TAZARA train 15

 The back of the train was simply left open. It would have been more dangerous, were it not for a large sign with a skull.

A sign warning of the danger of stepping off the back of the train. 

You could just walk right off the back of the train if you weren't paying attention — which was probably why the sign was there. A popular spot for people to go to smoke, it's also where a priest hung out with his pet goat during the journey.

TAZARA train 14

 The second- and third-class cabins were not as nice. Third class passenger cabin  on TAZARA train

Most people in second- and third-class were traveling only from one village or town to another and not the whole way to Dar es Salaam. The seats were hard, and space was pretty cramped — I wouldn't want to be sitting there for several days.

TAZARA train 13

 The train was maybe the bumpiest I'd been on. But the bed was comfy enough that I slept soundly — with the covers over my head in case of mosquitoes.

The bed I slept on aboard the train was comfortable. 

There were not many mosquitoes, but there were enough other buzzing insects that they could be annoying at times. The thick bedsheets were surprisingly breathable, and though the pillow was fairly lumpy, it served its purpose, too.

TAZARA train 12

 Alternatively, food could be purchased at any of the dozens of stops along the way, from friendly locals who would walk right up to the train.

Women selling food at a Tazara train stop. Ben Mack / 

"Ndizi!" the women balancing enormous plates and bowls on their heads would shout in Swahili, meaning they were selling fresh bananas. "Maembe!" others would say, meaning they were selling very ripe mangoes. You could usually buy a bunch for about $0.40 by simply passing money through the window — and it was really quite something to see the women walk around, balancing everything perfectly on their heads without using their hands or having to walk slowly.

TAZARA train

 Meals could also be ordered and brought to the cabin, and they were quite affordable at about $2 for a full-course dinner.

Dinner of beef stew with nshima on TAZARA train

Dinner of beef stew with nshima and watermelon on the first night aboard the Tazara train. Ben Mack / Insider

For dinner, the choices were chicken, a beef stew, or fish, which cost about $0.40 extra. Breakfast consisted of eggs, four slices of bread with a small scraping of butter, coffee or tea, and also cold spaghetti. It also cost just $2.

Ben Mack (to be continued) 

TAZARA train

The lounge's turquoise couches felt plastic-y and weren't as soft as my bed. But they were softer than many third-class seats — which was probably why most people I met there said they came from third class.

The restaurant was also often busy.

While some people were ordering food, a lot of people in the restaurant were just sitting and talking. Even though there were fans on the ceilings, I never saw them working.

TAZARA train

The bar and snack stand on the Tazara train. Besides bottled water, there were also bananas for $0.40 each — considered expensive for the region. But a bag of popcorn was just $0.65. It was all cash-only. 

 Passengers relaxing in the lounge on the Tazara train next to the restaurant and bar/snack stand. 

Ben Mack (to be continued) 

TAZARA train - A Hole In The Floor

 The electricity also often stopped working, sometimes for hours at a time. I had to be conservative when I turned my phone on to take pictures, and I was glad I brought several books for entertainment.

The toilets, however, were not metal.

The first-class toilet was a squat toilet, which is essentially a hole in the floor. Using it while the train moved was interesting.

The train also had a bar/snack stand, where you could buy things like bottled water for about $0.40.

Ben Mack (to be continued) 

TAZARA train 7 - The Sinks Were Metal

In the cabin with me were Edwardo and his uncle Venango, who were going to Dar es Salaam for a holiday, and Yves, an NGO worker from Halle, Germany, on his way to a seminar on the island of Zanzibar. We all got on well — none of us kept the others up at night.

Most of the first-class area was quite nice, like the washroom, which had semi-warm water.

I was surprised the sinks were metal — and remained fairly clean throughout the journey, even though I never saw anyone cleaning them.

Ben Mack (to be continued) 

TAZARA train 6 - More Luxurious

 My cabin was more luxurious than I expected, even though it was small and there were four of us in it.

With Yves, left; Venango, bottom; and Edwardo, top, on day three of our trip. Ben Mack / Insider

The cabin had four bunks, a small table, and storage space above the door and under two of the bunks. Each bunk also had a pillow and bright-colored, thick blanket with "Tazara" emblazoned across it in thick black letters. My lower-right bunk was comfortable to sit on — a good thing, since that's where I would be spending a lot of time for the next few days.

Ben Mack (to be continued) 

TAZARA train - Two-Hour Delay

Boarding the Tazara train for Dar es Salaam, 

 After a delay of two hours that was not explained, we were finally able to board.

There was not much to do at the station. The only restaurant was closed, and there was no WiFi — so the two-hour delay felt even longer. After I showed my ticket, a uniformed man led me through the crowds directly to my cabin. "Enjoy the adventure," he said with a smile.

Ben Mack (to be continued) 

TAZARA train - 300 Zambian Kwacha

 There was no line at the station in Kapiri Mposhi. My first-class ticket cost $20 — and looked like something you'd get at a raffle.

You can reserve tickets by phone in advance, but I was able to walk right up to the window and buy a ticket easily. For about 300 Zambian

kwacha, or about $20, I was able to get a bunk on what I was told was the "best" first-class carriage.

Ben Mack (to be continued) 

TAZARA Far More Luxurious

 
I recently traveled on the train. Though in many ways the journey was what I hoped it would be, it also had its share of surprises. It was far more luxurious (meals could be ordered and brought to the cabin, for example) but also took a fair bit longer than I thought it would. Here's what it was like to spend several days on board for the price of a pair of movie tickets.

Ben Mack (to be continued) 

Train to Dar es Salaam - Scenic Train Ride

Even though I didn't get to see much wildlife, the scenery was incredible, the train was comfortable, and the price was so affordable that I'd do it again. The Tazara is a local passenger train that goes from Zambia to Tanzania —

 and is supposed to be one of the world's most scenic train rides, according to The Guardian, offering a chance to see some of Africa's famous wildlife, like elephants, zebras, lions, giraffes, and more as it travels for days. The BBC reported that it was like going "back to train travel of a bygone era."

Ben Mack (to be continued) 

On TAZARA train to Dar es Salaam

 Hoping to experience an African safari on a budget, I recently traveled first class on the Tazara train from Kapiri Mposhi, Zambia, to Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, for $20.

The journey was supposed to take three days, but because of several delays it ended up taking four.

The views were terrific, the food was surprisingly good, and there were numerous amenities including a lounge, but after a while it did seem to drag on.

Ben Mack (to be continued) 

Sudan to Egypt 25 Would I Recommend Taking the Ferry from Sudan to Egypt?

 Despite how the above ended up sounding, I’d still recommend it. If I’d been feeling less completely done with long bus rides, I’d probably have taken that instead, but I’m glad I didn’t. Despite the discomfort and the hassle when arriving, it was a border crossing with a difference. If you’re tight on time or arriving in Wadi Halfa on a day that’s nowhere near when the ferry from Sudan to Egypt leaves, though, just take the bus. It’s not worth waiting around for, but I’d say that it is worth doing if your days line up.

Sudan to Egypt 24 Time for a beer

 A few minutes later, he was back with our friend the colonel in tow, who soon had us out of the dock and on our way into the city.

Not the most relaxed entry to Egypt that we could have had, but honestly, considering how long we’d been awake (not really counting an hour or two on the boat) and the amount of needless bureaucracy that we were encountering, I’m not surprised that we were both feeling irate with the whole process. Time for a beer.

(to be continued)

Sudan to Egypt 23 Pointless Delays

 Nope, still not going anywhere. What, you want to leave the port? How about instead you spend over an hour sitting in front of the locked exit gate? How does that sound?

As you can probably imagine, we weren’t too happy by this point at all of the pointless delays that we were encountering. I pestered a few police officers until we were able to find out what the hold up was – apparently, someone had lost their passport. So everyone else had to wait. Of course, that makes perfect sense. I complained at the only officer who’d been helpful so far, and he said to leave it with him.

(to be continued)

Sudan to Egypt 22 Confusion

 They kept asking if my visa from last time was my new one, no matter how many times I told them I needed to buy one. In the end, they stamped me in, and as they didn’t have any stickers, added a note to the stamp in Arabic that said to issue me the sticker and take payment in Cairo. 

Ruth had an e-visa, and we were pretty sure this must have been the first time anyone had come through this particularly checkpoint with one from the amount of confusion that that caused them. But, stamps obtained, we could finally head out into Aswan.

(to be continued)

Sudan to Egypt 2 And wait And wait

 No chance, of course. We went to the counter and were told to take a seat and wait. And wait. And wait. Eventually, the colonel from the boat turned up with the passports – for all that he’d said it’d be quicker, we could definitely have been done and out of there by the time he arrived. Still, though, once he did arrive he ordered the guys working there to process ours first, with all of the confusion that that involved.

(to be continued)

Sudan to Egypt 20 Secondary Check

 Eventually, though, we docked. We waited for the rush to pass, then made our way off the boat into the dock. We joined the massive queue heading for the security check, only to be pulled aside by one of the soldiers and escorted to the front again. 

There was a secondary check after the scanners where they were interested in any medication that people were bringing in to the country, and then we were done. Just need to quickly pick up the passport and we’d be on our way.

(to be continued)

Sudan to Egypt 19 Arriving in Aswan

 Once we arrived in Aswan on the ferry from Sudan to Egypt– much to the delight of some – we, unfortunately, weren’t quite done yet. We ended up stopping just outside the harbour for about an hour, at which point I was getting equally impatient to actually get off the boat.

It was apparently something to do with security that had delayed us. During this time an Egyptian immigration officer had also collected our passports, saying that he would take them to the office as soon as docked for processing, which would save us time once we’d disembarked and made our way through the various checks to that same office.

