SUDAN – Berenike - Nomads and desert from Nubia(16 Tage)

 

 

 

A long and tough expedition with more than 1000km off road through the Nubian Desert to meet nomads, to look for a site of prehistoric rock engravings, discovered only few years ago and to explore the legendary Berenike, the town of gold. Mainly a desert crossing with interesting encounters with the local people, the Nile and with the visit of the famous archaeological site of the pyramids of Meroe, listed in the World Heritage Unesco sites. Overnights in wild camps. 

day 1 /  Khartoum
Arrive in Khartoum. Meet and greet with the guide. Transfer to the hotel.

day 2 / Khartoum – Meroe
After breakfast we will spend the morning visiting the Archaeological Museum that, besides many beautiful objects, contains three full temples rescued by the UNESCO in the sixties and moved from the Lake Nasser area, when it was flooded by the water (the visit to the Museum can be moved on to the last day according to opening time).The expedition departs late morning heading north. We will come across the beautiful granite formations of the Sixth Cataract and we will then reach the sandy hills covered by the pyramids of the Royal Necropolis of Meroe. Dinner and overnight in wild-camp, not far from the pyramids. (B.L.D.)

 

day 3 – 4 - 5 / Meroe - Atbara – Bayuda Desert – Abu Hamed  
In the morning visit the Royal necropolis of Meroe that is located at about 3 km from the Nile on some hills covered by yellow sand dunes.  Several pyramids stand out with their sharp shapes against the clear sky. Each one has its own funerary chapel with the walls fully decorated with bas-reliefs that show the King’s life and offers to the gods.

After the visit we reach th Nile and we cross the river by a ferry.. We enter the Bayuda Desert, an area bounded by the loop formed by the Nile between the 4th and the 6th Cataract and characterised by sharp black basalt mountains, most of them volcanic and typically cone-shaped. They alternate with level pebble stretches and large valleys crossed by dry wadis where there is little vegetation. We keep on driving across the desert where we might meet isolated groups of Hassanya nomads, who live in familiar groups in small huts made of intertwined branches covered with large camel wool blankets, near the rare water wells in the area. Wild camp among small dunes. The following day we will reach another incredible volcano just in the centre of the Bayuda Desert, Atrun Crater, where nomads gather salt from the edge of a green coloured pool. They will then sell it to markets of the towns outside the desert carrying the salt on camels caravan. The Atrun crater is an unbelievable place where it feels like the time has stopped to the Middle Ages. As we enter the valley we will find ourselves brought back in time too. We will then travel toward North through the flat plains of the Bayuda where only few acacia trees grow and where sometimes we meet isolated sand dunes among dark rocky formations. After another night in the desert, and we reach the Nile where it divides into two branches with a large island in the middle: Mograt Island. The people here are farmers taking advantage of the very fertile soil and the water from the river. We cross the Nile to the island and then again by ferry to enter the Nubian Desert in Abu Hamed. This small village is located where the Nile changes its course and goes south. It is the last village until the border with Egypt and we will take advantage of the basic shops available to stock up our vehicles with fuel, food and water for the following, challenging days of expedition. We will start our tour across the Nubian Desert and we will camp among the soft dunes of Jebel Angib. Dinners and overnights in wild camp.

day 6 - 7 - 8 / the Nubian mountains – the rock engravings of Bir Nurayet
Driving northward we come across a flat area dotted with isolated black mountains. Here it is possible to encounter many gold seekers searching for the precious metal with modern metal detectors. Indeed since few years ago in Sudan a new rush for gold has started and hundreds of people leave their villages along the Nile to look for it where the ancient Egyptians already dug. This is one of the driest areas of the Sahara. The chain of mountains that runs parallel to the coast indeed prevent the rains from reaching this area. We reach Jebel Magardi, an unusually shaped mountain situated near the Bir Nurayet well. Only few years ago an archeological Polish expedition discovered a large number of rock engravings and Neolithic sites. This proves the existence of a thousands of years ago human life, probably along a  caravan route that led to the Nile from the Red Sea. We try to find them and admire their beauty.  Dinners and overnights in wild camp. (B.L.D.)

