A classic journey up the Nile...

A weekly Nile steamer used to link Aswan in Egypt with Wadi Halfa in the Sudan, and fortnightly train connected Wadi Halfa with Khartoum.  Unfortunately, both ferry and train seems to be no more.

Useful country information

Cairo to Khartoum by train & ferry

Cairo ► Aswan ► Wadi Halfa ► Khartoum

• On Saturday, take a train from Cairo to Aswan, see the Egypt page.  I'd recommend taking a daytime train on Saturday and spending the night in Aswan, or using the Friday night sleeper.

• Spend Saturday night in Aswan.

• Every Sunday at around 12:00, a Nile steamer run by Nile Valley River Transport sails from Aswan High Dam (El Sadd el Ali) to Wadi Halfa in Sudan, arriving around lunchtime on Monday.  The 1st class fare (with a berth in a shared cabin) costs £E 375 + £E40 port tax, the 2nd class fares (deck place) is around £E 225 + port tax, children £E140+port tax (2015 prices).  Call (202) 578 9256 for information & reservations.  I recommend reading the travellers' reports below as they have more detail on the ferry...

  This ferry is reported as discontinued

• Spend Monday night in Wadi Halfa, known as 'bloody half-way' to 19th century British troops!

• Every third Tuesday a train allegedly leaves Wadi Halfa at 17:40, arriving Atbara on Wednesday evening and Khartoum (Bahri station in the north) on Thursday morning.  The train ran on 8 & 22 November 2016, you can work out which weeks it runs using those reference dates and a calendar. 

  The train has 1st class sleepers and 1st, 2nd & 3rd class seats.  The fare is around 215 Sudanese pounds in a 1st class sleeper, 115 Sudanese pounds in a 1st class seat, 100 Sudanese pounds in a 2nde class seat.

  The only way to check if this train is still running is to go there - there's no reliable way to know from outside Sudan.

  Update:  Reports from the Sudan in May 2018 suggested there is now no train at all from Wadi Halfa, just daily trains between Atbara and Khartoum.  A more recent report in February 2020 suggests the train is running again, every week.  However, this comes from  asking at the station, it is not confirmed!

  There are buses from Wadi Halfa to Atbara & Khartoum run by half a dozen companies, all leaving Wadi Halfa bus station around 05:00, taking 12 hours and costing around SDG 250.  But the train is a far more interesting and historic option, even if suffering from (and possibly now killed by) bus competition on the recently-tarmacked road.

• Feedback would be welcome.  Note that the train from Wadi Halfa is not shown on the Sudan Railways website, www.sudanrailways.gov.sd, which is (frankly) not a lot of use!

Khartoum ► Wadi Halfa ► Aswan ► Cairo

• Every third Saturday, a train allegedly leaves Khartoum Bahri station around 09:00, calling at Atbara on Saturday evening and arriving at Wadi Halfa early Monday morning.  The train ran on 29 April 2017 and will run every 3 weeks, so you can work out which weeks it runs using a calendar.

  The train has 1st class sleepers and 1st, 2nd & 3rd class seats.  The fare is around 215 Sudanese pounds in a 1st class sleeper, 115 Sudanese pounds in a 1st class seat, 100 Sudanese pounds in a 2nde class seat.

  The only way to check if this train is still running is to go there - there's no reliable way to know from outside Sudan.

  Update:  Reports from the Sudan in 2018 suggested there is now no train at all from Wadi Halfa, just daily trains between Atbara and Khartoum.  A more recent report in February 2020 suggests the train is running again, every week.  However, this comes from  asking at the station, it is not confirmed!

• Every Monday, a Nile steamer sails from Wadi Halfa around 17:00, arriving in Aswan around lunchtime on Tuesday.  The northbound ferry fare is around 350 Sudanese pounds in 1st class, 225 Sudanese pounds in 2nd class.  Don't forget the Sudan exit tax when leaving Sudan.

  This ferry is reported as discontinued

• On Tuesday evening, travel from Aswan to Cairo by sleeper train arriving in Cairo on Wednesday morning, see the Egypt page for details.

Aswan:  Loading the Nile steamer at Aswan High Dam.  Photo courtesy of Leonie Purvis		Abu Simbel, seen from the deck of the Aswan to Wadi Halfa ferry.  Photo courtesy of Elliot Bannister

The Nile Ferry from Aswan to Wadi Halfa. Photos courtesy of Elliot Bannister				1st class cabin on the ferry...

