SOUTH SUDAN

Dates: February 13 – 23, 2023
Duration: 11 days / 10 nights
Number of participants: 6 – 11

EXPEDITION FINISHED


TRAVEL PROGRAM: tour to South Sudan

Day 1. February 13, 2023. ARRIVAL IN JUBA

Arrive by air in Juba, the capital of South Sudan, the youngest country on Earth. Obtaining visa upon arrival at the airport. The guide will meet you at the airport and transfer to the hotel Royal Palace. Arrange travel permits (stamp in passport). The rest of the day is free to relax or explore.
Rest and overnight in hotel Royal Palace.
Meals: not included
Accommodation: hotel Royal Palace in Juba

* Recommended flight:
- Egypt Air via Cairo, departure from Moscow on February 12 at 17:05, and then departure from Cairo to Juba at 10:40 am on February 13, arrival in Juba at 14:30 on February 13 (14 hours layover in Cairo, the airlines provides free transfer and hotel), or
- Ethiopian Airlines via Addis Ababa, arriving in Juba on February 13 at 15:55, or
- Turkish Airlines via Istanbul, departure from Moscow on February 12 at 20:50, and then departure from Istanbul to Juba at 3:05 am on February 13, arrival in Juba at 5:25 am on February 13 (early check-in at the hotel will be needed), or
– any other flight arriving in Juba at any time on 13 February or on the night from February 13 to February 14.


Day 2. February 14, 2023. JUBA – KAPOETA – TOPOSA TRIBE
In the morning, after breakfast, transfer to the airport. Domestic flight to Kapoeta (1 hour flight), to the eastern part of the country. Kapoeta is an ideal base to explore Toposa tribal territory.
The Toposa are Turkana speaking cattle rearing people that have resisted western influence to this date. Toposa have traditionally lived by herding cattle, sheep and goats, and in the past were involved in the ivory trade. They have a tradition of constant warfare, usually cattle raids, against their neighbors.
Visit the market. After lunch drive to a Toposa village (3 hours drive from Kapoeta) and spend the night in tents with the community.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: tents


Day 3. February 15, 2023. TOPOSA TRIBE – JIYE TRIBE
Breakfast and morning photography with the Toposa and long drive (3-5 hours depending on the season) to Jiye tribal area.
The Jiye are related to the Toposa but now they are enemies. The Jiye are a minority and have special traditions such as the fortress-type villages and their upper lip piercings and scarifications. Reach the Jiye area and camp there after having visited two big villages. Enjoy the intense welcome dances.
The Toposa and Jye belong to what has been called the "Karamojong cluster", which also includes the Karamojong people of Uganda, the Nyangatom people in south western Ethiopia and the Turkana people of Kenya.
Both Toposa and Jiye tribes continue to dress in their traditional clothes (leather-beaded skirts) and pierce their lips and scarify their arms, chests, and faces. Each scarification is a work of art.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: tents


Day 4. February 16, 2023. JIYE TRIBE – KAPOETA
Breakfast. Last visits around the Jiye communities. Drive back to Kapoeta.
En route stop at Toposa village.
The Toposa economy and social life revolves around herding livestock, including cattle, camels, donkeys, goats and sheep. Boys are first given care of goats and sheep, then graduate to looking after cattle when they come of age. Possession of cattle, along with possession of a loaded gun, are the main measures of status and wealth. Cattle are central to Toposa culture. The Toposa have always competed for water and pasturage with their neighbors, and have always engaged in cattle rustling. The Toposa also pan for gold and other precious minerals in the stream beds.
Arrival in Kapoeta and check-in in the basic conditions bungalows at Mango camp. Shower and relax.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: simple bungalows at Mango camp


Day 5. February 17, 2023. KAPOETA – BOYA HILLS (LARIM TRIBE)
After breakfast drive (2-3 hours) to Boya Hills to meet the Larim (Boya) tribal minority.
Larim speak Murle and are excellent architects. They also pierce their nose and lips and scarify their bodies and considered to own the most sophisticated scarifications in whole Africa. Larim keep cattle and grow seasonal crops, such as sorghum, maize and beans. Widowed women wrap vegetable cords around their legs and head. Larim is considered one of South Sudan's most traditional groups.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: tents


Day 6. February 18, 2023. BOYA HILLS – MOUNTAIN KINGDOM OF LOTUKO TRIBE
After breakfast drive (4 hours) to mountain kingdom ruled by a priest-king. Interesting Medieval (14th century) stone walls. Explore the village and meet the Lotuko people.
Lotuko people are a Nilotic ethnic group that populates the region characterized by ranges and mountain spurs such as the Imotong mountain, the highest mountain in South Sudan.
As agro-pastoralists, they keep large herds of cattle, sheep and goats, and supplement this with hoe-farming, hunting, and fishing. Land is owned by no single person, but in trust by the community. In the mountains, after finding a site, the group decides the boundaries of each person's garden, with certain areas being fallow for a number of years.
Lotuko's religion is based on nature and ancestor worship that is deeply rooted in their ethnic identity.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: tents


