The journey from Egypt to Sudan had always been a demanding one. For decades the only route from Cairo to Khartoum was via an overpriced ferry on the Lake Nasser. The two governments recently made the wise decision to build an overland route minimizing boat time. Here’s a satellite photo of the civil engineering travesty that ensued:
The original route in Sudan coming from Wadi Halfa is way off. They corrected northwards, then turned again but this time too much. Hopefully they plan to use that gap between the roads for customs clearance or something similarly useful. From other sat images of the same vintage its hard to say what’s going on in Qustul, from where the ferry across Lake Nasser finally connects to Abu Simbel.
Apparently a few well-heeled travelers have already used this crossing. These guys who recently made a new record driving from Capetown to London in just over ten days were able to get through with much arm twisting. They claim the border post is called Eshkeet or Eshket, according to this forum post on Horizons Unlimited. That name previously belonged to an actual village in northern Sudan. It was the birthplace of the billionaire Mo Ibrahim, but now doesn’t appear on any map and I believe it’s been flooded by the lake. I doubt anyone will hold their breath for when this crossing, which saves many days and hundreds of dollars in bribes, will be open for the general public.
View this location in online mapping services: