Tue 13 Apr
Having originally hoped to discover the beauty of the Jebel Mara region and given-in to the entirely reasonable security restrictions, (there’s a war going on in the west of Sudan at the moment) I head off to what the Michelin map calls the Nuba Mountains.

Leaving Khartoum the surrounding countryside is flat and green, not surprising as our route is alongside the White Nile. After three hours we cross the river at Kosti and head west, away from the river and the irrigation it provides. The land gets browner but is still mostly flat. Occasionally there are rock outcrops, islands if you will, in a semi-desert sea of sandy scrub. It’s not until we’ve been driving for six hours that we finally see, silhouetted by the setting sun the outline of higher ground. Near hills, distant mountains; it’s hard to tell.