Places to Visit in Heglig (Heglieg), Kordofan, South Africa, Africa

Places to Visit in Heglig (Heglieg), Kordofan, South Africa, Africa

Heglig, also written Heglieg, is a town in the state of South Kordofan in the African country Sudan. It is situated between 9°59′58″ N latitude and 29°23′55″ E longitude, around 820 km southwest of the national capital, Khartoum. Heglig is situated near the South Sudanese border, in the Muglad Basin, which accounts a greater percentage of oil reserves of Sudan.

The name Heglig is a translated Arabic term of the fruit of the Balanites aegyptiaca tree, ‘desert date’. Heglig is also called Panthou, which also refers desert date. Since its position on the borderline, Heglig had seen many conflicts during the liberation of South Sudan towards becoming an independent country by abstracting from the today’s Sudan.

 

How to reach Heglig?

There is an airport in Heglig but scheduled flights are not guaranteed. The nearest major airport to Heglig is El Obeid Airport. This airport is situated around 410 km northeast of Heglig and receives flights from the national capital Khartoum.

Heglig is connected to El Obeid, El Fasher, En Nahud and Nyala by direct road link. Bus services are available between these cities, but not regular, better if one choose rental car for intercity travel. Rental cars will also become helpful for local travel in Heglig.

 

Food and Shopping in Heglig:

Like country, Heglig is a Muslim dominated city and people in Heglig speak Sudanese Arabic as primary language. Modernized restaurants and shops are less in number in Heglig, but one can find many traditional shops and food corners in Heglig with a wide range of local specialties.

 

Things to do in Heglig:

  • Visiting oil field and airport
  • Touring surrounding villages
  • Traditional shopping

 

Places of interest in Heglig:

 

Heglig oil field:

The Heglig oil field is the centre of Heglig’s economy and is also visited by people ‘coming to the city. With permission, visitors can explore oil field and its surroundings. The Greater Nile Petroleum Operating Company is in operation in Heglig.

 

Flughafen Heglig:

The Flughafen Heglig is an airport, situated 1 km away from the centre of Heglig city. It can be reached by walk or vehicle. There are no scheduled flights serving this airport, though the airport draws visitors coming to the city.

 

Kaduqli:

Kaduqli is the capital of South Kordofanstate, situated in the Nuba Mountains region, around 200 km northeast of Heglig. The main features of Kadugli include Hilal Stadium, textiles and soap factories.

 

List of other places of interest near Heglig include:

  • University of Kordofan
  • University of Khartoum
  • Jabal al-Awliya’ Dam
  • Temple of Amun
  • Pyramids of Gebel Barkal
  • Khartoum War Cemetery
  • Al Fashir University
  • Jebel Barkal
  • Tuti Island
  • Nile Street
  • Al Kabir Mosque
  • WWII Cemetery
  • Sudan Art Diwan
  • Sudan National Museum
  • Pyramids of Meroe

 

When to visit Heglig?

Heglig experiences relatively a dry and hot climate year round, in which the filtered best time to visit Heglig is from December to March.

 

Hotels in Heglig:

Like most Sudanese cities, Heglig also lacks well facilitated hotels, which has turned visitors to drive towards the national capital Khartoum to find upgraded hotels. Currently this is also a suggested option for visitors to have healthy hospitality services. Here is the list of the prominent hotels in Khartoum (around 820 km from Heglig):

  • Coral Khartoum
  • Taka Hotel
  • 5M Hotel
  • Kanon Hotel Suites
  • Bougainvilla Guesthouse
  • Corinthia Hotel Khartoum
  • Acropole Hotel
  • Al Salam Rotana Hotel
  • Green Village Hotel
  • Dandas Hotel
  • Kabri Touristic Hotel
  • Kanon Hotel
  • Lisamin Safari Hotel
  • Grand Holiday Villa Khartoum
  • Rosa Park

Beautiful Tourist Places to Visit in Al Qadarif (Gedaref), Khartoum, Sudan, North Africa, Africa

Beautiful Tourist Places to Visit in Al Qadarif (Gedaref), Khartoum, Sudan, North Africa, Africa

Al Qadarif, also called El Gadarif, Gedarif or Gedaref, is a city belonging to Al Qadarif state in Sudan, situated around 410 km southeast of the national capital, Khartoum. Al Qadarif is famous among visitors for many of its features, including the Russian built grain silo, used to store sorghum, and everyday sesame seed auction. Al Qadarif is located at an altitude of 634 meters and coordinates with 14°02′ N latitude and 35°23′ E longitude. Al Qadarif is one of the popular natural tourist destinations in Suda, gateway to Dinder National Park and Rahad Game Reserve.