The train from Wadi Halfa to Khartoum...  Photo courtesy of Leonie Purvis

The train from Khartoum to Wadi Halfa, January 2016.  Courtesy of Elaine Galloway.

How to buy tickets - southbound from Cairo.

• Step 1, book the Cairo-Aswan train:  Buy your Cairo to Aswan train ticket online as shown on the Egypt page.

• Step 2, book the Aswan-Wadi Halfa ferry:  Tickets must be reserved in advance at the booking office in either Cairo or Aswan, and then collected at 10:00 on the day of departure from the Aswan ferry company office.

  To reserve a ferry ticket you must have a valid visa for Sudan, which you can get in advance from the Sudanese Embassy in Cairo for US$100 or the Sudanese Consulate in Aswan for US$50.  Note that foreign nationals will need to register with the Ministry of the Interior within three days of arrival in Sudan for a fee which fluctuates around US$45.

  The ferry booking office in Cairo is located in Kubri al-Limun Station. To reach it from Ramses Station, walk along platform one until the post depot, and turn right onto the side street. Kubri al-Limun is on the left at the end of this street. It is open until 2pm (closed on Fridays) and can be contacted on +20(0)225789256. Booking for the regular Sunday boat opens here exactly one week in advance.

  The ferry booking office in Aswan is located outside the left of the gates to the High Dam Port or is in the tourist market and can be reached on +20(0)972303348. Booking for the regular Sunday boat opens here on the Monday prior to departure.

• Step 3, reservations for the train to Khartoum open at 08:00 the day before departure, at Wadi Halfa Railway station, located in the north-west of town, along the road to the port.

How to buy tickets - northbound from Khartoum.

• Step 1, reservations for the train to Wadi Halfa open at 08:00 on Thursdays, as the day before departure is a Friday which is a holiday in Sudan.  Reservations can be made at Khartoum Bahri station.

• Step 2, book the Wadi Halfa to Aswan ferry:  Tickets must be bought in advance at the booking office in either Khartoum or Wadi Halfa.  However, even if the ticket is purchased in Khartoum, it must still be approved on or before the day of departure at the booking office in Wadi Halfa.

  The ferry booking office in Khartoum is located in the Railway Station in Bahari, open until 3pm (closed Fridays) and can be contacted on +249 (0)185333807.

  The booking office in Wadi Halfa is located in the Nile Valley Corporation building on the same unnamed street as the Kilopatra Hotel. It is open until 3pm (closed on Fridays) and can be contacted on +249 (0)251822318.

  An Egyptian visa is not needed in advance, but can be purchased for US$15 during the entrance procedures, which take place on board during the voyage.  However, travellers entering Egypt from Sudan need a yellow fever certificate to prove their immunisation.  Vaccinations are available in the immigration office in Wadi Halfa for 76SDP but there’s no knowing how medically sound these are.

• Step 2, book the Aswan-Cairo train:  Buy your Aswan to Cairo train ticket online as shown on the Egypt page.

What is the Wadi Halfa ferry like?

What is the train to Khartoum like?

The train has 1st class sleepers, 1st & 2nd class seats in compartments, and 3rd class open bench seats.  It's slow, old and basic, but should get you there give or take the odd breakdown, the desert views are enriching and the company is bound to be entertaining.  It's not air-con, so bring plenty of water as it can get very hot as the train crosses the desert.

About the railway:  The passenger line between the capital of Khartoum and the port outpost of Wadi Halfa in the north is the last remaining relic of what was the best railway network in Africa at the time of the country’s independence in 1956. This line was built under Kitchener during the Anglo-Egyptian conquest of Sudan, and was crucial to the campaign against Mahdist forces.  Work began under the summer sun of 1897, and progressed at a rate of around 2km a day into unsurveyed desert territory.  Two trains per day ran along the unfinished track to provide the working party firstly with building materials and secondly with personal supplies and home comforts.  More importantly, the railway was far quicker than the camel as a means of transporting soldiers.  Six months later, the Khalifa’s forces were defeated at Atbara, and the tracks were extended into the town and onwards to Khartoum.  Atbara became the hub of the Sudanese railway network and an important industrial centre. Union activity began to develop in the 1940s and four decades later, under Nimeiri’s rule, the railways were deliberately picked apart and decentralised in an attempt to crush workers’ strikes. The Sudan Railways Corporation has never really been revitalised, and the British-built bungalows and leafy avenues that make up the western half of Atbara now have a rather ghostly atmosphere.  With thanks to Elliot Bannister.

