Nubian Desert

The Nubian Desert covers the ground between the Nile and the Red Sea Hills in northeastern Sudan, an arid plateau of gravel and sandstone cut by wadis that carry water only after the rare rain, with almost no permanent settlement across most of it. It is one of the driest parts of the Sahara. The old road and the railway from the Nile to Port Sudan both cross it, and Beja herders move through the eastern edges.

Background

The desert forms the eastern part of the Sahara and spans approximately 400,000 square kilometres of northeastern Sudan and northern Eritrea. Its rugged, rocky ground has dunes in places and many wadis that dry up before reaching the Nile, and average rainfall stays below 5 inches a year. The Nile passes most of its cataracts here, ahead of the Great Bend. Merchants from ancient Egypt crossed it to buy gold, cloth and stone from Nubia. The Cairo-Cape Town Highway runs through it. A few oases hold the critically endangered palm Medemia argun, which grows nowhere else. The meteoroid 2008 TC3 burst over the desert on 7 October 2008, and people hundreds of miles away saw the flash.

Source: Wikipedia, "Nubian Desert"

Highlights

• The gravel plateau - the arid ground running between river and hills.
• The dry wadis - the channels that carry water only after rare rain.
• The emptiness - almost no permanent settlement across most of it.
• The crossing routes - the road and railway running to Port Sudan.

When to go

November to February is the cool season and the only sensible window. March to May is extremely hot. Rain is rare in any month.

Before you go

There is no water, fuel or settlement across most of it. Crossing requires a proper expedition with guides. Travel in Sudan requires arrangements made well in advance.

Nearby

Atbara is southwest, and Port Sudan is east.

Key facts