Day 1: Arrive Port Sudan — Red Sea Welcome
Arrive at Port Sudan Airport. Transfer to hotel. Explore the historic port city. Visit Aras Beach — the abandoned 1980s diving resort used by Israeli intelligence as cover for Operation Brothers to smuggle Ethiopian Jews. Traditional Sudanese welcome dinner.
Day 2: Red Sea Diving & Snorkeling
Full day Red Sea snorkeling or diving at Sanganeb Marine National Park. Pristine coral gardens, abundant marine life, and the chance to see hammerhead sharks. One of the Red Sea’s most untouched underwater wonderlands.
Day 3: Fly to Khartoum — Nile Confluence
Morning flight to Khartoum. Visit the Sudan National Museum housing rescued Nubian temples and Kushite artifacts. Stand at the confluence of the Blue Nile and White Nile. Afternoon along Nile Street waterfront.
Day 4: Meroe Pyramids
Drive 200km north through the Nubian Desert to Meroe. Arrive at the Royal Pyramids of Meroe — over 200 steep-sided pyramids of Kushite kings and queens. Explore the pyramids, Royal Baths, and city ruins. Sunset photography. Camp near the pyramids under the stars.
Day 5: Meroe Sunrise → Naqa & Musawwarat
Sunrise at the pyramids. Drive to Naqa — Lion Temple of Apedemak and Roman kiosk. Continue to Musawwarat es-Sufra — explore the Great Enclosure, one of the largest archaeological complexes in Nubia. Return to camp.
Day 6: Jebel Barkal — Sacred Mountain of Amun
Drive north to Karima. Jebel Barkal — the flat-topped sacred mountain rising dramatically from the desert. Explore temples and pyramids at the mountain’s base. Climb partway up for panoramic views. Overnight in Karima.
Day 7: Nuri Pyramids → Old Dongola
Morning at Nuri pyramids — over 60 pyramids including Pharaoh Taharqa’s tomb with remarkably preserved painted chambers. Drive to Old Dongola — medieval capital of the Christian Nubian Kingdom of Makuria. Explore Throne Hall ruins and churches with early Christian frescoes.
Day 8: Old Dongola → Kerma
Morning exploration of remaining Old Dongola sites. Continue south to Kerma — one of Africa’s oldest urban settlements, capital of the first Kingdom of Kush dating to 3800 BC. Explore the massive mud-brick Deffufa temple.
Day 9: Tombos & Soleb Temple
Visit Tombos — ancient granite quarries with Egyptian inscriptions from the New Kingdom period. Wadi Sebu prehistoric rock art. Continue to Soleb Temple — the remarkable Temple of Amenhotep III standing dramatically on the Nile’s west bank, one of the finest Egyptian temples in Sudan.
Day 10: Return to Khartoum via Nubian Villages
Journey back toward Khartoum along the Nile. Visit traditional Nubian villages en route. Share tea with Nubian families. Arrive Khartoum in the evening.
Day 11: Departure from Khartoum
Final morning for last-minute shopping — Sudanese crafts, silver jewelry. Transfer to Khartoum International Airport for departure.