 

History of Al Qadarif:

Al Qadarif got its name from the Arabic language, initially Gedaref and then that had been converted into current name Al Qadarif. Al Qadarif originated as a market and then grew up as a town with the dwellings of traders from the different regions of the country and bordering countries. Al Qadarif had seen the rule of the Ottomans and the British and many other powerful empires in its long and grand history.

 

How to reach Al Qadarif?

There is an airport in Al Qadarif but flights are not guaranteed. So it is better to reach Khartoum International Airport in Khartoum first and afterwards taking bus or train or rental car to Al Qadarif. This airport is situated around 415 km from Al Qadarif.

Al Qadarif’s both roadway and railway connectivity extends to Khartoum, Port Sudan and other eastern Sudanese cities. Minibuses are the prevalent options to get around Al Qadarif.

 

Food and Shopping in Al Qadarif:

Being a tourist favor city, Al Qadarif houses many modernized restaurants with both traditional Sudanese and international menus. There are also many nice shops in the city centre, selling all necessities like food packets, water bottles and a wide range of locally produced handicraft products.

 

Things to do in Al Qadarif:

  • Exploring nearby national park
  • Visiting historical sites in the city
  • Traditional shopping

 

Tourist Attractions in Al Qadarif:

 

Grain silo in Al Qadarif:

Grain silo is one of the notable features of Al Qadarif. It was constructed by the Russians to store sorghum in the past. Currently it is one of the landmarks as well as tourist attractions of Al Qadarif.

 

Dinder National Park:

Situated around 80 km south of Al Qadarif, the Dinder National Park houses more than 160 bird species, 27 large mammal species and around 30 fish species. Founded in 1935, the park covers a total area of 10,000 sq. km. Exploring it through guided tour is advised for tourists.

 

Rahad Game Reserve:

The Rahad Game Reserve is a contiguous of Dinder National Park, located around 110 km from Al Qadarif city. The reserve is home to a substantial number of African animal and bird species. Visitors are suggested to take a guided tour or aid of the locals for easy exploration of the reserve.

 

List of other places of interest near Al Qadarif include:

  • Jabal al-Awliya’ Dam
  • Nile Street
  • Al Kabir Mosque
  • WWII Cemetery
  • Jebel Barkal
  • Tuti Island
  • University of Khartoum
  • Pyramids of Gebel Barkal
  • Khartoum War Cemetery
  • Sudan Art Diwan
  • Sudan National Museum
  • Pyramids of Meroe
  • Temple of Amun

 

When to visit Al Qadarif?

Al Qadarif receives an average annual precipitation of 700 to 900 millimeters. The best time to visit Al Qadarif is from December to March.

 

Hotels in Al Qadarif:

There are 7 upgraded hotels in Al Qadarif to serve visitors coming to the city throughout the year, including Al-Mutawakil Hotel and El Motwakil. If one wish to stay in star rated hotel can drive towards the national capital Khartoum, where all ranges of star rated hotels are located. Here are some prominent hotels in Khartoum (around 410 km from Al Qadarif):

  • Bougainvilla Guesthouse
  • Coral Khartoum
  • Corinthia Hotel Khartoum
  • Acropole Hotel
  • Al Salam Rotana Hotel
  • Green Village Hotel
  • Dandas Hotel
  • Kabri Touristic Hotel
  • Kanon Hotel
  • Lisamin Safari Hotel
  • Grand Holiday Villa Khartoum
  • Taka Hotel
  • Rosa Park
  • 5M Hotel
  • Kanon Hotel Suites

