Sudan Itinerary

Day 1. Fly London Heathrow to Khartoum International. Overnight flight. Arrive early next day.
Day 2. Arrival at Khartoum airport early morning. Meet and greet with our hosts, and transfer to the the 5-star Grand Holiday Villa Hotel. Time to relax and recover before a trip on the Nile to see the confluence of the Blue and White Niles. Dinner in hotel. Overnight stay. 
Day 3. Breakfast. We then walk along the bank of the Blue Nile to the Republican Palace where General Gordon was killed by the troops of Mahdi. Here we visit the Republican Museum in the old Anglican church where there is a chapel dedicated to Gordon. This museum mainly celebrates the history of the Sudanese republic. We then move to Omdurman to visit the Khalifa’s House and the Mahdi’s Tomb. Lunch in a local restaurant. In the afternoon we visit the Archaeological Museum that besides many beautiful objects contains two full temples rescued by UNESCO and moved from the Lake Nasser area, when it was flooded. Return to hotel. Dinner and overnight stay.
Day 4. After breakfast we depart northward into the Butana region. After 3 hours drive, through a desert of granite rocky hills, we arrive at the ancient site of Naga, which is located about 30 km to the east of the Nile and it is one of the two centres that developed during the Meroitic period. In Naga, in a typical Saharan environment with rocks and sand, we find a temple dedicated to Apedemak (1st century AD.) a wonderful building with bas-relief decorations depicting the god with a lion’s head, the Pharaoh, noblemen and several ritual images. A few metres away there is a small and odd construction with arches and columns, named ‘kiosk’, in which we can notice Egyptian, Roman and Greek styles, all at the same time. Not far away we reach another temple dedicated to Amon with many statues of rams and beautiful gates decorated with bas-reliefs. Picnic in the area. We then go to Mussawarat, not far away from Naga. This settlement is located in a beautiful valley crowned by hills. Here the ruins of a large temple are visible; it once played an exceptional important role. Its main characteristic, the Great Enclosure, is made by many constructions and boundary walls which surround a temple built in the 1st century AD. The large number of elephants represented on these walls makes you think that this animal used to have an important role in this area. Beyond the big wadi there is another temple – restored by a German archaeological mission – dedicated to the god Apedemak. We continue our journey northward in order to reach the ancient site of Meroe. Arrival at the permanent tented camp of Meroe with a beautiful view towards the pyramids. Our accommodation is in comfortable and fully furnished tents, dinner and overnight stay.
Day 5 Breakfast. The Royal Necropolis of Meroe is located at about 3 km from the Nile on 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. In the afternoon we move along the Nile to visit the ruins of the royal city. The excavations confirm that the town of Meroe used to cover a large area and the royal city was located in a central position, surrounded by suburbs and a boundary wall. Most of the area where the city is located, formed by many small hills covered by red clay fragments, has still to be excavated by the archaeologists. Dinner and overnight stay at the permanent camp. 
Day 6. After breakfast we head south to visit the battlefields of Metemma, Jebel Abu Tulayh (Abu Klea) and Abu Kru, where the British troops heading towards Khartoum fought the Dervishes forces. We then visit the colourful market of the little town of Shendi. In the evening we return to Meroe Camp for dinner and overnight stay.
Day 7. Breakfast. We drive south until we reach giant granite boulders, the last offshoots of the 6th Cataract. We take a detour from the main road in order to reach the Nile near Sabaloka Gorge. Here we take a cruise on the Nile on a small metal boat. Picnic in the area and in the afternoon we reach Khartoum. Visit of the Ethnographic Museum that shows the many different varieties of Sudanese tribes. Check in at the Grand Holiday Villa Hotel. Dinner at the hotel and overnight stay. 
Day 8. After breakfast we visit Omdurman, the Kereri Hills and the 1898 Battle of Omdurman. Our visit may be limited as the area is still a military one. Lunch in a local restaurant. In the afternoon visit of the interesting souk of Omdurman, where it is possible to buy some typical local handicrafts. Return to the Grand Holiday Villa Hotel for last overnight. Farewell dinner. 
Day 9. Transfer to Khartoum International Airport for the return flight to London.