Cycling Khartoum to Al Qadarif (Gedarif), Sudan: Will we be allowed into Ethiopia?
27 January - 10 February 2020
27 Jan - 2 Feb - Layover in Khartoum
3 Feb (105.7 km, 65.7 mi) - Khartoum to Wild Camp
4 Feb (86.3 km, 53.6 mi) - Wild Camp to Wad Madani
5 Feb - Layover in Wad Madani
6 Feb (143.0 km, 89 mi) - Wad Madani to Wild Camp
7 Feb (97.6 km, 60.6 mi) - Wild Camp to Al Qadarif (Gedarif)
8-10 Feb - Layover in Al Qadarif (Gedarif)
Hitting a Few Speed Bumps in Khartoum
Arriving in the capital of a country is always exciting for us. As the political and economic hub of Sudan, Khartoum (pop. 5.3 million) was one of those cities we were looking forward to visiting. We had booked a room in a nice hotel, and hoped to see some of the city’s sights to learn more about this metropolis at the edge of the desert.
But things didn’t go quite as planned.
Ethiopian Visa (Not)
First we had some business to take care of. Ethiopia is one of the countries on our itinerary that does not grant visas upon arrival unless you fly into the Addis Ababa airport. Likewise, their online e-visas are only good for arrival at the airport. Since we will be cycling across the border, neither of those options would work for us.
All of our advance research indicated that we would be able to get a 90-day tourist visa at the Ethiopian Embassy in Khartoum. European cyclists routinely obtain their visas this way, and there was plenty of helpful information online about how to successfully navigate the process.
Before dawn on 27 January, we headed over to the Ethiopian Embassy to get our visas. Arriving at the embassy gates a little before 6am, we wrote our names on the all-important List. It’s really just a hand-written list of names on a piece of blank paper, with numbers next to each name. But you have to be high on the list to ensure that you get a visa, because the embassy only issues a limited number of visas per day, and they process the visas in the order that the names appear on The List. We were in the top 15 names, so we felt pretty good about our chances.
Waiting outside the Ethiopian Embassy in Khartoum, before sunrise. We arrived early to maximize our chances of getting one of the limited number of tourist visas they issue each day. Khartoum, Sudan. Copyright © 2019-2020 Pedals and Puffins.
Once inside the embassy gate, we secured copies of the visa form, completed the paperwork, attached copies of our passports and visa photos, and were ready to go. We queued up by our assigned numbers in separate lines, one for men and one for women, and were finally allowed to pass through a security checkpoint, into the heart of the embassy. From there, we made our way into a small waiting room with service windows along one wall. So far, so good.
But when they called our number, and we went up to the service window to submit the papers, we were in for a rude surprise. The immigration officer refused to take our forms, and told us that because we were U.S. citizens, we couldn’t get our visas in Khartoum. What?! According to him, Ethiopia and the USA have a “special” visa arrangement, and the embassy in Khartoum did not have the correct stamp for us. Our only options for getting the visa were to go back to the U.S. and apply from home (not going to happen), to fly into the Addis Ababa airport (also not really an option), or to get the visa at the Ethiopian Consulate in Al Qadarif (Gedarif), Sudan. We were pretty concerned by this turn of events, because we hadn’t heard anything like this before. But as much as we insisted that we just wanted the regular, 90-day tourist visa, they dug in their heels and refused to help us. It was clear we weren’t going to get a visa from the Ethiopian Embassy on the first try.
Feeling lost, we went back to our hotel to regroup. We talked with the hotel owners about our predicament, and they said they’d never heard anything like this before, either. That was especially troubling, since the Acropole Hotel where we were staying has routinely helped their guests with visa applications going back decades. You would have thought this would have come up before if other guests had run into the same problem. George, who handles these kinds of issues for hotel guests, suggested that we go back to the embassy and request a meeting with the Ethiopian Consul to get some clarification. We started to wonder if we would ever make it into Ethiopia at all.
Heeding George’s advice, we taxied back to the embassy to try again. We asked, begged, and pleaded with the staff to let us in to see the Consul, but they were having none of it. Finally, they allowed PedalingGuy back into the embassy to speak with the visa official again. Unfortunately, it was the same guy who had refused our application earlier. But this time, he took a few minutes to hear PedalingGuy’s concerns. His English wasn’t that great, so there was some room for error. But after more discussion, the visa official insisted that we would definitely be able to get our visas in Qadarif. Luckily, we were already planning to cycle through that city, so we wouldn’t have to take a detour. But it seemed awfully risky.
