The distances in Sudan are so vast that travelling will inevitably be a considerable part of the trip. We made it our mission to get to Port Sudan in order to experience world class scuba diving, therefore we had a lot of ground to cover in a relatively small amount of time. The 787km journey through the unforgiving monotony of the desert from Karima to Port Sudan via Atbara was long but unforgettable.
We set off first thing in a mini-bus from the souk in Karima (250SDP 4hrs) and were soon taken into the custody of the desert. This is not a beautiful landscape, with none of the picturesque rolling dunes of the northern Sahara, the Sudanese desert is desolate. Small jots of dark patchy mountains and scattered dry shrubs are the only natural forms to break up the flat tedium of the view to the horizon that is on endless repeat.
Occasionally we would pass a roaming camel and be excited by the change in scene. The traffic was as scarce as the wildlife with other road users mainly consisting of long haul oil tankers. In some of the remotest stretches of tarmac we encountered locals waving empty jerry-cans desperate for water in this parched land. So far from the Nile people have to rely on the temperamental nature of wells.
Although seemingly unlikely, there is life in the desert. Tracks lead off from the main road and commerce can boom when you are the only service station for hundreds of empty miles. The first place we stopped was a collection of solitary shacks offering hospitality to travellers in the form of tea and ful with a squat toilet open to the elements. Simple but welcome in the otherwise inhospitable land.
Arriving in Atbara at mid-day we had missed the morning buses so entered into a chaotic barter for alternative onward transport. After the inevitable pause for lunchtime Friday prayer we agreed a deal for a car ride that ensured we got to Port Sudan with enough time to dive (3800SDP total).
The desert continued with its by now familiar tireless terrain. We watched the kilo-meters roll by singing along to a selection of our drivers favourite R’n’B tracks including Nelly, Usher, J Lo and some Arabic stars.
On this side of Atbara the service station was even more remote. Mud-bricks, brown cloth and a loosely thatched roof provide shelter and refreshments for the many truckers who pass this way. A young woman with baby-on-hip served tea as dust-devils passed. The only other people we saw on our journey east were the nomadic settlements of the Beja, living in hide tents on the forgotten outskirts of villages. Otherwise our journey was nothing but desert.
As we drew closer to Port Sudan a purple mountain range rose in the crepuscular light to greet us, dividing the dusty nothingness of the desert from the bright lights and industry of the coast. The road may have been long and we were pleased to finally arrive in Port Sudan but the journey itself was more then just a way of reaching our destination.
