Shendi’s location makes it a good stopping point on the Khartoum – Atbara highway and its proximity to the sites at Meroe, Naqa and Musawwarat es Sufra makes Shendi an ideal stopping point.
Getting there & away:
- Shendi sits 3KM east of Khartoum – Atbara highway. Transport arriving in Shendi drops passengers at the train next to the radio mast. Taxis and bokasi congregate here waiting for fares. Minibuses heading north and south leave from a different station, east of the train line.
- Coaches and minibuses out of Shendi leave from farm around 07:00 to Khartoum. Coaches take just under three hours and cost SDG24, minibuses take slightly longer but are correspondingly cheaper. If you are heading to or from Atbara, the bus takes 2 1/2 hours and costs SDG10. There is a railway station in Shendi but there is no longer a passenger train service.
Where to stay & eat:
- There isn’t much choice when it comes to accommodation in Shendi, and none of the options are particularly desirable. On the banks of the Nile the El Kawther Hotel, T: 026172364, rooms SDG120 – 150, has a pleasant garden, and the lobby is decorated with the reliefs of the Kushite rulers and gods from Naqa and Musawwarat es Sufara. The other option is the Lokanda which is not the greatest but a good option for those on a budget with beds at SDG10.
- Eating out in Shendi is centered on the market. As with many places, fun is served mainly in the morning for breakfast. Cafeterias offer the usual stews and kebabs, and particularly tasty fasuliya. There are plenty of juice bars in which to quench your thirst, while laban (hot sweet milk) seems to be a faveorite with locals and is dished out in tall glasses in the mornings and evenings.
- Not far from El Kawther Hotel there is Shendi’s only Internet cafe.