day 9 – 10 - 11  / Wadi Hofra - Gold Mines of Wadi Onib – Berenike
We move westward and we among the wild mountains where there are curious “craters” with white sand. The most spectacular is Wadi Hofra (in Arabic “bowl”), an huge crater of white sand surrounded by black mountains where there is only one narrow passage to enter. In those areas it is common to meet small groups of Beja nomads from the Bisharin and Hadendowa tribes together with their animals. It is a very delicate encounter with these nomads who are not use to meet foreigners. The round huts made of acacia branches are usually in the middle of a circle made of stones that mark a tidy court yard. On the eastern side some rocks indicate the direction of Mecca. Women wear long and colored clothes, golden earrings and bracelets. These nomads live like 2000 years ago, isolated with no contacts with the outside world. They almost do not possess any plastic objects. We reach the narrow valley of Wadi Onib where we find the rests of an ancient gold mine (Onib mines) as reported on the old English maps. We will come across wonderful gorges, tumulus tombs and remains of others ancient settlements. Finally we will arrive in wadi Allaqi. This legendary place has been very well known since the old times for its gold mines. Following the valley of wadi Allaqi we reach the site of Deraheib (so called by the nomads), the old Berenike Panchrysos, the gold town. Berenike Panchrysos is a large settlement that includes many building covering an area of about one and a half km on both banks of the wadi Allaqi. The latest buildings are made with flat stones, while the older ones are of granite blocks, roughly squared. Near the wide bend of the wadi, which runs east to turn north, there are the ruins of two majestic forts. The city could have had a population of about 10.000 people and its name has been often changed by its inhabitants. Now the nomads call it Deraheib, which means “buildings”. The feeling to be in a place that has ever been visited by very few white people, but so famous and difficult to reach, is amazing. It is very interesting to browse around the remains of the buildings. Some of those seem to have been abandoned in the last few years, some other by many centuries. Historical sources, including Pliny “the Elder”, tell us that the Ancient Egyptians were getting the majority of their gold needed for their rich civilizations from Wawat, an unidentified area in the Mountains area of the Sudanese Nubian Desert between the Red Sea and the Nile. Moreover, the word “Nubia” that has always identified the area of southern Egypt and northern Sudan, in the old Egyptian language means “Gold”. The historians of the pharaoh Thutmosi III, of the XVIII dynasty of the New Reign confirm that in those times 1400 b.C. from the gold mines of Wawat were extracted up to 770 kg of the precious metal each year. Berenike Panchrysos, the golden city of the Ptolemaic Dynasty, was the subject of many legends for centuries, up to the point that it became nearly a mythological town. A legend was talking about some little “Spirits” who were the guardians of the town and as they were jealous of it, they would make it disappear to the eyes of whoever wanted to see it. Dinner and overnights in wild camp. (B.L.D)

day 12 - 13 / Nubian mountains -  wadi Gabgaba - Station n. 6
After the visit of the enchanting Berenike, we continue westward close to the border with Egypt. We follow wadi Nesari and then wadi Abu Tabaq and the sandy and huge wadi Gabgaba. All of a sudden we will meet telegraph posts and railway tracks apparently coming from nowhere.  This is the “railroad in the desert” that used to connect Wadi Halfa to Khartoum and it was built by the British in 1897 to conquer Khartoum after the loss of Gordon to the Mahadist forces. We follow the railway line stopping at the interesting Station n. 6 which still preserves the typical atmosphere of the old British railway stations. Dinners and overnights in wild camps. (B.L.D.)

day 14 / Nubian Desert – Abu Ahmed – 5th Cateract
Today we drive south until we reach again the village of Abu Ahmed. Then again south till the rock formations of the 5th Cateract where we will stop for a walk on the sandy beaches along the Nile. Last overnight in wild camp (B.L.D.)

day 15 / Omdurman – Khartoum - departure
We will drive southward until we reach where we visit the souk in Omdurmann for a short visit and where there is the possibility to buy some local handcrafts. Arrival in Khartoum. Check in at the hotel where rooms are available in day use till dinner time. Dinner free, then transfer to the airport. (B.L.)

day 16 / Departure
Boarding the international flight to Europe.

 

Information:

Organization: All the lunches are picnic style. In the evening the food is prepared by a cook. Guide English speaking.
Cars: we use Toyota Land Cruisers and Toyota Hi-Lux double cab with three passengers + driver per car (one car can have 4 passengers). One extra service vehicle to load fuel and water.  

Overnights: Igloo tents built for three pax but used for two or in single. For the set up of the tends we ask the help of the passengers. Table and chairs for dinner and breakfast. Carpets on the ground for the lunch. All the equipments are supplied by the organization except sleeping bag and pillow.

  

 

Technical information:
A crossing of more then 1000 kilometres of wild and unknown desert cannot be planned exactly. During the tour we might make some small changes to the itinerary. The tour guide has the responsibility of the tour and he/she will take all the necessary decisions to guarantee the safety of the passengers. We ask the passengers (real pioneers) to be flexible and “open minded”. The tour is organised with 4x4 cars fully equipped for desert expeditions with GPS navigation instruments and satellite telephone.

The quotation includes:

1. meeting at airport and private transfer to hotel
2. n. 1 O/N at Holiday Villa hotel (4****) in Khartoum in BB
3. n. 1 day use at Holiday Villa Hotel
4. all the camping equipment for the overnights in camp (igloo tent,

      rubber foam mattress) and a cook in charge of the meals

1. transport with Toyota Land Cruisers 4x4 or similar (4 pax per car) or Toyota    Hilux (3 pax per car) – extra car for the Berenike part  for carrying fuel and extra water
2. TL English speaking
3. Sudanese staff
4. National Museum entry fee
5. Travel and photo permits
6. Passport registration

The quotation does not include:

1. the meals and drinks in Khartoum - soft drinks - sleeping bag and pillow while camping - video camera permits at the archaeological sites (at the moment 20 USD per site per video camera) - personal expenses - Sudan entry Visa and visa authorization - tips

 

Termine im Jahr 2015:

	Termine	Season	Preis	EZ
1	20.02. - 07.03.	SS	2645	81
2	27.03. - 11.04.	SS	2645	81

SS= Standardseason

NS= Nebenseason

EZ= Einzelzimmerzuschlag

Messerabatt 6%

Gruppe von 10 - 14 Personen

Zusatzliche Übernachtung in Karimaa und Meroe (auf Option) in €:

	DZ	EZ
die Preise pro Person	81	115

DZ= Doppelzimmer

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