Khartoum Flights

Make sure you spare some SDG 35 as the airport tax prior to departure. Allow longer time for check-in as many things are still done manually.

Sudan's national carrier is Sudan Air

The best way to get to Khartoum is by plane. I went from Paris directly to Khartoum by Air France. I left by Egypt Air to Cairo. I am not sure if the railway is still going. It used to be possible to reach Khartoum by train from the Egyptian border.
If you wanna cross the Nile one way to do it is by ferry. There are ofcourse also buses and taxis going around in the city.
PHOTO: A FERRY CROSS THE NILE IN KHARTOUM NEAR THE FRIENDSHIP PALACE HOTEL.

The public transport system in Khartoum and Omdurman is cheap and fairly regular. The cheapest way to get around the city is by bus, sometimes called a hafla which is also confusingly the same word for party...but buses in Khartoum are by no means a party....they are crowded to the extreme! To stop a bus, you have to click your fingers and hiss through your teeth, and the fare varies between 300 and 600 pounds per journey. Smaller minibuses called amjads are slightly faster and usually cost 1000 pounds per journey. Rickshaws (for short journeys) and taxis are the expensive alternatives, although this does depend on your bargaining skills.
The main transport hub in Khartoum is Souk Arabi, a huge chaotic square intersected with markets and a large imposing mosque. On the east side of the mosque, buses depart for Omdurman and Bahri, while on the west side the destinations are mainly in Khartoum. Over in Omdurman, Shuhada seems to be the main place to find a bus.

Having travelled in Asia and elsewhere, I'm used to overcrowded, rusted buses that you can only pray you'll come out of alive. However, the buses in Khartoum are a pleasant surprise.

In the small minibuses you're virtually guaranteed a seat and although you will almost certainly get next to the largest, loudest lady on the bus and her bags and bags of shopping, they're reasonably comfortable and cheap. Fares are a flat rate and judged by the bus's final destination rather than yours but rarely more than 600 pounds (20p) for anywhere in the city, including the far edges of Omdurman. Music is played loud, which is fine, but try to avoid those with prayer tapes - no religious offence intended but a tape of the Koran being read by a 70 year old with a croaking voice for half an hour at full volume while stuck in traffic in 40 degree heat is NOT FUN!!!!

The larger buses are more crowded, much slower, but half the price. They're still not actually that bad but I'd recommend the minibuses.

To get on simply stand at the roadside and stick out your hand; to get off click your fingers at the conductor (commisari) or make a hissing noise. Getting a minibus outside of the main stations can be more difficult as they are often full.

The trickiest bit is working out where they're going - they don't have destinations written on them or route numbers (even in Arabic) - they tell you the destination by pointing and waving hands in certain directions. It'll take a bit of getting used to! But if you get to the wrong place, just get on another bus the other side of the road - they nearly all end up in or very near Souk Arabi.

This is the central bus station called Arabian Market (souq arabi) full of buses in and out.. throw Khartoum triple capital,,, the Great mosque the vocal point and the buses lines and markets around..

but let me tell u something... this bus transportation is very deficult!.. the station are unnamed.. the buses destination wrote in the bus body unfortunately in Arabic.. the buses way is without road station.. and any passenger could stop the bus everywhere!!.. u have to clap with ur fingers to notice the driver that u arrived ur station (just like when u call the waiter in such a restuarent) or u can say (garsa!) :)

forget about all these bla bla .. and use the taxi,,, but u have to know that most of taxi drivers do not speak more than Arabic

Imported from India are the (in)famous rakshas, also known as tuktuks. These small three-wheeled moped taxis will take you around Khartoum, unless you're going to the other side of the city (then you better take a "regular" taxi). The rakshas are usually a fun and uhm.. interesting way to get around the city. The drivers seem to compete in how much they can decorate the small front windows. There are teddybears hanging everywhere, neon light bulbs, plastic flowers and you name it. The driver is usually pretty funny too. Price is between 100-500 dinars, negotiate it before you get in the raksha.

Mickey Tarag of 5M Car hire in Khartoum is exceptionally friendly, professional and reasonable on price. He'll rent you a car/4x4/bus with driver at a great rate. During our last visit (Jan '06) we were charged US$90/day for a sedan (which turned out to be a small 4x4 - which was better!) the price included all taxes and driver charge, except petrol.

They cater for the US embassy as well as various local intl. business/tourist travellers.

Mickey is well connected in political and business circles and may prove invaluable to you as he's a local businessman who knows the country and the people.