Sudan - Getting In

A passport and a visa are required to enter Sudan. Both a standard and business visa cost U.S. citizens US$50 and allow for a stay of up to three months. The approval process takes three to four weeks, sometimes longer, as applicants must be approved by Khartoum. Travel is not permitted in the southern area of the country under SPLA control. However, according to a Sudan embassy spokeswoman, travel is permitted overland to Eritrea in the east. The Sudanese government recommends that malarial suppressants be taken and that yellow fever, cholera and meningitis vaccinations be administered. Visas are not issued to those who have previously traveled to Israel. Business visas require a letter from a sponsoring company in Sudan with full details on length of stay, financial responsibility and references in Sudan. All borders are open, but questionable people who enter in the south may experience problems.

Journalists have been known to enter Sudan from the village of Periang, 500 miles northwest of the Kenyan border. From there, it is about 100 miles into the Nuba Mountains and SPLA-controlled territory.

Others enter from Uganda to interview pro-SPLA groups and leaders without a passport or visa. There is a minor catch: You need travel permits from an SPLA representative to enter the "New Sudan."

Accessing Sudan from the south is dependent on aid organizations willing to provide transportation from Lokichogio in Kenya, or Adjumani, Moyo, Koboko in Uganda, something they are unlikely to do without seeing a letter of laissez passer from the SPLA. Bring cigarettes and small gifts, and be prepared to meet starvation and disease head-on. There is little to help you tell the difference between freedom fighters and bandits. Both may happily shoot you for your boots or supplies. Accessing the south from Khartoum is impossible, especially using a letter from the SPLA. You will be arrested, tried under every Islamic law known and jailed forever in the deepest, darkest dungeon in Islamdom.

The trip to the center of Khartoum from the airport is about 4 kilometers. Negotiate and write down the agreed-upon taxi fare on a piece of paper before you get into the cab. There is a surcharge after 10 p.m. Remember, before you use our taxi tip, that 73 percent of the population is illiterate, according to the World Bank. Those travelers who enter illegally will be prosecuted under Sudanese laws. Contact the Sudanese embassy for more information:

Embassy of the Republic of the Sudan

2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW

Washington, DC 20008

Tel.: (202) 338-8565

Fax: (202) 667-2406

http://www.sudanembassyus.org/