The story is a nineteenth-century paperwork mistake with twenty-first-century consequences. In 1899, a British-brokered agreement between the United Kingdom and Egypt established the border between Egypt and Sudan as a straight line along the 22nd parallel of latitude. In 1902, the British drew a different line, an administrative boundary, to reflect how the local tribes actually used the land. The Beja of Sudan got the Hala'ib Triangle north of the 22nd parallel, on the Red Sea coast. The Ababda of Egypt got the Bi'r Tawil Triangle south of the parallel. It barely mattered until independence. When Sudan became independent in 1956 it claimed the 1902 administrative line, which gave it the valuable coastal Hala'ib Triangle. Egypt insisted on the 1899 political line, which gave it the coast but also implicitly forced it to give up Bi'r Tawil. Claiming Bi'r Tawil would concede Egypt's position on Hala'ib. Neither country will budge. The desert in between has no flag.

There are no permanent residents of Bi'r Tawil by the recognition of any recognized state, but the Ababda tribe of the Egyptian border region considers the land theirs by ancestral right, and members of the Bishari tribe pass through as well. Unregulated gold mining camps have sprung up in the territory. In 2024, travel operator Young Pioneer Tours reported that these camps have become semi-permanent, and that mercenaries and weapons dealers connected to the Sudanese civil war are operating in the area. The local population does not welcome internet-based claims by would-be kings and princesses who have occasionally declared themselves sovereigns of Bi'r Tawil. They are, however, armed well enough to discourage foreigners from attempting to impose their flags. The British government advises against all but essential travel.

There are no roads, no buses, no border crossings into Bi'r Tawil. From Egypt, Aswan and Abu Simbel are the practical jumping-off points, with Abu Simbel about 164 kilometers from the territory. From Sudan, Abu Hamad on the Nile is closer. Tire tracks lead into the region from both directions, passable only by pickup truck in convoy. Technically travelers can enter from either country without special permission, since no country is there to check. Practically, traveling through Bi'r Tawil from one country into the other is almost certainly illegal under the normal border-crossing rules of Egypt and Sudan, because you would be avoiding official posts. Bring enough fuel, water, and food for the trip home. There are no shops, no farms, no villages, and no services. Edible plants and animals are few.

The landscape is arid mountains and dry wadis. The highest point is Gabal Hagar El Zarqa in the east, 662 meters above the surrounding desert. Jabal Tawil in the north rises to 459 meters. Wadi Tawil, also called Khawr Abu Bard, runs across the southern portion. There is no surface water anywhere in the territory. In the three hottest months, June through August, the temperature regularly exceeds 45 degrees Celsius, and for roughly three-quarters of the year it exceeds 40. Winter brings peaks around 26. The diurnal swing between day and night temperatures runs about 20 degrees year-round. On a moonless night the sky shows more stars than most living humans have ever seen. Flags are a surprisingly common feature of the terrain, because so many would-be nation-founders have planted them.

If you come, be completely self-sufficient. Bring a satellite phone, a GPS unit, survivalist gear, sun block, several liters of water per day, and a solar panel to keep your devices alive. Be prepared to wait days for rescue if anything goes wrong, and know that help may not come at all. Because the region is lawless and the mineral business draws both prospectors and armed opportunists, you may encounter people who are not gentle. The border with Egypt and Sudan is unmarked, and accidentally crossing it can result in serious consequences under the laws of whichever country you enter. If you are looking for solitude, stars, and a genuine experience of a land the modern world somehow forgot to claim, Bi'r Tawil offers all of it. The price of admission is careful planning and the knowledge that nobody is coming for you if you fail.