Top Tourist Places to Visit in Al-Ubayyid, Kurdufan, Sudan, North Africa, Africa

Top Tourist Places to Visit in Al-Ubayyid, Kurdufan, Sudan, North Africa, Africa

Al-Ubayyid, also called El Obeid, is the capital city of the North Kurdufan state of the Northeastern African country Sudan. It is located relatively midway between El Fasher and Khartoum, between 13°11′ N latitude and 30°13′ E longitude. Al-Ubayyid is the site of many commercial establishments like the logistics base of the United Nations Mission in Sudan, an oil refinery and an airport. The University of Kordofan is another identity of Al-Ubayyid. Al-Ubayyid is situated around 500 km southwest of the national capital, Khartoum. Al-Ubayyid is positioned 609 meters above sea level.

 

History of Al-Ubayyid:

According to the historical records, the pashas of Ottoman Egypt were the founder of Al-Ubayyid, in 1821, but after around 60 years Mahdists devastated Al-Ubayyid in 1883. Al-Ubayyid was rebuilt after the decline of the Mahdist empire in the year 1898.

 

How to reach Al-Ubayyid?

Al-Ubayyid is an important transportation hub connecting southern part of Sudan to the north and east Sudan. It is served by El Obeid Airport with scheduled flight services from the national capital Khartoum.

By bus, it takes around nine hours to travel the distance of around 500 km from Khartoum to Al-Ubayyid. This route is served by many prominent Sudanese bus companies throughout the year. For local travel, minibuses and rental vehicles like cars and bikes are the options in Al-Ubayyid.

 

Food and Shopping in Al-Ubayyid:

Al-Ubayyid is relatively an upgraded city with many tourist favor shops, mainly handicraft stores with a wide range of locally produced art and craft works. Al-Ubayyid is also famous for its traditional restaurants.

 

Things to do in Al-Ubayyid:

  • Shopping
  • Visiting university
  • Walking

 

Tourist Attractions in Al-Ubayyid:

 

University of Kordofan:

The University of Kordofan was founded in 1990 and is one of the recognized universities of Sudan. It is one of the member universities of the Federation of the Universities of the Islamic World. The University of Kordofan holds several institutions in its under, including Gum Arabic Research Centre. In Al-Ubayyid, the university houses four campuses.

 

El Obeid Airport:

The El Obeid Airport is one of the important airports of Sudan, located around 5 km away from the city centre. The airport has 3,000 meters runway and it can be reached by taxis from Al-Ubayyid city.

 

Khartoum:

Khartoum is the capital of Sudan, situated around 500 km northeast of Al-Ubayyid. It is also the tourism capital of Sudan with a number of renowned museums, including Sudan Presidential Palace Museum and one of the largest markets in Africa, Souq Omdurman. The Khalifa’s House is one of the prominent historic attractions of Khartoum.

 

List of other places of interest near Al-Ubayyid include:

  • Al Fashir University
  • Jebel Barkal
  • Tuti Island
  • University of Khartoum
  • Jabal al-Awliya’ Dam
  • Nile Street
  • Al Kabir Mosque
  • WWII Cemetery
  • Sudan Art Diwan
  • Sudan National Museum
  • Pyramids of Meroe
  • Temple of Amun
  • Pyramids of Gebel Barkal
  • Khartoum War Cemetery

 

Best time to visit Al-Ubayyid:

The ideal time to visit Al-Ubayyid is from December to March when the dry season runs in the country.

 

Hotels in and around Al-Ubayyid:

There are hotels limited in number in Al-Ubayyid, on this point, for tourists’ convenience, below is provided the list of hotels in the national capital Khartoum (around 500 km from Al-Ubayyid). Both buses and flights are regular between Al-Ubayyid and Khartoum. Also, most hotels in Khartoum offer advance booking facility through online.