Later, George called one of his contacts in the Sudanese Immigration office to see if they knew anything about this. They told him that they weren’t even aware that there was an Ethiopian Consulate in Qadarif. That didn’t make us feel any better. In fact, no one we talked to outside of the embassy thought it was probable that the Ethiopian Consulate in Qadarif would be able to issue a visa that was not available in Khartoum. But in the end, all we could do was go to Qadarif and give it a try. Khartoum was a dead end.
Swapping Cycling Stories
While we were sorting out the visa stuff, we invited two other cyclists to join us for dinner at our hotel. Tim (from Switzerland) is also cycling from Cairo to Cape Town, but his strategy is very different from ours. He’s traveling very light (no tent, no stove, and few clothes), so he can cover as many as 250 km a day - basically twice as much as us. He’s hoping to reach Cape Town, South Africa, in March! He was taking a rare rest break in Khartoum to apply for his Ethiopian visa, too. But he was lucky, and got his visa without any problems.
Our other guest was Joyce (from the Netherlands), who completed her ride across Africa two years ago. She’s now a university student doing research in Khartoum. We all enjoyed hearing Joyce’s ideas and perspectives about what lies ahead. She had some especially helpful tips about places to stay in some of the countries we will visit later this year. Since it is rare to meet other cyclists in Africa, we especially enjoyed our visit with both Tim and Joyce.
Khartoum’s Cultural Highlights
While we were in the city, we took time to visit a few places, including the Natural History Museum, the National Museum, and the Friday religious gathering of Sufi Dervishes at the Alshikh Hamad al Nil Cemetery.
The Natural History Museum of Sudan displays exhibits of skulls, fossils and birds, as well as a few habitat-based dioramas. We enjoyed studying the bird collection. Khartoum, Sudan. Copyright © 2019-2020 Pedals and Puffins.
One of Khartoum’s most visited attractions is the National Museum. It covers the history of Sudan from prehistoric times through the Christian period, which pre-dated the adoption of Islam. Many of its most striking exhibits were acquired when the Aswan High Dam was being built. Lake Nasser, which was created by the dam, flooded hundreds of kilometers along the Nile near the Sudanese/Egyptian border. Dozens of historically significant temples and tombs from ancient Egypt and the Kingdom of Kush (in Sudan) were rescued from the flood, and re-located to museums like the Sudan National Museum. As a result, a large part of the museum’s exhibits focus on that period of history.
Learning about the regions of Sudan at the National Museum, Khartoum. Copyright © 2019-2020 Pedals and Puffins.
Devotees of the Imam Al Mahdi, a religious leader in Sudan’s independence movement, sing and pray in the courtyard of his mausoleum. Khartoum, Sudan. Copyright © 2019-2020 Pedals and Puffins.
On Friday evening, we traveled to the Alshikh Hamad al Nil Cemetery, northwest of Khartoum, to witness the sunset ceremony of the area’s Sufi Dervishes. Each Friday they gather around 4pm to chant, dance and pray at the mausoleum of a 19th century leader in the Sufi order known as Tariqa - the most widespread Sufi order in Sudan.
The ceremony began with the forming of a large circle, and all of the men around the edge of the circle chanting in Arabic. Then slowly, the Dervish dancers started to march, sway and occasionally twirl on one-foot to the beat of the chanting and a range of percussion instruments - seeking to reach a trance-like state that allows them to communicate directly with god. With the scent of incense in the air, the chanting and dancing lasted until sunset.
A Sufi Dervish dancing to the rhythm of drums and the chanting crowd. Khartoum, Sudan. Copyright © 2019-2020 Pedals and Puffins.
Sweltering in the Savanna
Unfortunately, I ended up coming down with a stomach bug early in the week, which caused us to stay in Khartoum longer than we had originally planned. But on 3 February, we were finally ready to cycle southward towards Qadarif, and hopefully a couple of Ethiopian visas.
