Khartoum Warnings Or Dangers Tips by uglyscot Top 5 Page for this destination

Railway crossings

Although the railway has virtually stopped running through Khartoum, there are still remains of when it did.
The railway used to go from Khartoum to Khartoum North northwards to Wadi Halfa. There were two main crossings that disrupted the flow of traffic: one at the end of Mek Nimir St leading to Suq 2, the other past the army HQ and the Hai el Matar area which links with the Wad Medani Rd. These were the two main roads coming into the centre of town on the easternside, so when the man waved his red flag and the crossing barriers were down, congestion ensued. It was possible to use the railway bridge instead, but that would cause another bottleneck. This has now been demolished anyway.
For a while a commuter train used to run between Khartoum North and Khartoum bringing workers to and from work. This was a short train , unlike the goods trains which had dozens of flatwagons and carriages which meant a long delay for vehicles.
Yesterday I noticed all the signposts at the Hai el Matar crossing and the barriers standing erect , warning of the trains, and remembered the days when I’d get caught waiting for a train to pass, and counting the carriages.

Mind the puddles and mud

It doesn't rain very often in Khartoum, and then between May-October. So far in 2008 I think we've had 3 slight showers, though the last one , on 31 August was preceded by a horrendous thunderclap and lightning that turned the sky pink. In our area in south-east Khartoum, there was little to show of the rain next morning, but to the west of us the rain was much heavier and huge puddles and mud made driving and walking difficult.
There are few drains in Khartoum so when it rains, take care of potholes, drainage channels and the dangers lurking in the puddles [broken glass, bricks etc] and wear stout shoes instead of sandals.

milk

If visiting private houses, or drinking at cafes be warned that many people use milk purchased from a milkman who delivers. The milk is carried in churns and sold by weight.
It is usually boiled before being drunk, but there is no guarantee that is actually hygienically stored, strained etc.

It is safer to drink 'red tea', that is without milk.

Nowadays pasteurized milk is becoming more readily available in the capital but not in the other districts. Those who need skimmed milk may have to search a few shops before finding any. Drinking tea in hotels should be safe.

Aircraft noise

Khartoum airport lies between the residential areas of Amarat, Riyad and Erkowit, so aircraft noise is a problem to those in these areas. Our house is slightly south of the airport, about 5 minutes drive away, and less disturbed than those living in Amarat. But sometimes planes fly right over the house and the noise is horrendous.
It is now planned to move the airport to north west of Omdurman- so we'll have to add travelling time to get there!

Drink water

Khartoum is hot, even in the winter it can be hot. Dehydration is a danger. You sweat so much that you must keep drinking plenty of water. Nowadays bottled water is readily available, but not so 10 years ago All small shops will have drinks like Pepsi, Coke and Mirinda, but drinking these only makes your thirst worse. Better , if you must, drink mango, grapefruit or lemon juice freshly prepared, though Sudanese love sugar and use too much. Try cold kerkade or aradeb , drinks made from local plants , and very refreshing because they are a bit tart rather than sweet