The start of our journey around Northern Sudan - the road leading out across the Libyan Desert-Omdurman to Al Moultaqa (Abu Dom) |
Around 320 km across the Libyan desert vs over 860 km following the river around the Great Bend of the Nile |
Goat herder leading his flock towards a village |
Dusty track across the open desert northwest of Khartoum |
Libyan Desert northwest of Khartoum |
Thatched Rondavels typical of Subsaharan Africa |
The Northern Arterial Highway |
شارع شريان الشمال |
Termite mounds perhaps... |
The first - of many - camels |
Hobbled camels grazing on the side of the road |
Sand dunes - the Libyan Desert of Sudan makes up the eastern portion of the Sahara Desert |
A giant herd of camels crossing the desert |
We stop and wait for the camels to cross the road |
Camel leading the way |
The Northern Highway from Omdurman across the Libyan Desert |
The four camel herders stayed near the rear of the herd |
The lead camel seems to know where he's going...luckily traffic is light |
Herd of camels in the Libyan Desert of Sudan |
This is the largest herd of camels I've seen underway |
Sudanese camel herder bringing up the rear |
...much more authentic than those guys at the pyramids... |
Camel Crossing |
Herdsman hurrying the stragglers across the road...a bus is coming... |
Large herd of camels crossing the Northern Arterial Highway, Libyan Desert, Sudan |
These camels were heading southwest rather than north towards Egypt like the later herds we'd see |
Large herd of camels crossing the highway northwest of Omdurman |
The herd continues on off into the desert |
Herd of camels in the Libyan Desert, Sudan |
Sudanese man on a camel |
Sudanese camel herdsman |
The herd is safely across the road |
A little dog is following the last two camels across |
They seemed to enjoy putting on a little show for us |
The elder of the camel herders |
Striking a pose for me |
The iconic desert scene, Sudan |
...and no request for baksheeh...this isn't Egypt... |
Five men to control all those camels... |
Abu Dulua toll gate ahead |
Sudanese bus speeding across the desert, Al Thoab الثواب |
Mosque with an impressive minaret, Abu Dulua |
Roadside Sudan |
Libyan Desert mudbrick village |
Sudanese villager selling watermelons along the road |
Libyan Desert |
Accident ahead... |
...the overloaded bus looks in pretty good shape... |
...as opposed to the shattered SUV - I don't think that was survivable |
Camels near a small village along the Northern Highway |
Small road-side village mosque along the Northern Highway |
Libyan Desert |
Black and white checkered water towers like this are common |
Village with a mosque at km 128 on the Northern Highway |
Village with a mosque at km 128 on the Northern Highway |
Road sign for Umm Khoasir, at km 141 on the Northern Highway |
Dust blowing across the Libyan Desert highway |
Dust blowing across the Libyan Desert highway |
The Northern Arterial Highway leading northwest from Omdurman and Khartoum |
Sand dunes, Libyan Desert, Sudan |
Libyan Desert, Sudan |
Rest stop along the Northern Highway |
Roadside rest area between Omdurman and Abu Dom |
Petrol sold out of plastic jerry cans |
Tea break, Sudan |
Looking back in the direction of Omdurman - Sudan's Northern Highway |
شارع شريان الشمال |
Highway across the Libyan Desert northwest of Khartoum |
Sand of the Libyan Desert, Sudan |
Stop sign in the desert |
Libyan Desert landscape, Sudan |
A small mudbrick hut with a large sand dune, Libyan Desert |
Libyan Desert, late afternoon, Sudan |
Libyan Desert, late afternoon, Sudan |
Libyan Desert, late afternoon, Sudan |
Libyan Desert, late afternoon, Sudan |
Northern Highway 171 km northwest of Omdurman |
Line of six small hills ahead, km 172 |
Six small hills rising out of an otherwise flat desert |
Libyan Desert, Sudan |
Libyan Desert, Sudan |
Mosque with an impressive minaret |
Mosque with an impressive minaret in the middle of nowhere, Sudan |
We had hoped to reach Old Dongala on this first day, but we got such a late start from Khartoum we weren't even close... |
Mahmoud driving off-road to find us a nice campsite for the night |
Lone acacia in the Libyan Desert, Sudan |
Off-road in the Libyan Desert, Sudan |
Off-road in the Libyan Desert, Sudan |
Desert shrubbery, Sudan |
Late afternoon looking for a secluded place to set up camp |
Off-road in the Libyan Desert, Sudan |
Long shadow of our truck as we search the desert for a good campsite |
Vast emptiness |
Long shadows as we inspect a potential campsite |
Panoramic view of our campsite in the Libyan Desert, Sudan |
Sunset, Libyan Desert |
Rocky outcropping in the Libyan Desert several km away from the main road |
Those six hills we saw from the road can be a landmark |
Atop the small rise near the campsite, Libyan Desert panorama |
Patch of soft sand |
Don't get stuck! |
Lucky...this time... |
Setting up camp the first night out of Khartoum (hint...next time, Mahmoud, make sure all the parts are there...) |
Sunset - it's going to be a dark night |
Trygve and Karen setting up their tent as dusk falls |
Red sky |
Sunrise the next morning |
Libyan Desert sunrise |
Good morning as the breakfast table is already set up |
Small rise near out campsite |
Undisturbed sand |
Campsite in the Libyan Desert around 200 km northwest of Omdurman |
Morning in the Libyan Desert, Sudan |
Morning in the Libyan Desert, Sudan |
SudanDec09 966.jpg |
Panoramic view of our campsite in the Libyan Desert |
Camping in the Libyan Desert of Sudan |
Camping in the Libyan Desert of Sudan |
Sandy Libyan Desert, Sudan |
Driving back to the main road |
Passing a truck at km 224 northwest of Omdurman |
Large sand dune, Libyan Desert |
Small roadside village with a mosque |
Libyan Desert, Sudan |
Libyan Desert, Sudan, km 270 NW of Omdurman |
Black hill as we near the Nile Valley |
Sandy plateau just south of Al Multaga |
Welcome to Al Multaga where we return to the Nile Valley, 303 km NW of Omdurman |
Modern minarets, A Multaga Mosque |
Obelisk-like monument at the junction of the Desert Highway and the Nile Valley road |
To Al Daba, our entrance to Nubia |
Main road on the West Bank of the Nile - straight on for Dongola, left for Merowe |