Arrival at the Khartoum airport. Meet and Greet with the guide, and transfer to the hotel. Check in, dinner free and overnight stay.

Breakfast at the hotel. Visit the Ethnographic Museum, which shows the very interesting variety of the Sudan’s populations.

We depart driving South. Not far from the little town of Wadi Medani we visit the ruins of the Sultan’s Funji palace, whose dynasty ruled this part of Sudan between the 1500 and 1800 century.

We follow the sealed road to reach Kosti, where we cross the Nile on the only bridge over the big river from here to its springs. We follow the river on its western bank on an unsealed track which goes through Renk and reaches Fashoda, a village on the Nile banks. This village became famous because French and English troupes at the end of ‘800 century, when both tried to get this unexplored territories under their control.

This region of Sudan, had been “off limit” for about 20 years, due to the war between the Central government and the Southern populations. It was an ethnic war, and not a religious one, due to the ancestral predominance the Arab race has above the African one. Later, the religious differences (Muslims in the North and animist in the South) have increased the hostility between the 2 sides. We are in the Shilluk’s area, a nilotic race of people, very tall and thin with deep scarifications on the face. It’s a very primitive race, and they have kept a very traditional way of living, connected predominantly to animal’s farming. Possibility to visit the King of the Shilluk Palace.

As day 03.

As day 03.

Here we start the most explorative part of the journey. We enter the South Kordofan region, with it’s huge savannah lands of Yellow dry grass, dotted with some acacia trees. In the middle of these never ending grass lands, we suddenly see some granite hills, made up of huge round boulders. As if hidden between those rocks we find the huts of the Nuba Villages of Kau, Niaro e Fungor.

These were made famous at the end of the seventies by the book of the German photographer: Leni Riefenstahl. In her book “People of Kau”, she writes about the people: “These people are from another planet, their heart is gentle, they are simple and pure, they don’t know robberies and murders, they live in perfect harmony with the nature. They are the most happy people that I have ever met. They cover their bodies with snow-white hash, during the crops harvest, the traditional wrestling fights and the deaths burying ceremonies. These traditions give them an extraterrestrial appearance. The unmarried women, live naked, showing their beautiful bodies shining with special ointments.”

Today most of these special habits have disappeared. Men wears Arabic style jallabyes, or old t-shirts and shorts, and middle age women still show the facial scarifications but cover them selves with colourful peace of clothing. Despite these changing, the magical fascination of these little villages between the boulders is still unspoiled.

As day 06.

As day 06.

We drive across the savannah land of the South Kordofan until we reach the area where the Nuba Masakin live. Although of Nuba origin, this ethnic group speak a different language and has totally different traditions. The Masakin’s people are even more welcoming than the Nuba from Kau. Their huts are very often joined, for protection, in groups of 4-5 buildings by a red mud fence. Due to the war some villages had been abandoned and now they are destroyed.

As day 09.

As day 09.

We reach Kadugli, the most important town in South Kordofan, where we can stock up for the following days. East of this area we’ll have the opportunity to reach the Western Nuba villages with their inhabitants. Crossing the mountains we will look for an ancient crater where amazing villages are hidden. Drive through the small town of Dilling.

As day 12.

 We keep on driving North West to reach Rahad and we leave behind the Nuba region. We reach the White Nile in Kosti.

The journey finishes on arrival back in Khartoum,  check in at the hotel where rooms are available in day use.  Late transfer back to airport.