The ride out of Khartoum was hectic, as expected. The highway we took out of the city was in pretty bad shape - ragged edge, lots of huge potholes and cracks, and a steep drop-off onto the dirt/sand shoulder. Fortunately, the traffic wasn’t too heavy. Also, there were few cargo trucks, and none of the big, regional buses that can be such a menace on the road. Most of the drivers were quite courteous, and only passed when it was safe. But there were still a number of times we bailed off the road, either to allow a truck to pass from behind, or more often, to avoid being hit by someone passing in the other direction.
Khartoum is on the border between Sudan’s northern desert, and areas that receive more rainfall to the south. Heading out of the city, we passed through wide expanses of grasslands and savannas, dotted with clusters of acacia trees.
And it was hot. Really hot. On our fist day out, the high temperature was in the upper 80s F (30+ C), and each day it got even hotter. Fortunately, the urban area of Khartoum spread out for a long distance along the highway. As a result, we could stop occasionally at shops that sold cold drinks - which we did three times. It was an important part of our effort to beat the heat.
We were also able to grab an early dinner at a roadside cafeteria. It was the usual eggs and fuhl. But we hadn’t eaten any of this kind of food while we were in Khartoum, so it was actually a nice change of pace.
Eggs and fuhl (bean stew), the classic roadside meal in Sudan. Copyright © 2019-2020 Pedals and Puffins.
As we headed south, each day got hotter and hotter. On the fourth day out of Khartoum, the temperature was extremely hot, with highs approaching 100 F (38 C). On top of that, our legs were tired, so it seemed like a long day.
Late in the day, with about 25 km to go to reach Qadarif, I was getting badly overheated. We pulled over to take a rest break in our chairs, in the shade of some acacia trees. It was a very welcome break, and I felt better after the rest. But as we were getting ready to hit the road, I realized that my back tire was flat AGAIN. That’s four flats, all in the back tire. PedalingGuy hasn’t had a single flat tire yet. No fair.
Quiet Campsites and 1-Star Hotels
Lodging options are in short supply along the road from Khartoum to Qadarif. On our way to Wad Madani, we had a particularly hard time finding a place to camp because the highway parallels the Nile River. And although we were far enough away that we never actually saw the river, the area was still quite populous, with lots of villages. In addition, most of the land between the villages was heavily-used for grazing goats, sheep, camels and cows. And each small herd was tended by a shepherd. So it literally seemed like there were people everywhere.
At the end of the first day out of Khartoum, we finally reached an area that seemed to have less people. And a thick grove of acacia trees looked like it would provide some cover for camping. Unfortunately, the little forest was also full of goats. We wandered around a long time looking for a campsite that wasn’t covered with goat poop. We finally settled on a spot that wasn’t too messy, and used our small shovel to clear away the rest of the goat pellets before putting down the tent’s ground cloth.
We had a very peaceful evening. But in the morning, we heard voices. Apparently the dirt road that led to our campsite was used by the residents of a nearby village as their primary access to the highway. Quite a few people were walking by, on their way to the main road.
Then we had a rude awakening - two dogs discovered us, and had a barking fit. It was very disconcerting, because they seemed pretty aggressive. But after about five minutes of hysterical barking, the dogs lost interest, then wandered away. It was a huge relief when they left us alone.
Once the dogs were gone, we hustled to pack up and put the tent away. When we were all packed up, a shepherd came along to check us out. He said hello, and looked us over carefully before ambling away with his small herd of goats. We vowed that in the future we’d be more selective about where we camped, and to be especially careful to avoid dirt roads that look well-used.
Clay jars filled with water are as ubiquitous in the grasslands south of Khartoum as they were in the deserts of the north. South of Rufaah, Sudan. Copyright © 2019-2020 Pedals and Puffins.
With the Nile River close by, villagers are able to grow irrigated fields of cotton. Piles of the fluffy, white fiber were a common sight along the highway. But one thing that seemed to be in very short supply here was gasoline. The gas lines in towns south of Khartoum appeared to be even longer than the ones up north. We saw several lines of cars, waiting to buy gas, that stretched out for more than a kilometer.
That looks a little bit unstable… better to move aside and give him some space. Kassala, Sudan. Copyright © 2019-2020 Pedals and Puffins.
