Driving through the Sahara Desert in Sudan was exactly what you imagine it to be like- hot, windy and deserted.  Fortunately that means the ancient Nubian and Egyptian ruins are in excellent condition.  Although we were alone at every single site we visited (to be fair it is Sudan and some were nearly 20km into the desert!) this was one of the most impressionable experiences of the entire country. Stashed in the middle of a village, archaeologists have uncovered ancient noble tombs.  As you can see, they are beautifully decorated inside and haven’t been retouched at all, unlike some in Egypt.  Hardly viewed by tourists, we loved climbing down into the tomb with the local guardian, who explained in broken english and charades the different symbols and depictions.  We were never able to get so close to tomb heiroglyphs again. It was an amazing experience for us and one we’ll never forget.