(to be continued)

Sudan to Egypt 18 Sunrise over Lake Nasser

 I watched sunrise the next morning from the comfort – or warmth, at least – of my cocoon. We had more snacks for breakfast and then found that there were hot drinks available. So the next couple of hours were split between me hiding in my sleeping bag for warmth, and drinking many cups of tea. Once the sun properly rose, though, it soon warmed up, and we passed the rest of the voyage enjoying th- “Are we there yet?”- enjoying the vi- “I want to get off this boat already” – enjoying the views, damnit.

(to be continued)

Sudan to Egypt 17 Abu Simbel

 A few hours in, we passed Abu Simbel on the shore. We’d been waiting to pass this – or rather, I had been, with instructions to wake Ruth up as we got near – so once we’d seen it, I figured it was as good a time as any to get some rest. 

I was definitely glad to have my sleeping bag with me, it got very chilly on that deck overnight. It was never going to be the most comfortable night with two of us trying to curl up on opposite ends of the bench without kicking each other in the shins. But I managed to get more sleep than I expected to on this ferry from Sudan to Egypt. So, y’know, an hour or two.

(to be continued)

Sudan to Egypt 16 Uneventful

 The journey itself was pretty uneventful. The sun set as we departed, so we didn’t have views for very long that evening. We decided not to redeem our free meal voucher, instead just snacking on a few things we’d picked up in Wadi Halfa for dinner instead. I spent a lot of time lying around on the wooden bench – or rather, the cover for the lifejacket box that we were using as a bench – alternating between reading and watching the stars.

(to be continued)

Sudan to Egypt 15

 It was an hour later than we’d been told to expect, which honestly isn’t too bad overall. We were, however, almost kicked out of our spot.

It turned out that we were inside an area that gets locked off when the ship is underway. One of the staff came out and cleared out all of the Sudanese/Egyptian guys that had chosen the same area, and gestured to us that we’d need to move. We packed up our stuff, but by the time everyone else had cleared out, the captain told us that we could stay. It was clearly only because we were white, but we weren’t going to argue when it meant that we wouldn’t have to try and squeeze in elsewhere.

(to be continued)

Sudan to Egypt 14

 It seemed that no-one was boarding yet, which made it a good time to sit on the dock and get a couple of photos of the boat that we’d been spending the night on.

Once we were allowed to board, we took a quick look at the hard seats that we had the tickets for and decided that our other option was much better. Namely, that of just spending the night on the deck of the boat instead. We went up to the top and claimed a spot at the front, near the bridge. And here we waited for a couple of hours until the ship finally departed.

(to be continued)

Sudan to Egypt 13

 Ferry from Sudan to Egypt
The final check was a security check, where you can see just how little they’re concerned about tourists. We watched the suitcase of an Egyptian guy in front of us being completely emptied out and examined in great detail. When my turn came, I’d barely even opened the first zip on the bag before they said that it was fine and waved me on. We passed through one last door where they were checking for the stickers on the bags that said they’d been inspected and then headed down to the ferry itself.
(to be continued)

Sudan to Egypt 12

 We never actually got the tickets back from this, though that didn’t seem to matter. Next up was immigration, where we handed over the stamped forms and received our exit stamps from Sudan. 

In this same hall, there were a number of money changers wandering around, though their rates weren’t great. They were slightly better than the ones in town though. You’d probably only need a little cash for the ferry – snacks, drinks etc – so I wouldn’t bother changing any here if you don’t need to.

(to be continued)

Sudan to Egypt 11

 If we’d been feeling less lazy and/or cheaper, we could have walked into the middle of town and taken a shared van out there for about 20 SDP each instead.

Arriving at the port, we had a few more checks and formalities to go through, all of which were quite straightforward. When we entered the building, we had to hand over our tickets to be checked so that we could be registered as being on the ferry.

(to be continued)

Sudan to Egypt 10 Departing Sudan

 
Not sure why they didn’t want payment from us when we could see everyone else paying, but I’m not one to look a gift horse in the mouth.

We’d been told that we should be at the port a couple of hours before departure, so at 14.30 we were getting ready to head out. As we were feeling particularly lazy and we still had some Sudanese Pounds to use up, we had a taxi – or rather, a bokasi that was acting as a taxi – just pick us up from our hotel to drive us there.

(to be continued)

Sudan to Egypt 9 The Guy Still Declined

 What actually happened, though, was that every window we tried to go to to make this payment just pointed us to a different one. After going back and forth a couple of times, we grabbed the English speaking police officer again and asked him to show us which one we needed.

He took us up to that window, and the guy there still declined. We were seated back in the courtyard, and after what looked like a quick discussion between some other officers, we were just given a stamp for departure anyway.

(to be continued)

Sudan to Egypt 8 The Procedure

 
As far as we could tell, the procedure was supposed to be that we would go into one office (first door on the left immediately after entering the grounds), and at one of the desks in here we would have to pay a departure tax.

We would then have been given a receipt to take to a different officer (at a table in the courtyard), who would give us a departure card to fill out. Once we had both of these, he’d check the receipt to be sure that we’d paid, and stamp our departure card for us to hand over at immigration when we boarded the ferry.

(to be continued)