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It is quite common to see families having a picnic by the Nile. As mentioned elsewhere it is not advisable to go into the water as bilharzia is to be found there,
However to sit by the water in the shade of the trees with a picnic, or even a barbecue is an enjoyable occasion.
Some of the fishermen may agree to take you out in their boats at a price.
Written Feb 16, 2011
Address: Beside the White Nile at Jebel Awlia
To the right of the bridge in Jabel Awliya there's a small bluish restaurant. It's more like one woman cooking your meals (specifically fish). It's an outdoor restaurant, you go there with family or friends to enjoy your meal while inhaling the fresh air of jabal awliya.
Written Jan 26, 2009
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The season between "winter" and summer is a great time for a picnic or BBQ at the banks of the Nile. At this time, the temperature is hovering around 30 deg C and the sky is clear. Drive across the dam to the other side and find yourself a spot, preferably under a tree, and have a picnic or start a BBQ. The scenery is serene and lovely. You can bring food from home or buy some fish from the fisherman at the dam
Updated Apr 2, 2006
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Jebel Al Awliya (spelled in many ways) is a town about 40km north of Khartoum. Nearby is a large dam (completed 1937) that is used to control the flow of the Nile to aid the Aswan Dam in storing water for summer cultivation in parts of Egypt. This is a popular spot for the locals and some curious foreigners who desperately need to get out of Khartoum but couldn't get a flight out. Don't expect souvenir stores or even a public toilet here. There are little huts along the Nile where you can buy fried fish or drinks but not quite what you think. Basically, the Jebel Awliya Dam is there for you to walk on, watch local fisherman catch fish with their nets or in their boats. If you're tempted by fresh fish, you can buy some at the dam and you'll have to bargain.
Be warned though, not to take any photos of the dams otherwise you will have to deal with the military guarding the site. Plus, I wouldn't advise you to walk across without water or a hat on a summers day lest you'll want to jump into the Nile to cool & drink to quench your thirst
Updated Apr 2, 2006
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If you're travelling independently, then head south out of Khartoum, along the White Nile and keep going till you get to Jebel Aulia.
You can also get there by public transport - buses leave from Souk Arabi in Khartoum and will drop you about a 10-15 minute walk from the dam.
Written Nov 27, 2003
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From an unspecified place behind Souk Arabi, buses head to Jebel Awliya, costing 1000 pounds (100 dinar) one way, taking just over an hour. They drop you off in the town centre, and the dam is about a 10 minute walk away. If you have any trouble finding the bus, then try shouting "Jebel Awliya" to a few bus drivers in Souk Arabi!
Written Nov 17, 2002
Men with baskets of fish for sale can be found on the dam. The varieties available are tilapi [bulti], bayad and catfish. Normally a basket will hold four or 5 large fish and many more smaller ones.
It is wise to bargain as the price can drop by as much as a third with persistance. The salesman will skin and fillet the fish for an extra £5 Sud.
What to buy: Tilapia or bayad
What to pay: 3kg will cost about 40 SDG when skinned and filletted.
Written Feb 16, 2011
Address: Jebel Wliyah Dam
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When we set up the BBQ at a rather secluded area away from the dam, we still had all sorts of extra guests coming over to our camp. Old men, women with children, young boys and even the goats & sheeps magically appear. At first, we didn't want to give but eventually we gave them some food and water. Then they came back, stood around us and won't leave until they took our firewood. They even took our bag of trash & emptied it on the ground to collect the bag (so much for our efforts to preserve the environment). After giving them food, water & firewood, they started asking for money. So be prepared for this when you think you'll just have a relaxing weekend BBQ at the park. Later some people from the military guarding the dam area came by and advised us to watch our belongings. I don't know if that's needed because I think Khartoum area is one of the safest places I've been to
Updated Apr 26, 2006
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Be careful where you point your camera in Jebel Awliya. Don't take any photos of the dam (or at least, don't do it from the town), and don't photograph the military installments next to the dam. The soldiers on duty were friendly enough, and allowed one of us to take a photo of them standing on the dam, but without them in the photo, it is strictly "mamnoo'" (forbidden)...don't ask me, it is just Sudanese logic.
Written Nov 17, 2002
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Favorite thing: Taking rest is a very Sudanese thing to do, and in Jebel Awliya you'll find several people demonstrating this highly difficult skill...the really skilled take their rest a ten minute walk from the bus stop, at a small "beach" right next to the dam. They bring picnics with them, towels, and fishing rods, or sometimes just recline under a tree with a chicha. The less skilled (i.e. the foreigners or the plain insane) head across the dam, preferably in the heat of the midday sun, and collapse with no water or food under some trees on the other side. But either way, Jebel Awliya is the perfect place to practice the art of taking your rest...there isn't anything else to do!
Written Nov 17, 2002
Follow the White Nile south of Khartoum and after a few miles, you'll come to a "mountain" (rocky outcrop would be more exact, but this is flat Khartoum!) and a whopping great dam. The mountain is...
The Jebel Aulia dam, just south of Khartoum, is a popular day out for the citizens of the capital. Because Sudan is so big there are very few places you can get to without spending hours in the car -...
Because of the Dam,, which was built 1933-37 , this area has long been a military area, and photography of the dam is forbidden. It is also the site of one of the Duffaa Shaabi training camps. So be...
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