Traveller's reports...

Traveller Guillaume Mestrallet used the ferry in 2017:  "The Khartoum to Wadi Halfa train has now reduced from every 2 weeks to running every 3 weeks.  George, of Acropole hotel in Khartoum, is of immense help.  He can arrange invitation letters, train tickets.  He has an agent in Wadi Halfa who can assist in booking ferry tickets to Aswan.  Better check with them when the train is running.  Sudanese immigration is done at the ferry terminal before boarding and is pretty straightforward. Egyptian immigration is done onboard the ferry shortly after departure. For foreigners who got visa on arrival, you cannot buy the visa on board : the passport will be stamped but the visa (25 USD) will have to be purchased when exiting Egypt. Upon arrival of the ferry, a train is waiting, going to Aswan station where you can travel onwards to Luxor and Cairo."

Traveller Stephen Buchanan took the ferry from Aswan High Dam to Wadi Halfa in late 2016:  "The ferry is reliable and leaves AHD every Sunday at about 3PM. Locals advise you get to the port around 10 but if you do, there is a lot of hanging around whilst the boat gets loaded. I reckon if you get there by midday you will be fine. I saw people boarding all the way up til departure time. As per Seat61, the one way 1^st class fare with cabin (you may end up sharing with 1 other passenger) is E 375 + E 40 port tax, the 2^nd class (deck) fare is E 225 + E 40 port tax. These include 2 fairly basic meals on board (a small bowl of meat stew or eggs plus bread). If you buy a ticket excluding meals it is E 40 cheaper, and you can choose to buy a meal on board, it’s E 20 per meal. If you use an “agent” in Aswan to get ferry tickets, it makes getting hold of a ticket quite easy and you can arrange this in advance from abroad, but you will probably end up paying quite a hefty “commission”. It’s straightforward getting hold of tickets at Cairo Ramses railway station (and coming the other way, it’s fine buying tickets from the ferry office at Khartoum station). When I took the ferry (13^th Nov), it was only about 25% full, about 150 passengers, so plenty of deck space. Sleeping on the deck is fine if you have a mat, but it’s chilly at night, so a blanket is a good idea. Crossing to Wadi Halfa took only 18 hours. You can now also get to Wadi Halfa from Aswan via a long bus ride to Abu Simbel, a ferry across Lake Nasser, and then a bus through the desert to WH. This alternative route might explain the lower numbers on board the AHD – WH ferry. Once you arrive at WH from AHD, it’s about 3KM (walk, bus or taxi) into WH town centre.  As regards the Wadi Halfa-Khartoum train, one thing everyone agrees on is that the train in notoriously unreliable, often breaks down and does not stick to the schedule.  But if you’re lucky enough to be in WH on a week the train departs, I would still recommend taking it as I get the impression it may be taken out of service soon."

Traveller Elaine Galloway travelled Khartoum to Aswan in January 2016:  "The train leaves Khartoum on Saturday at 09.00.  On Jan 16th 2016 it left fairly punctually.  It went at a very steady 36.4 km/hour when it was moving - there are km posts every few km.  It stopped for some hours at Atbara to add another loco and then again somewhere else in the night.  The whole journey, 907 km, took 42 hours.  I paid 91 Sudanese pounds for a first class ticket.  The train was only about half full so there was room to stretch out in the compartment.  There are sleepers but they were full when I tried to buy my ticket.  The scenery is great and the numbered stations from Abu Hamed to Wadi Halfa look to be unchanged since Lord Kitchener's time.  But dust choking you and coating everything makes it harder to enjoy the trip.  There is a restaurant car serving tea and the Sudanese staple fava bean stew.  The ferry to Wadi Halfa leaves on Monday in theory although mine was delayed for a day by bad weather (a stiff breeze). I paid 350 Sudanese pounds for a "first class" cabin. The boat was about one third full.  There are now daily buses from Aswan to Wadi Halfa (I paid 150 Egyptian pounds) taking about 12 hours including slow transit through the border where all the flat screen TV's etc have to be unloaded and loaded twice. The buses cross Lake Nasser on a small ferry from Abu Simbel to a stretch of "beach" still in Egypt 35 km from the border."

The days of operation changed in April 2013, please bear that in mind when reading the following reports, although they are still useful as little else has changed.

