Port Sudan December Tour

2 nights, 3 days 15 Dec, 2026 – 17 Dec, 2026

Start Date

15 Dec, 2026

End Date

17 Dec, 2026

Duration

2 nights, 3 days

Price

1945

Sudan, once Africa’s largest nation, was divided in 2011 following decades of brutal civil war, giving rise to the world’s youngest country, South Sudan. While much of the world moved on, Sudan remains shrouded in mystery, conflict, and resilience. With Port Sudan emerging as the de facto capital following the government’s relocation, this rarely visited region has become a unique lens through which to view the country’s past and present.

This three day tour offers a powerful introduction to modern Sudan. You will visit the haunting coastal ruins of Suakin Island, once the most important port in the country and a vital Red Sea trading hub. Today, it stands abandoned, its coral-built architecture slowly being reclaimed by the elements, yet still shows a strong influence leftover by the Ottomans.

You will also explore the coastal hideaway of Camp Arous and the former Red Sea Dive Resort. Situated on a stretch of pristine coastline, this now defunct tourist lodge was secretly operated by Mossad in the 1980s as part of an undercover operation to smuggle Ethiopian Jews to Israel. Alongside stunning views and calm waters, you will learn about one of the most daring and unusual intelligence missions in recent history.

In Port Sudan itself, the country’s main gateway to the sea and its new administrative hub, you will get a rare look at how a city functions under ongoing pressure and war. Visit the city's largest market to experience daily commerce and taste local cuisine, including fresh fish, spicy stews, and traditional flatbreads. Walk along the Corniche overlooking the Red Sea, explore the Red Sea Museum and local aquarium, and tour the grand but fading former Port Sudan Hilton.

This tour provides insight into how daily life continues in a country caught between conflict and recovery. Through its coastlines, ruins, food, and people, Sudan offers a travel experience few have ever seen.

Make the most of your visit to this region and directly connect from our South Sudan Essential Tour, completing your picture of this fascinating nation.

Trips to Port Sudan do create dangers all of their own and whilst we want you to have as much freedom as possible, we must state that both the YPT and local guides have the final word with regards to changes to the itinerary for safety reasons. Whilst the route YPT have chosen passes through areas that we consider to be stable; the situation can change and we may have to alter the route or cancel sections of the trip at short notice.

Tour Highlight

Be among the first to visit Sudan in recent years as it slowly stabilizes from conflict.
Visit the former Red Sea Dive Resort and learn about its history as a Mossad-run decoy to smuggle Jewish refugees out of the country.
Explore Port Sudan and meet its very resilient local people - you can barely get closer to contemporary history and politics.

Included

Twin-shared accommodation
Private transportation incl airport transfers
Entry permit, processing fee, and LOI for visa on arrival
Security, site entrance fees, and travel permits
Dinner and breakfast at Arous Camp
YPT tour guide & local guide

Excluded

$100 Visa fee on arrival (payable at immigration)
Flights to and from Port Sudan
Single supplement $200
Lunches & Dinners in city of Port Sudan
Drinks in Arous Camp
Personal expenses
Travel insurance

Group	Start date	End date	Duration	Price	Single Supplement

Print Itinerary

Full Itinerary

Tuesday 15th December – Port Sudan, Sudan – Arous Beach – Port Sudan

Morning

Meet your YPT guide at the boarding gate of Ethiopian Airlines flight ET348 departing Addis Abba at 9:30am and arriving into Port Sudan International Airport at 10:45am. This flight connects well with our South Sudan tour, though an overnight layover in Addis.
Meet our local guide after passing through immigration and baggage claim.
You’ll receive a welcome briefing and an introduction to Sudanese customs, current conditions, and the region’s fascinating history.
Depart the airport and head toward Port Sudan City. This drive offers a first look at the city’s layout and Red Sea coastline, passing port infrastructure, markets, and mid-century architecture.
Stop for a traditional Sudanese lunch en route, featuring popular Sudanese dishes such as grilled lamb or chicken, okra stew, lentils, fresh bread, and local drinks like hibiscus tea (karkadé) or baobab juice (tabaldi).

Afternoon

Leave the city behind and begin the two-hour drive through the Red Sea desert landscape to reach Arous Beach, a remote coastal outpost known for its coral reefs and secretive past.
Arrive at the former Red Sea Diving Resort – the now-infamous location used in the 1980s by the Israeli Mossad as a cover for a covert humanitarian mission. Disguised as a leisure facility, the site played a crucial role in secretly evacuating thousands of Ethiopian Jews from Sudan. Though the operation remained unknown to most for decades, the site has since become a place of intrigue and historical significance.
Explore the abandoned structures, walk along the pristine beach, and learn more about the operation that took place here through guide-led storytelling.
We’ll then drive back to Port Sudan city.
Enjoy dinner at one of the local restaurants in Port Sudan City, featuring grilled seafood, flatbreads, seasonal vegetables, and fresh juices.
Overnight at our hotel in Port Sudan. Rooms include air conditioning.

Wednesday 16th December – Port Sudan – Suakin Island – Port Sudan

Morning

After breakfast, we’ll begin our guided tour of Port Sudan city including visits to the Ports Museum and the Red Sea Museum. These institutions house important exhibits on Sudanese maritime heritage, coral reef conservation, and the ethnic diversity of the Red Sea region. See ancient navigation tools, pearl diving equipment, and local artifacts from the Beja people and other groups.
Continue with a stroll along the city’s Corniche, a scenic stretch of promenade where locals gather to socialize, fish, and enjoy the sea breeze. It’s an ideal spot to experience Port Sudan’s daily rhythm and photograph the Red Sea coast.
Drive approximately 1.5 hours south along the coast to reach Suakin Island, a haunting and atmospheric site that was once a vital Ottoman port and Islamic pilgrimage hub.
Walk among the ruins of coral-stone buildings, mosques, and merchant houses, learning how Suakin once hosted ships bound for Mecca and served as a major point in Red Sea trade routes. Though abandoned and partially crumbled, the island’s architecture and ambiance offer a moving connection to the past.
We’ll then visit Suakin Museum, also known as Abu Haddab Folklore centre. While it functions much as a museum today, it is technically just an abandoned ghost town of deteriorating Ottoman-era coral and stone ruins.
After exploring the Red Sea style buildings, we’ll drive towards Tokar, a smaller town along the coast.

Afternoon

At arrival, we’ll head towards Haydob beach for lunch. On today’s menu you’ll find fresh seafood, enjoyed by the beach.
We might even meet Rashaida tribe men here. The Rashaida are a traditionally nomadic Arab tribe who moved to Sudan from the Arabian Peninsula in the 19th century and are known for keeping their own traditions and way of life. Today many still live across eastern Sudan, particularly along the Red Sea coast.
After spending some time relaxing at the beach, we’ll return to Port Sudan and enjoy our last dinner at a local restaurant.
Overnight at our hotel in Port Sudan.

Thursday 17th December – Port Sudan

Morning

Breakfast at our hotel, before we head out to explore Port Sudan further with a guided walking and driving tour of the city. Along the way we’ll see some of the city’s main sights and learn more about how Port Sudan became Sudan’s most important port city on the Red Sea.
We’ll stop for lunch at Marina Hotel, which in the old days was known as the Port Sudan Hilton, and remains one of the city’s best-known buildings.
After lunch, visit the busy Port Sudan Market. This is a great place to see local life in action while shopping for last-minute souvenirs.
Later we’ll transfer to Port Sudan Airport with our guide, who will assist with check-in and departure procedures before the tour comes to an end.
Depart at 6:00pm on Ethiopian Airlines flight ET349 to Addis Ababa arriving at 9:15pm

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