Sudan continued to live up to its reputation as one of the friendliest countries in Africa. Everyone we passed waved and shouted a greeting. And every so often, a car would pull over to the side of the road, some guys would pile out, and offer us a warm welcome.
Even folks far from the road would see us, and give a wave and a shout. Sudan. Copyright © 2019-2020 Pedals and Puffins.
We also ended up camping the night after leaving Wad Madani. The original plan had been to cycle about 85 km to a hotel in the small town of Al Fao, which is located next to a ridge of rocky hills. On the approach into Al Fao, we passed a lot of cotton and sorghum fields, as well as a huge cotton-processing factory.
In southern Sudan, villages and towns like Al Fao are often found at the foot of rocky hills. We wondered if the hills originally served as landmarks that helped travelers locate the villages. Sudan. Copyright © 2019-2020 Pedals and Puffins.
According to Google Maps, there was a hotel in the center of Al Fao. And given the size of the cotton factory south of town, we were hopeful that it might be a decent hotel. But when we arrived at the location marked in Google, there didn’t appear to be any hotels around. We went into a pharmacy near the site, and asked if they knew where the hotel was. But the folks in the pharmacy just laughed, and seemed quite amused that we would think there was a hotel in Al Fao. They affirmed that no, there was no hotel.
That was a huge bummer, because it was a very hot day, with a slow, uphill trajectory and crosswinds out of the North. Consequently, we were already tired and ready for a break.
Yet without a hotel, we had no choice but to push on. If we could travel another 40-50 km, we’d be able to make it to Al Qadarif the next day. So we biked. And biked. Until about 8:30 in the evening. We managed to cover about 140 km - our longest day yet.
By the light of the moon, we found a camping spot among some acacia trees, with enough distance from the highway to avoid attracting attention. It was a peaceful night, except for the sound of the trucks rumbling along the highway. The moon was waxing towards full, and it shone with a bright light for most of the night.
Compared to the camping options, the hotels on this part of the route were nothing to get excited about. We arrived at the Imperial Hotel in Wad Madani pretty early, which was great because it gave us time to relax indoors for the hottest part of the day. The hotel is pretty run down. But it only cost $10/night, and the room had air conditioning and hot water. All-in-all, it was a pretty good deal, so we decided to take a day off and spend two nights there. We were both feeling drained from the heat, and our fitness had fallen off during the long layover in Khartoum. The break allowed us to recuperate for the next leg of the journey.
The hotel in Qadarif was another example of a place that was probably very nice once upon a time, but had fallen into disrepair and suffered from neglect. The biggest “ick” factors were that the bedsheets had obviously not been changed in a while, the place is infested with roaches, and there was no hot water. Luckily, we were able to get fresh, clean bedsheets without any fuss. And we killed many dozens of roaches, so that after a couple of days there weren’t as many in the room. On the bright side, this hotel did provide toilet paper and soap (not to be taken for granted in Sudan), the room was well-lit, it was quiet, and the beds were reasonably comfy. So, it was tolerable.
A banana-dog? You have to get creative with the food options available. Al Qadarif (Gedarif), Sudan. Copyright © 2019-2020 Pedals and Puffins.
The streets of Al Qadarif (Gedarif) stayed busy until well after dark. Sudan. Copyright © 2019-2020 Pedals and Puffins.
We’re Going to Ethiopia After All
The Ethiopian consulate was closed on our first day in Qadarif (Saturday), so we took the day to rest up from our long, hot rides.
Dinner that evening was interesting. The hotel receptionist recommended a place way out on the northwest edge of town. We don’t know its name, because it was only written in Arabic. The restaurant tables were spread out on an actual grass lawn, not dirt. In addition to the restaurant, there were multiple children’s play areas, including go-cars, an inflated jumping area, and a sandbox. Lots of families showed up later in the evening with kids in tow. The menu was only in Arabic, and we were wondering how to place an order, when a college-aged guy came over to help us read the menu and choose our food. He was very friendly, and asked if we would speak with him at the end of the evening.
When we finished our meal, he joined us for a long conversation. He talked a lot about his views on the political changes in Sudan, resulting from the recent revolution (about a year ago). He’s impatient to see improvements. As a university student studying electrical engineering, hopefully he will stay positively engaged in his country’s future. He was so enthusiastic, it was easy to like him.
