Akasha, Northern Sudan

Most of the spectacular desert landscapes in Sudan are either very difficult to access due to extreme remoteness and a need for special permission, or are completely off bounds (especially in the south, but also in all border areas). So it's not easy to travel independently outside the main tourist areas like Khartoum and certain archaeological spots along the Nile. Pity, cos some of the lunar-like volcanic landscapes look amazing down in Western Darfur - have a gander at this, for example: 125701.93; 241534.60.

Anyway, some places are easier to get to, such as the Sabalooga Gorge and the Bayuda Desert.

This 2-night hike begins on the main road north to the town of Wadi Halfa, the border town from where ferries depart for Egypt across Lake Nasser. I asked the driver of the bus I was travelling on to stop at a spot I'd seen on GE. Head west from the road and you can hike up to about 400 m above sea level, giving fantastic views of the Nile 200 m below, north and south along the river's length and west into the Western, 'Libyan' Desert. You can meander down to the river bank and through the farms and greenery which flank the Nile for a few hundred metres on each bank. I then headed back to the road and east into the Nubian Desert as far as my rations allowed. The terrain here was higher and more rugged than directly by the Nile, and the views east are stunning if you're lucky enough to have a clear day. There is nothing but sand and volcanic outcrops for 650 KMs all the way to the Red Sea, where the mountains peak at 2000 m. There looks to be some serious exploring to be done out there by 4WD (or camel!)

There are a few scrambles if you seek out the high points of around 700 metres for views, but nothing technical in terms of climbing. It's a long hike east and even in March the temp was edging towards 40.