Looking at the lonely strip of Sudan’s Red Sea coastline on a map, it seems improbable against the vastness of the Sahara to the west. For most of us, any familiarity with Sudan comes from breathless media coverage, State Department warnings, civil war, Sharia law. As such, Sudan’s Red Sea coast endures as an anomaly in today’s hyper-informed world. There is so much unknown yet so much potential. But all it really takes is a story or two and a few photos of ridiculous fish. Really, that’s all the fuel we ever need. Imagination takes over.

By Western standards, Sudan is not a family-friendly destination. There are no all-inclusive resorts—or any resorts at all. Unless your non-fishing partner is into goat-herding there are few, if any, companion options.

Upon arrival in Port Sudan, we are asked to hand over our passports, which are deposited into a ragged plastic grocery bag along with a clutch of others, tossed into the passenger seat of a dusty old hatchback and spirited away with a wave of a hand and vague promise to be there at the airport for our scheduled departure. That’s committed in a way the imagination did not anticipate…

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