This is an account of an overland journey from Khartoum in Sudan to Gonder in Ethiopia, made in 2004.

LPAOAS = Lonely Planet Africa on a Shoestring (edition likely to be circa 2003)

Fotopic links not working, as of 2015.

In Khartoum I met someone who was from Gedaref.  We travelled to Gedaref together (and I stayed at his house there).

I met him in the Khartoum bus station (Suq as-Shabi) early one morning (before 5:30am).  We took a normal bus.  I don't remember the price, but the LPAOAS (p.88) prices seem to be a good indicator.  I guess it cost less than $15, perhaps much less.

I don't remember the journey's duration, but we definitely arrived some time before, say, 3pm.  The bus dropped us at an out-of town bus station.  The only building I remember there had the some police in, and I had to show my passport.  I don't think I needed a travel permit (as described on LPAOAS p.93), but things change so much you should probably check with the tourist office in Khartoum.

There should be shared truck-taxis from the bus station to Gedaref town centre, where there is a hotel that - I was told - backpackers normally stay in.  There is also a more upmarket hotel around somewhere.  I don't think anything is very well signed though.


A few days later, from somewhere in the town centre, my friend took me on a shared truck-taxi to another out-of-town bus station; probably the main one.  Not the one I arrived at from Khartoum.

This was about 8/9/10am.  There was a pickup truck for Gallabat.  The front seats were all taken, so I had to pay for a standing space in the back:
http://peter2056.fotopic.net/c273303_16.html  (first 7 pictures)

I don't remember the price but LPAOAS p.678 says SDD1500 for the reverse journey; that's probably about right.  Maybe I paid only 1200.

I think LPAOAS p.84 should say  "some pick-ups do run between Gedaref and Gallabat" (not Gonder).  5 hours sounds about right.


I crossed to Ethiopia straight away.  The village on the Ethiopian side is called Metema.  The hotels are not signed, but are just a few minutes walk up the road.  The one I stayed at wanted to charge 20 Birr.  I paid 15.  The correct price was 12.  (Welcome to Ethiopia!)

I left it too late that day to buy my bus ticket in advance.  So I just got up extra early the next morning and it wasn't a problem.  In fact I think there were two buses.  One thing I was never overcharged for in Ethiopia was bus tickets.  I think it was about 50 Birr to Gonder.  Left before dawn, arrived mid-afternoon.

In Gonder I stayed at the Yalew Ayker hotel.  20 Birr (maybe less) for a room with a balcony on the main road, looking in one direction to the castle and the other to the 'Piazza':
http://peter2056.fotopic.net/p7153882.html