On Sunday we walked over to the Ethiopian consulate, hoping beyond hope that we would be able to get our visas.
When we arrived, an official greeted us. He spoke basic English - better than the officials in Khartoum. He was perplexed that we didn’t get our visas in Khartoum, and at first he didn’t seem inclined to help us. And like everyone else, he was skeptical when we told him that the Khartoum embassy claimed not to have the appropriate stamp for U.S. citizen visas. But after we explained that we had been to the embassy in Khartoum twice, and that they insisted we needed to go to Qadarif, he relented and agreed to work with us to get our visas.
We waited for an hour or so until the official returned. He filled out the forms for us, interviewing PedalingGuy to get the answers to the questions for both of us (he didn’t want to talk to me). The fact that we had the same last name confused him, and at first he thought we might be brother and sister. Apparently, in Ethiopia the women don’t change their names when they marry. PedalingGuy explained that it was different in the U.S., and yes, we were married.
Along with the forms, we had to provide our original passports plus two visa photos. The cost of the visas was $70 USD each, plus 44 SDP for copies and to pay for the forms.
After another hour or so of waiting, the official returned with our visas. We were elated and relieved. The visa period starts immediately, but the visas are good for a full two years (multiple entry) - so we’ll have plenty of time to cycle across the country and visit a few of the famous sights. As far as we can tell, there isn’t a requirement to leave Ethiopia at any time during those two years. The whole process was completed by about 11am.
Then we had to really decide which route we would take into Ethiopia. A couple of other cyclists had previously convinced us that taking the eastern route through Humera/Shire/Mekele would be calmer, with fewer rock-throwing kids. But recent reports suggest there’s quite a bit of stone-throwing going on along that route. So after some deliberation, we decided that we’d take the shorter route through Metema, Gondar and Bahir Dar.
Satisfying Smoothies
One of our favorite things about Al Qadarif was the fruit smoothies they make there. A nearby shop was doing a brisk business selling mixed-fruit smoothies for 20 SDP each (about 20¢). The drinks contain both mango and strawberry juices, supplemented with brown sugar and chunks of strawberry/banana/pomegranate. They’re absolutely delicious. We went over to the shop to have a smoothie at least once each day.
Smoothie bliss. Al Qadarif (Gedarif), Sudan, Copyright © 2019-2020 Pedals and Puffins.
Beautiful Birds of Southern Sudan
In northern Sudan, the desert birds tended to all be colored in shades of brown, gray, black and white. Not so in southern Sudan! Here in the savannas, we’re starting to see some pretty gorgeous and colorful birds.
One of the first to catch our eye was the Northern Carmine Bee-Eater. They’re gloriously colorful, with a turquoise-blue head, tail and rump, and bright, pinkish-red breast. Several of them were fly-catching from a roadside power line. It was really fun to watch them.
Wow, that’s colorful! Northern Carmine Bee-eater. Near Wad Madani, Sudan. Copyright © 2019-2020 Pedals and Puffins.
In one particularly dramatic incident, we spotted a Black-shouldered Kite just as it stooped to the ground and caught a rat. After grabbing the rat, it flew up to the top of a telephone pole to have its meal.
A Black-shouldered Kite and its lunch. Sudan. Copyright © 2019-2020 Pedals and Puffins.
On the final push into Qadarif, we had stopped at a roadside cafeteria to buy some hard boiled eggs for breakfast. As usual, we attracted a crowd of curious locals, and several of the men struck up the customary conversation with PedalingGuy about where we were from, and where we were going. He handled it like a good sport.
Stopping to buy breakfast at a roadside cafeteria. Within minutes, we had attracted a crowd of curious locals. Kassala, Sudan. Copyright © 2019-2020 Pedals and Puffins.
We decided to take our eggs down the road, and look for a secluded place to eat them. We pulled over on a dirt road and settled into our camp chairs for a quiet breakfast. While we were eating, we were delighted to spot a couple of Abyssinian Rollers in a nearby acacia tree.
Another gorgeous bird, spotted while we were eating breakfast. Abyssinian Roller. Sudan. Copyright © 2019-2020 Pedals and Puffins.
We’re looking forward to seeing more fascinating wildlife as we head south, and enter the Ethiopian highlands.
