Khartoum Safety Guide
Health, security, and travel safety information
Emergency Numbers
Save these numbers before your trip.
Healthcare
What to know about medical care in Khartoum.
Public hospitals run short on supplies. Private clinics in Khartoum deliver faster lab results, cleaner wards, and staff who speak English.
Royal Care, Al-Ahli and Farabi hospitals in Khartoum take foreign insurance and keep 24-hour emergency desks staffed.
Al-Fadel and Al-Dawaa chains line Africa Street. Pharmacists hand over antibiotics and antimalarials without prescription. Yet always check expiry dates printed in Arabic.
Travel insurance with medical evacuation is strongly advised. Immigration seldom asks for proof on arrival.
- ✓ Carry printed prescriptions for controlled medication. Customs officers occasionally open blister packs.
- ✓ Pack oral rehydration salts. Tap water is chlorinated but tastes metallic and upsets most stomachs.
Common Risks
Be aware of these potential issues.
Phones lifted from café tables and pockets picked in Omdurman souq crowds.
Desert winds sweep Khartoum nine months a year. Midday tops 40°C.
Motorcycles dart between lanes, indicators stay unused, and stoplights sometimes go dark.
Scams to Avoid
Watch out for these common tourist scams.
A friendly English speaker at the Corinthia Hotel forecourt has a private tour to 'pyramids nobody knows'; he asks for full fare up front, then disappears.
A street money-changer counts real Sudanese pounds, then swaps the stack for old low-denomination notes while chatting.
A porter grabs your suitcase off the belt, wheels it 20 m to a taxi, then demands USD 20 as a 'handling fee'.
Safety Tips
Practical advice to stay safe.
- • Khartoum nightlife bans alcohol. Accept drinks only from sealed bottles inside expat clubs.
- • Leave clubs by 11 p.m. when public transport thins out.
- • Ask before photographing women. Security staff may order deletion of shots showing bridges or ministries.
- • Avoid pointing lens at uniformed officers at Nile confluence viewpoint.
- • Ride yellow meter taxis booked through hotel reception. Agree an off-meter fare only if the meter is broken.
- • Sit in the rear seat and lock doors at traffic lights to stop motorcycle bag-snatchers.
Information for Specific Travelers
Safety considerations for different traveler groups.
Khartoum is conservative. Foreign women who cover arms and knees draw little hassle. Yet solo evening walks are discouraged.
- → Carry a light scarf to drape over hair when entering mosques or traditional tea stalls.
- → Pick women-only carriages on the Khartoum, Bahri commuter train during rush hour.
Same-sex relations are criminalised. The penalty runs up to life imprisonment though foreigners are rarely prosecuted.
- → Reserve twin beds instead of doubles in mid-range Khartoum hotels to dodge awkward questions.
- → Use gender-neutral pronouns when describing partners to strangers.
Travel Insurance
Protect yourself before you travel.
Sudan's thin specialist care and currency shortages mean upfront payment is important for serious treatment or evacuation to Nairobi.
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