Getting There & Getting About

International Airports

• Khartoum (KRT): 4 km from city.

• Full list of airports in Sudan with associated airport codes >

Internal Transport

Note: special permits must be obtained from the Passport and Immigration Office, Ministry of Interior, Khartoum for any travel outside Khartoum. Visitors staying in Sudan for longer than three days must also report to the police.

There are some decent internal flights in Sudan, with the most reliable being Port Sudan to Khartoum. There is also a twice weekly air-taxi service to Nyala, available from Khartoum.

Although a number of river steamers serve all towns on the Nile, these are rather unsavoury and are mostly unsuitable for tourist travel. A 320 km (200 mile) navigable canal, the Jonglei, is under construction in the south.

Sudan has 5, 500 km (3,418 mile) rail network; however, the service is in bad repair and trains are slow and uncomfortable. Second- and third-class compartments can get very crowded, and first class travel is advisable. Some routes have a few air-conditioned carriages, for which a supplement is charged.

Although car hire is available in the main towns and at major hotels, charges are high. Road conditions are generally poor outside towns, and only major roads are asphalted. Street lights are non-existent and roads to the north are often closed during the rainy season (July to September).

Bus services run between the main towns and depart from the market places; however, travellers should be aware that they are not entirely safe. Taxis, also often unsafe, can be hailed in the street or found at ranks. They are not metered and fares must be agreed in advance. Souk (market) lorries are a cheap but uncomfortable method of transport.

Bus services operating within Khartoum have recently become irregular and unreliable, which has led to the proliferation of boks: private bakassi minibuses. Boks pick up and set down with no fixed stops; however, they operate on the fringes of legality and should be used with caution.