagine they are quite hard to visit without your own transport but I have no evidence to back this theory up.

From Khartoum we took a bus to Gedaref, which cost 26SD (36SD for A/C we were on an AC coach but got downgrdaed and issued with a partial refund). If you get to Mira Bary (the main Khartoum long distance coach station) early you can get a bus all the way to the border at Gallabat. We arrived in Gedaref after midnight and were taken to a cheap, but dirty, lokanda, for 15SD for the room. Any rickshaw driver will know where to take you.

To get from Gedaref to Gallabat minibuses leave in the morning and charge 10SD per person. The trip takes around 1.5-2 hours. Once at the border there are three offices on the Sudanese side, the whole immigration process should take around 20 minutes. On the Ethiopian side look for the brand new immigration building. This is still not open so walk behind it, through the small farmyard to the shack where current immigration procedures take place, again, it shouldn't take too long.

Hope this helps. Just be prepared to drink a lot of soft drinks and jebbana and eat a lot of fuul, fried fish and burgers!

Average daily budget - 40SD (without any sightseeing outside of the towns and cities)
(USD$1=2.4SD, GBP1=3.9SD)

Egyptips

Here are our travel tips for a nice visit to Egypt:

Visa - valid for 30days, issued at Nuweiba port or at airports - USD$15
Taxi between Nuweiba port and Tarabin beach and v.v. - 20LE (after bargaining, in fact everything in Egypt is after bargaining!)
Soft Beach Hotel - 30LE p.p.p.n in beach hut with choice from good breakfast menu
Ave. price of meal at Soft Beach - 25LE
Snorkel gear hire at Soft Beach - 30LE !!!!
Beer - 15LE (this is very expensive!)
Bus from Nuweiba to Dahab - 11LE (2 hours)

Dbl/Trp room at Auski beach camp, Dahab - 40/50LE (Avoid Penguin Camp, they have gone upmarket and their staff are very unfriendly!)
Meal (Breakfast, Lunch or Dinner) at a restaurant/cafe off the beachfront - 5-23LE
Meal at a beachside restaurant - 30-150LE
Beer in a shop/in a bar or restaurant - 6.5LE / 10LE
Bottle of Egyptian wine in a shop - 38LE (the red is OK, apparantly the white is not so good!)
- Many restaurants in Dahab are unlicenced but allow you to bring your own bottles with you, which is good as you pay the shop prices, the restaurant keeps the bottles and returns them, everyones a winner! -
Snorkel gear hire in Dahab - 5LE for mask and snorkel plus 4LE for fins
Internet in Dahab - 5-8LE per hour
Tour to Blue Hole + snorkel gear hire - 20LE + 5LE
Overnight tout to Mt Sinai (inc. bus transfer, guide and entrance fee) - 75LE (90LE with return to Dahab) - leave at 11pm, arrive St Katherine at 1:30am, start trekking around 2am, on top for sunrise. Descend by 9am, visit monastery and leave for Dahab at 10am.

Shared Taxi from St Katherines to junction for Suez - 100LE (2 hours)
Bus from jucntion to Suez - 42LE (expensive!)
Minibuses around Suez and Port Tawfiq - 0.5LE
Room at Arafat Hotel, Suez - 25LE per person.
Macaroni meal on street - 6LE
Coffee and cream cake by the canal - 10LE
Bus from Suez to Cairo - 10LE

Dorm bed at Sultan Hostel, Cairo - 15LE
Cairo Metro ticket - 1LE
Internet in Cairo - 3LE per hour
Bus to Pyramids of Giza from close to Sadat metro station- 0.5LE
Pyramids of Giza entrance ticket - 60LE
Egyptian museum entrance ticket - 60LE (plus 100LE extra for the Mummy Rooms)
Walking around Coptic cairo or Islamic cairo - FREE
Koshari/macaroni/Shwarma/Sandwich - 5LE
Fresh Juice - 2-5LE
Overnight bus to Luxor - 100LE, leaving 9pm from Cairo gateway, 12hours
- Overnight train to Luxor - 160LE 1st class (refuse to sell foreigners 2nd class) from Ramses station -

Dbl room w/fan at Oasis Hotel, Luxor - 30LE (inc. free sunset tea on the roof terrace)
Shwarma near the train station - 4.5LE (but they will ask for 9LE!)
Minibus around town - 1LE
Entrance to Karnak temple - 70LE
Entrance to Luxor temple - 40LE (not sure if worth it, we just looked from outside)

Ferry from East to West bank - 1LE
Taxi around West Bank - 80LE after hard bargaining for a trip to Valley of the Kings, then pick-up at Deir-al-Bahri temple and visit to Seti temple, Ramesseum and Habu temple (Valley of the Queens also possible)
Valley of the KIngs entrance - 80LE (includes 3 tombs, but not Tutankhamun or Ramses 6 they have extra charges, our tip would be Tuthmosis III for one of them)
Entrance to most other sites (Deir-al-Bahri, Ramesseum, Seti, Habu temple etc - 30LE per site
****** - ALL ENTRANCE FEES ARE 1/2 PRICE WITH ISIC CARD - ******

Day entrance to Rezeiky camp (with pool) - 15LE
Train from Luxor to Aswan - 25LE (31LE if bought onboard)

Dbl room w/bathroom and poor breakfast at Yassien Hotel - 40LE
Trip to High Dam, Philae and Abu Simbel - 80LE plus entrance fees, leaving at 3am (We didn't go)
Nice meal w/soft drinks at Panorama on the riverbank - 40LE
Tasty Kofta at Abeer restaurant - 7LE
Internet - 6LE per hour
Shared Taxi to High Dam port - 10LE p.p.

Ave daily budget - 80LE for general travelling plus 60LE for site entrances (USD$1=5.6LE, GBP1=9.2LE)