Traveller Emilia travelled from Cairo to Khartoum in June 2007:  "On the say when the ferry from Aswan sails, you should be at the immigration at the port by 10 am when the gates open and definitely go for the 2nd class deck tickets - the starry sky at night is definitely worth the lack of space! There was bit of a delay, which I suppose is the norm - the ferry departed around 5pm.  The ferry crossing from Aswan to Wadi Halfa over Lake Nasser is supposed to take 24 hrs. We arrived in Wadi Halfa on Tuesday around noon again, but due to passport control on board the ship and the off loading of goods etc we were not able to disembark before 2pm at least.  The train connection to Khartoum is conveniently on the next day, Wednesday at 7pm - however, it's better to get the tickets immediately in the morning or even upon arrival to Wadi Halfa after passing through Sudanese immigration on your way to the town.  Specially 3rd class gets packed full soon.....  The accommodation in town is very poor. There was a quasi-hostel which basically consisted of beds under a roofed terrace/courtyard.  We opted to sleep in the desert in tents in stead - BEAUTIFUL!!!  The train to Khartoum makes several stops along the way but the longest ones (about 30 min-1hr), enough to look for a toilet, are at Abu Hamad, Atbara and Shendi. The train arrives, provided there are no break downs, in Khartoum on Friday at 4am in the morning.  Now, so far I haven't done the trip Northbound but I was informed that in order to make the ferry from Wadi Halfa to Aswan, which departs on the Wednesday afternoon around 4pm the train from Khartoum leaves on Mondays at 7pm from Khartoum to Wadi Halfa - arriving in the same way at the break of dawn.

Traveller Leonie Purvis travelled Cairo-Khartoum in 2006:  "We got our Sudanese visas at the embassy in Cairo – after being told by the Sudanese Embassy in London that this was not possible!! I believe we broke the waiting record as we got our visas in 1 hour and 20 mins. Cost was US$100 each (but more if you are a US passport holder at US$150 and you are told to come back in a month!). Letter of recommendation is required from your own embassy regardless where you are from (this cost US$10 for a NZ passport holder and US$25 for a British passport holder).  Bought our tickets in Aswan for the ferry – first class cabin – was pretty expensive at £90 for two – but we decided to splash out!! Nothing special, just two bunks and a port hole window. Ticket included dinner and breakfast as well as a cold drink. Ferry left on Monday at 7pm and we were told to be at the port at 10am in the morning but they took all day to load the cargo. Was okay though as the captain plied us with hot tea and chatted the hours away! One thing to be aware of, although you don’t officially need a Yellow Fever Certificate, when you give your passport in to customs on the boat, they will ask if you have the certificate, if you don’t have one, you have to pay a “Fine”. Luckily, we had one from our previous trip to South America, which was still valid.   Arrived in Wadi Halfa around lunch time the next day. Have to go through customs hall while they search your bag for any alcohol you may be trying to smuggle in. Stayed in a local “hotel” which was a mud hut with two cot style beds in it for US$10 for 2 people. Shared toilet/washing facilities - Loo was a hole in the ground, shower was a bucket of water you take from a tap and go into a cubicle. This place was a great way to make friends with Sudanese people travelling to and from Egypt. Ate at a local restaurant which was fine and cheap. There was a local market with amazingly fresh fruit for sale.  Brought our tickets the night before for the train out the next day at a cost of US$40 per person first class. You also have to register with the police on entering Sudan which cost us another US$40 each. Even though there are banks in Wadi Halfa and they have exchange rate boards out – they do not exchange US$. You can do so through the guys hanging around outside the police station though – this is where we were directed by the police themselves!  Train to Khartoum is extremely run down – wouldn’t bother with a first class ticket as this hardly gives you any more comfort than 2nd class – unless you book the whole compartment but you will have to pay per seat and there are six seats. Our compartment was full of people (more than there were seats) as well as a huge amount of cargo which traders bribe the guards to store anywhere on the train. Most of the traders themselves did not even have a ticket but again bribed the guards so corridors, toilets and anywhere there was the smallest amount of space was full of bodies!  Fantastic journey though – amazingly friendly people who constantly shared their food with us and every time the train stopped, paid for our tea or coffee. The only way we managed to return the favour was to sneak out of our compartment and pay the tea seller in advance!! We reached Khartoum at about 9am on the Wednesday morning. Taxi from the station to centre of Khartoum cost us $4 – stayed in a hotel close to the centre – don’t know the name as was not in English. Found accommodation pretty dear – US$19 for our very basic double room – very run down – shared facilities no restaurant or anything. Ate in the market – kebabs and the like. Can highly recommend the fresh fruit juice stalls – fruit is blended with ice and boy you will need it!! I have never been anywhere so hot in my life – it was close to 50 degrees when we were there and we ate very little in Khartoum – just drank a lot of water and fruit juice.  For moving on the bus station has been relocated from the market to well outside of Khartoum – nice new building with Air Con though!!

