A country · 48 places · 5 regions

Sudan, all of it.

48 curated places across 5 regions — photographed, mapped, and noted with the season each is best in.

Khartoum, Sudan
Khartoum · via Wikimedia Commons

The 4 biggest regions — Northern State, Khartoum, Red Sea and Kassala — read below as chapters, with 1 more waiting past them.

Chapter I · Northern State · 11 places

Northern State

The abandoned capital of the medieval Christian kingdom of Makuria spreads along a desert bluff above the Nile, with churches, a two-story throne hall later converted to a mosque, and fields of Islamic-era qubba tombs. Ongoing excavations keep revealing frescoes and monastic complexes.

Khartoum, Sudanvia Wikimedia Commons

Chapter II · Khartoum · 10 places

Khartoum

Sudan's capital sits at the meeting of the Blue and White Niles, a confluence visible from the tip of Tuti Island. The National Museum's rescued Nubian temples and colonial-era avenues anchor a sprawling tri-city with Omdurman and Bahri across the rivers.

✦ November to February for the coolest months; check travel advisories · $

Chapter III · Red Sea · 4 places

Red Sea

Sudan's main seaport is the jumping-off point for some of the Red Sea's least crowded diving, with pristine offshore reefs and the wreck of the Umbria lying nearby. The town itself is a workaday port, but liveaboards departing here reach sites that see a fraction of Egypt's traffic.

Kassala, Sudanvia Wikimedia Commons

Chapter IV · Kassala · 3 places

Kassala

A colourful market town in eastern Sudan set beneath the sheer granite domes of the Taka Mountains. It is known for its fruit gardens, Sufi shrines and rock-climbing peaks.

✦ November to February · $

Every place in Sudan

48 places, one country.

Khartoum, Sudan

Khartoum

Khartoum, Sudan

✦ November to February for the coolest months; check travel advisories · $

Old Dongola, Sudan

Old Dongola

Northern State, Sudan

✦ November to February for bearable desert temperatures · $

Radom National Park, Sudan

Radom National Park

South Darfur, Sudan

✦ December to April · $

Wadi Halfa, Sudan

Wadi Halfa

Northern State, Sudan

✦ November to February · $

Kassala, Sudan

Kassala

Kassala, Sudan

✦ November to February · $

Presidential Palace, Khartoum, Sudan

Presidential Palace, Khartoum

Khartoum, Sudan

✦ November–February · $

Tuti Island, Sudan

Tuti Island

Khartoum, Sudan

✦ November–February · $

Mahdi's Tomb, Sudan

Mahdi's Tomb

Khartoum, Sudan

✦ November–February · $

Khalifa House Museum, Sudan

Khalifa House Museum

Khartoum, Sudan

✦ November–February · $

Sudan National Museum, Sudan

Sudan National Museum

Khartoum, Sudan

✦ November–February · $

Al-Nilin Mosque, Sudan

Al-Nilin Mosque

Khartoum, Sudan

✦ November–February · $

Souq Omdurman, Sudan

Souq Omdurman

Omdurman, Sudan

✦ November–February · $

Naga, Sudan

Naga

River Nile, Sudan

✦ November–February · $

Jebel Marra, Sudan

Jebel Marra

Darfur, Sudan

✦ November–February · $

Gebel Barkal and the Sites of the Napatan Region, Sudan

Gebel Barkal and the Sites of the Napatan Region

Sudan, Sudan

✦ October–April · $$

Archaeological Sites of the Island of Meroe, Sudan

Archaeological Sites of the Island of Meroe

Sudan, Sudan

✦ October–April · $$

Omdurman, Sudan

Omdurman

Khartoum, Sudan

✦ November to February, timing a visit for the Friday dervish ceremony · $

Port Sudan, Sudan

Port Sudan

Red Sea, Sudan

✦ October to April for diving season with calm seas · $$

Suakin, Sudan

Suakin

Red Sea, Sudan

✦ November to March for cooler coastal weather · $

Kerma, Sudan

Kerma

Northern State, Sudan

✦ November to February, the mildest season in Sudan's north · $

Dinder National Park, Sudan

Dinder National Park

Sennar State, Sudan

✦ January to April, when wildlife concentrates at the dry-season pools

Deriba Caldera, Sudan

Deriba Caldera

Darfur, Sudan

✦ November to February

Jebel Barkal, Sudan

Jebel Barkal

Northern State, Sudan

✦ November to February

Naqa, Sudan

Naqa

River Nile State, Sudan

✦ November to February