Off the coast of Sudan, the Nubian Flats stretch for more than 650 kilometres along the Red Sea, a vast and untouched wilderness of shallow flats and bluewater drop-offs framed by the stark Nubian Desert. Almost uninhabited and virtually unfished, it is a destination that combines isolation, raw beauty, and extraordinary saltwater fly fishing. The setting alone is remarkable, with electric blue shallows meeting the desert horizon, and the sport on offer is equally dramatic.
On the flats, anglers sight-cast to Bonefish, Permit, Milkfish, colourful Triggerfish, and aggressive Trevally tailing across the sand. The deeper ledges and reef edges bring high-paced encounters with Giant Trevally, Dogtooth Tuna, and Grouper, each capable of testing the strongest tackle. Most fishing is on foot, wading vast flats and targeting fish visually, while heavier rods and dredging techniques are required for GTs and offshore predators. Conventional anglers are also well served, with opportunities for vertical jigging and popper fishing over marked reef systems.
Accommodation is aboard comfortable liveaboard motherships: Don Questo in the south and Felicidad II in the north. Each offers air-conditioned cabins, sun decks, shared dining areas, and tender boats that deliver anglers directly to the fishing grounds. Guest numbers are capped, and every angler is assured a private cabin, professional guiding, and full support from an experienced crew.
The Nubian Flats represent saltwater fly fishing at its most raw and rewarding. Vast, unpressured waters, world-class species, and the adventure of exploring them by liveaboard combine to create one of the most exceptional fishing holidays on earth.
The season runs from Feb to June.
Season: Feb to June
Peak: March to May
Weight: 130 lb
Average Weight: 35 lb
Season: Feb to June
Peak: March to May
Weight: 11 lb
Average Weight: 4.5 lb
Season: Feb to June
Peak: March to May
Weight: 33 lb
Average Weight: 11 lb
Season: Feb to June
Peak: March to May
Weight: 12 lb
Average Weight: 4.5 lb
Season: Feb to June
Peak: March to May
Weight: 22 lb
Average Weight: 14 lb
Season: Feb to June
Peak: March to May
Weight: 66 lb
Average Weight: 17 lb
Season: Feb to June
Peak: March to May
Weight: 33 lb
Average Weight: 13 lb
Although the fishing days are fixed, the below itinerary is still flexible should you require additional free days to explore at the beginning or end of your holiday; we can tailor this itinerary to suit you personally. Feel free to talk to our travel consultants, who can explain all options available.
Note we have available either 10-night South or 7-night North trips; please enquire.
Nubian Flats Deep South 10-Night Package:
We have long known that this area produces exceptional fish, but required a special boat in order to access the area. The boat that we are using is a 100ft Steel hull boat that was originally built as a commercial fishing boat for the North Sea. This boat allows us to navigate under any weather conditions and is spacious and comfortable. Each guest has their own cabin, with ample space. We are also able to combine diving and fly fishing for the trip, as the liveaboard is a fully functioning dive charter boat. Just let us know in advance and we will make the necessary arrangements.
These trips are based on 10 nights on board, with between 8.5 to 9 days of fishing (depending on weather conditions and travel times). The basic itinerary is to set sail on the first night of charter, arriving at the first flats mid-morning on your first full day. The boat returns to Port Sudan for your last night of the charter.
Nubian Flats Northern 7-night package:
The original Nubian Flats itinerary. The Northern circuit is best known for its expansive main-land flats and large island flats. Here anglers can expect shots at trophy-sized GT and Triggerfish. If a trophy is what you are after, and your time is limited. This is a great option.
Please note that depending on what international airport you depart from, travel to this destination may involve an overnight flight and/or an overnight hotel.
Once flights are available, your itinerary will be finalised.
Depart Any international Airport (See Details)
Arrive Dubai
On arrival in Dubai take a taxi to your overnight hotel.
Overnight accommodation: Dubai Hotel (Single room) B/B
Depart Dubai
Arrive Port Sudan
Upon arrival and once you have cleared customs you will be greeted by an English speaking representative from African Waters who will transfer you to the marina where the mothership will be waiting. (transfer approx. 3 hours)
Overnight accommodation: Liveaboard mother ship (Single room) F/B
Over the next 9 days, you will travel to the deep south and get to experience the vast remote flats of the country. You will get to choose if you want to wade or fish the deeper drop-offs. Along with your guide, you will be targeting many different species. The most prolific fish on Nubian Flats has to be the Triggerfish and Bluefin Trevally, these are exciting fish to target, and double-figure days are very common.