Find hotels in Egypt & Sudan

Backpacker hostels

www.hostelworld.com:  If you're on a tight budget, don't forget about backpacker hostels.  Hostelworld offers online booking of cheap private rooms or dorm beds in backpacker hostels in most cities at rock-bottom prices.

Travel insurance & VPN

Always take out travel insurance

Never travel overseas without travel insurance from a reliable insurer, with at least £1m or preferably £5m medical cover.  It should also cover cancellation and loss of cash and belongings, up to a sensible limit.  An annual multi-trip policy is usually cheaper than several single-trip policies even for just 2 or 3 trips a year, I have an annual policy with Staysure.co.uk myself.  Here are some suggested insurers.  Seat61 gets a small commission if you buy through these links.

  www.staysure.co.uk offers enhanced Covid-19 protection & gets 4.7 out of 5 on Trustpilot.

  www.columbusdirect.com is also a well-know brand.

  If you live in the USA try Travel Guard USA.

Get an eSIM with mobile data package

Don't rely on WiFi, download an eSIM with a mobile data package for the country you're visiting and stay connected.  Most newer mobile phones can download a virtual SIM card so you don't need to buy a physical SIM, including iPhone 11 & later, see device compatibility list.  Maya.net is a reliable eSIM data retailer with a 4.5 out of 5 Trustpilot rating and a range of packages including unlimited data.

Get a Curve card for foreign travel

Most banks give you a poor exchange rate, then add a foreign transaction fee on top.  A Curve MasterCard means no foreign transaction fees and gives you the mid-market exchange rate, at least up to a certain limit, £500 per month at time of writing.  The money you spend on your Curve card goes straight onto one of your existing debit or credit cards.

How it works:  1. Download the Curve app for iPhone or Android.  2. Enter your details & they'll send you a Curve MasterCard - they send to the UK and most European addresses.  3. Link your existing credit & debit cards to the app, you can link up to two cards with the free version of Curve, I link my normal debit card and my normal credit card.  4. Now use the Curve MasterCard to buy things online or in person or take cash from ATMs, exactly like a normal MasterCard. Curve does the currency conversion and puts the balance in your own currency onto whichever debit or credit card is currently selected in the Curve app.  You can even change your mind about which card it goes onto, within 14 days of the transaction.

I have a Curve Blue card myself, it means I can buy a coffee on a foreign station on a card without being stung by fees and lousy exchange rates, just by tapping the Curve card on their card reader.  The money goes through Curve to my normal debit card and is taken directly from my account (in fact I have the Curve card set up as payment card on Apple Pay on my iPhone, so can double-click my phone, let it do Face ID then tap the reader with the phone - even easier than digging a card out).  I get a little commission if you sign up to Curve, but I recommend it here because I think it's great.  See details, download the app and get a Curve card, they'll give you £5 cashback through that link.

Get a VPN for safe browsing.  Why you need a VPN

When you're travelling you often use free WiFi in public places which may not be secure.  A VPN encrypts your connection so it's always secure, even on unsecured WiFi.  It also means you can select the geographic location of the IP address you browse with, to get around geoblocking which a surprising number of websites apply.  See VPNs & why you need one explained.  ExpressVPN is a best buy with a 4.7 out of 5 Trustpilot ranking which I use myself - I've signed up as an ExpressVPN affiliate, and if you go with expressvpn.com using the links on this page, you should see a special deal, 3 months free with an annual subscription.  I get a small commission to help support this site.

Carry an Anker powerbank

Tickets, reservations, vaccination records and Interrail or Eurail passes are often held digitally on your mobile phone, so it's vital to keep it charged.  I always carry an Anker powerbank which can recharge my phone several times over if I can't get to a power outlet.  Buy from Amazon.co.uk or from buy from Amazon.com.

Back to home page