  • Acropole Hotel
  • Al Salam Rotana Hotel
  • Coral Khartoum
  • Taka Hotel
  • 5M Hotel
  • Kanon Hotel Suites
  • Bougainvilla Guesthouse
  • Corinthia Hotel Khartoum
  • Kanon Hotel
  • Lisamin Safari Hotel
  • Grand Holiday Villa Khartoum
  • Rosa Park
  • Green Village Hotel
  • Dandas Hotel
  • Kabri Touristic Hotel

Best Tourist Places to Visit in Al-Fashir (El Fasher), Sudan, North Africa, Africa

Best Tourist Places to Visit in Al-Fashir (El Fasher), Sudan, North Africa, Africa

Al-Fashir, also spelled El Fasher or Al-Fashir, is a city and the administrative centre of North Darfur state in Sudan, located between 13°37′50″ N latitude and 25°21′0″ E longitude. The city is situated around 700 meters above sea level, around 200 km northeast of the city of Nyala and 1000 km southwest of Khartoum, the capital of Sudan. Al-Fashir is home to Al Fashir University, which was founded in 1990 and was officially opened in 1991.

 History of Al-Fashir:

The history of Al-Fashir begins with the relocation of the itinerant court of Sultan ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Rashed of the Darfur to Al-Fashir (then Rahad Tendelti). Al-Fashir gained a significant economic and population growth due to the humanitarian help from the United Nations to re-strengthen the lives of people and their relatives who suffered from the Darfur crisis.

 

How to access Al-Fashir?

The Al Fashir Airport is situated around 5 km away from the midpoint of the city of Al Fashir. The airport operates flights from/to Khartoum and Nyala, served by Badr Airlines, Nova Airways, Sudan Airways and Tarco Airlines.

Al Fashir is well linked by road to the rest of Sudan, including Khartoum, Nyala and El Obeid.

To move within the city, for airport and intercity travel and sightseeing purposes, visitors can hire car from the local travel agency in Al Fashir.

 

Culture, Food and Shopping in Al-Fashir:

Al Fashir University is the focal point of Al Fashir’s culture, where regular events take place showcasing the city’s cultural and historical importance. There are also some tourist favor shops and restaurants in Al-Fashir, but not in large number.

 

Things to do in Al-Fashir:

  • Walking
  • Traditional shopping
  • City tour

 

What to see in Al-Fashir?

 

Al Fashir University:

The Al Fashir University is the major learning centre as well as cultural hub of Al-Fashir. It was establishment with the order of President Omar Hassan Ahmed Bashir in 1990 and since then it is famous as one of the top universities in Sudan.

 

El Fasher Airport:

The El Fasher Airport is located 1,527 meters above sea level, around 5 km away from the centre of Al-Fashir city. It is an active airport receiving flights frequently and is also famous among non-travellers.

 

Nyala:

Nyala is a city, located around 200 km south of Al-Fashir. It houses a university named Nyala University and an airport with direct flights from Al-Fashir. It is also known for its food processing units and garments.

 

List of other places of interest near Al-Fashir include:

  • Al Kabir Mosque
  • WWII Cemetery
  • Sudan Art Diwan
  • Sudan National Museum
  • Jebel Barkal
  • Pyramids of Meroe
  • Temple of Amun
  • Pyramids of Gebel Barkal
  • Khartoum War Cemetery
  • Tuti Island
  • University of Khartoum
  • Jabal al-Awliya’ Dam
  • Nile Street

 

When to visit Al-Fashir?

Al-Fashir experiences a hot desert climate with relatively dry weather year round. The best time to visit Al-Fashir is from December to March.

 

Hotels in and around Al-Fashir:

As Al-Fashir lacking well facilitated hotels below are provided hotels in Khartoum for visitors’ convenience. Khartoum is situated around 1000 km away from Al-Fashir and it can be reached by both roadway and airway from Al-Fashir.

  • 5M Hotel
  • Kanon Hotel Suites
  • Bougainvilla Guesthouse
  • Corinthia Hotel Khartoum
  • Acropole Hotel
  • Al Salam Rotana Hotel
  • Coral Khartoum
  • Taka Hotel
  • Rosa Park
  • Green Village Hotel
  • Dandas Hotel
  • Kabri Touristic Hotel
  • Kanon Hotel
  • Lisamin Safari Hotel
  • Grand Holiday Villa Khartoum
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