Overnight accommodation: Liveaboard mother ship (Single room) F/B
Once the mothership has docked, you will be transferred back to Port Sudan for your return flights. (transfer approx. 3 hours)
Depart Port Sudan
On Saturday you will arrive in Dubai where you will need to spend your last night in an overnight hotel.
Overnight accommodation: Dubai Hotel (Single room) B/B
Depart Dubai
Arrive Home
Please note that depending on what international airport you wish to return to, travel from this destination may involve an overnight flight and/or an overnight hotel. Once flights are available, your itinerary will be finalised.
FCDO advises against all travel to Sudan because of the ongoing military conflict in Khartoum and other parts of the country. This does not include the Hala’ib Triangle and the Bir Tawil Trapezoid where FCDO advises against all but essential travel. There have been several ceasefires, but these have been regularly broken.
Khartoum International Airport is not currently running commercial flights. It officially re-opened in October 2025 but was subject to drone attacks and the risk of further attacks continues. The only civilian airport operating international flights is Port Sudan Airport, however it was also subject to drone attacks in early May 2025. Since then, no new strikes have been reported, but surveillance drone activity has continued. A limited number of airlines are currently operating from the airport.
Monitor travel advice and other media reports for the latest information. For our non UK customers, refer to advice from the relevant authority in your country of origin.
| Travel Available Between These Dates | Days | Price | Availability | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
If your preferred week or travel dates do not appear in the calendar above, please get in touch. Many lodges release availability in stages, and some dates depend on tides, seasons, guide schedules, or short-notice changes. By speaking with us directly, you will receive the most up to date availability and clear guidance on securing the strongest options before popular weeks fill.
Enquire now and we will check live availability for the dates you are considering.
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"I won't lie I was a little dubious about staying on a liveaboard, but it was clean, comfortable and a fantastic base to travel from each day. The fishing was fantastic and throughout the trip, I landed a plethora of different species. "
"What a breathtaking destination! The operation from start to finish was an absolute dream, the staff and guides were amazing and did everything they could to ensure we had the very best time. Nubian flats I will be back! "
"50lb Giant Trevally, numerous 4lb+ Bonefish, a handful of Triggerfish and even a Milkfish ensured that I had the most wonderful time on the Nubian flats. The waters were warm, crystal clear and certainly fish-filled! Where to go next... "
The Don Questo features seven double cabins and one triple, but as we limit numbers to six customers per week, plus one group leader, it means everyone gets their own private room.
There are four showers and five toilets for customers to share, and all the w.c.’s are of the standard domestic variety with a single flush action.
The dining area comfortably seats twenty people, and there is a recreational room with a television, video recorder, DVD and hi-fi system. The boat is fully air-conditioned in all areas.
The upper deck features plenty of sunbeds and deckchairs and is a sunbathers paradise and the perfect spot to stretch out and enjoy the hot Sudanese sun!
The Felicidad’s lower deck has eight double cabins, divided into six cabins with a double bed and a single one and two cabins with two bunk beds. All cabins have air conditioning and a private bathroom with a hot and cold shower, a toilet equipped with a shower and medium towels. As we only run these liveaboard trip with six customers, each person gets a single room to themself.
In the main deck, there is the cosy internal dinette, with two tables for breakfast and lunch, equipped with a minibar, TV, hi-fi, mp3 player, board games, video library and a well-stocked international library.
The upper deck has two lunch tables in the open air to enjoy the scenery, many sofas and large sundecks where you can read, chat and enjoy some well-deserved relaxation.
Expert Nubian flats guides assure high-quality services on board, supported by the available local and Italian speaking crew and an excellent chef who will delight you with his cuisine based on Italian, international, and local specialities.
Please note at present the FCDO advises against all travel to Sudan due to the ongoing military conflict.
For further information please visit: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice/sudan
The Nubian flats in Sudan are home to some of the world’s best saltwater fly fishing, with miles of untouched and unspoilt areas for the adventurous, travelling angler to explore. Sudan has been the centre of an exploding scuba diving industry for years. Following the scuba industry’s footsteps, fly fishers soon discovered a rich and rugged flats ecosystem full of exotic species. Fishing against the backdrop of the stark Nubian Desert and the electric blue of the Red Sea, the destination is becoming more and more well-recognised as a saltwater fly fishing paradise.
Along the Red Sea coast of Sudan, there are countless islands and vast expanses of shallow-water flats. These offer the adventurous fly angler a treasure chest of fly-fishing opportunities. There are two areas of operation. Both are extraordinarily unique and offer every guest a great combination of productive flats and blue water fishing, making this destination even more enticing.
Our partners first explored this diverse coastline in May 2013, and since then, they have never looked back and are now proud to offer an annual professionally guided season on the Nubian Flats. Combined with a liveaboard mothership and fishing skiffs, you will get to explore this vast coastline and be able to fish waters that see hardly any to no angling pressure whatsoever.
The Red Sea Coast of Sudan is a mecca for scuba diving and boasts three of the top ten dive sights in the world. Every week between one hundred and three hundred divers visit the area, equating to over fifteen thousand tourists over the past fifteen years.
Spanning some 650 kilometres, the Nubian flats of Sudan and its coastline are barren and almost uninhabited; the region is very humid and only receives around 5inches of rain per year. However, amongst the saltwater fly fishing community, they represent a natural, virtually un-explored saltwater playground. Due to the vastness of the area and the fact the fishing days are heavily rotated throughout weeks and months, the fishing pressure is exceptionally sparse, keeping sport as pristine as when the first set of anglers arrived.
Under the watchful eyes of professional South African guides, anglers will experience the wide variety of fishing that this destination has to offer. Guests will spend most of their time focused on exploring the vast swathes of warm water flats. Here you’ll find that many of the traditional flats species like Bonefish, Permit and Milkfish, call this home. However, you’ll also see abundant populations of beautifully coloured Triggerfish and all forms of hard fighting Trevally.
On the edges of the flats in the deeper blue water offshore, there is enormous potential for species like Giant Trevally, Dogtooth Tuna and many Grouper species. This style of fishing is exciting and high paced.
The majority of the fishing is wading on the flats looking for cruising and tailing fish, and conventional saltwater fly fishing tackle is sufficient. 9-foot, 9-weight rods and a quality saltwater disc drag reel, loaded with 200m of 60lb braid, will tame most of the species you’re likely to encounter. However, for the big Trevally species, a 12-weight rod and 80lb braid are preferred. Deepwater dredging off the tender boats with a fly is also another popular tactic. Conventional anglers can do some vertical jigging offshore and popper fishing over specifically earmarked reefs, but no traditional fishing is allowed on the flats and reefs surrounding them.
Visit our YouTube channel to see what the Nubian Flats fishing is all about.
We use two liveaboard motherships for our Nubian flats fishing holidays; the Don Questo for our longer trips in the south and the Felicidad for all trips in the north. Both motherships provide high comfort, thanks to a good layout of the interior and exterior spaces. The Nubian Flats liveaboard is not merely another fishing trip; it’s a trip for the truly adventurous angler, providing the opportunity to experience a setting and culture like no other.
The Don Questo was built in 1964 in Selby, England and was originally a trawling vessel. In 1991 she had a complete overhaul, but it was in 1998 that the Don Questo was upgraded to become a diving & fishing liveaboard ship with renovated toilets, additional cabins, and improved restaurant and kitchen areas. M/Y Felicidad II was Built-in 1991 and is a beautiful 30-meter steel motor yacht, essential and elegant and mainly designed for underwater cruises. Like the Don Questo, in July 2017, she was also completely renovated.
On each liveaboard, there’s also a series of tender boats used to transport anglers to the in-shore fishing grounds. One of the great things about staying on a mothership is you’re close to the fishing action, so each day, there’s no long run out to the fishing grounds, which means more time spent fishing.
I won't lie I was a little dubious about staying on a liveaboard, but it was clean, comfortable and a fantastic base to travel from each day. The fishing was fantastic and throughout the trip, I landed a plethora of different species.
What a breathtaking destination! The operation from start to finish was an absolute dream, the staff and guides were amazing and did everything they could to ensure we had the very best time. Nubian flats I will be back!
50lb Giant Trevally, numerous 4lb+ Bonefish, a handful of Triggerfish and even a Milkfish ensured that I had the most wonderful time on the Nubian flats. The waters were warm, crystal clear and certainly fish-filled! Where to go next...
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