Day 7. February 19, 2023. LOTUKO TRIBE – TORIT – JUBA
Breakfast. After last visits around the village, farewell from the mountain kingdom and drive (2 hours) to the town of Torit. En route we can see the local life. Lunch in Torit in Northern Sudanese restaurant or on the way.
In the afternoon continue driving (4 – 5 hours) to Juba. Late arrival in Juba and check-in at the hotel Royal Palace. Dinner in Juba at your choice: in Da Vinci restaurant with nice views over Nile River and old metal bridge (the only place in Juba to take pictures of the Nile) or at Notos, in Old Juba quarter with nice Sudanese, Indian and Mediterranean cuisine.
Meals: breakfast
Accommodation: hotel Royal Palace


Day 8. February 20, 2023. JUBA – MUNDARI NOMADIC AREA IN MAYONG
Breakfast and morning visit Konyo Konyo market and the old botanical garden near the White Nile. Lunch and drive by 4x4 vehicles to the South Sudanese bush. 2-3 hours drive to Mundari tribal territory located between Mayong and Terakeka, where Mundari cattle camp is nomading depending on the season.
After having checked with the local authorities drive to a cattle camp to encounter the Mundari people and their long horned cattle. The cows and bulls return to the camp before sunset.
Mundari are a small ethnic group related to the Nilotic peoples. Mundari, together with neighboring Dinka people, are sometimes noted for their height. With the Tutsi of Rwanda, they are believed to be the tallest people in Africa.
The traditional Mundari tribal lands are located roughly 30-100 kilometers north of Juba, the capital of South Sudan, and are centered on the town of Terakeka in the state of Central Equatoria. The land, like much of South Sudan, is predominantly flat and marked by occasional isolated large hills. The low-lying land contains many rivers and lakes and provides a very fertile basis in support of cattle grazing.
Meals: breakfast, dinner
Accommodation: tents


Days 9 – 10. February 21 – 22, 2023. MUNDARI CATTLE CAMP
Two full days to see aspects of the Mundari daily lifestyle. The cows return to the camp around 6pm and they leave the camp around 10 am every day, so this is the most interesting time for photography and observing the lifestyle of Mundari.
Visit the camp and small Mundari villages where facial and body scarification are still practiced to this day. In common with other Nilotic tribes in Sudan, the Mundari practice ritual scarification as a rite of passage into adulthood for young men. The typical Mundari scar pattern consists of two sets of three parallel lines, each on either side of the forehead, extending in a downward slope and unconnected in the middle.
Mundari villages are also interesting because of vernacular architecture: huts, black and white totems, and granaries beautifully built.
The Mundari, like other Nilotic tribes, are very cattle-oriented: cattle serves as food, a form of currency and a mark of status. Marriages are arranged by the prospective groom offering cattle to the bride's family and husbands may take as many wives as they can support. The Mundari engage in perennial cattle raiding wars with the neighboring Dinka during the dry season. In order to secure their cattle, Mundari men at night take their weapons and go to the bush.
Mundari have kept alive animistic religion while the neighboring Dinka have lost most this traditional ways due to war and conversion to Christianity.
Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner
Accommodation: tents


Day 11. February 23, 2023. MUNDARI CATTLE CAMP – JUBA – FLIGHT HOME
Last morning photography. Breakfast and farewell from Mundari land. Drive to Juba.
Afternoon to relax at the hotel. Day use hotel for taking shower (2 rooms for the team).
At the arranged time transfer to the airport, trying to be at the airport 3 hours before the scheduled departure time. Flight back home.
Meals: breakfast
Accommodation: day use hotel

* Recommended flight:
– Ethiopian Airlines via Addis Ababa, departure from Juba on February 23 at 17:40, and further from Addis Ababa, departure to Moscow on February 23 at 23:00, arrival in Moscow on February 24 at 6:20 am, or
– Egypt Air via Cairo, departure from Juba on February 24 at 15:30, and further from Cairo to Moscow, departure at 10:40 am on February 25, arrival in Moscow on a flight on February 25 at 16:05 (15 hours layover in Cairo. Airlines provides free transfer and hotel) (an extra night in Juba will be needed at an additional cost), or
– Turkish Airlines via Istanbul, departure from Juba at 10:00 am on February 24 (an extra night in Juba will be required at an additional cost),
– any other flight departing from Juba no earlier than 15:00 on 23 February.


* The order of visits and excursions can be modified according to local conditions, i.e. state of roads, market days, location of nomadic tribes, security situation in tribes etc. If some visits and/or tours could not be done due to external conditions, they will be replaced when possible.

** The participant of expedition to South Sudan must be motivated to be respectful to the culture of local tribes, be aware of the objectives of the trip and possible program changes depending on weather conditions, security conditions and any other reasons, be able to adapt to the new environment and culture.

TOUR TO SOUTH SUDAN
South Sudan

Best season: November - April


Discover virgin territory of Mundari cattle herders, the tallest people on Earth, who still live in the Stone Age on the banks of mighty White Nile river in full unity with their livestock. They are famous for their numerous cow herds, kept with Kalashnikov guns, and elaborative vernacular architecture.

Explore Toposa and Jiye tribal villages – the most authentic tribes of "Karamojong cluster", which also includes the Karamojong people of Uganda, the Nyangatom people in south western Ethiopia and the Turkana people of Kenya.

Larim tribe populated Boya Hills area – one of South Sudan's most traditional groups, who still practice nose and lips piercing.

Mountain kingdom of Ilieu ruled by a priest-king, and Lotuko tribe in the mountainous region with Imotong mountain, the highest mountain in South Sudan.

Living in the cattle herders camp following nomads in the swamps of White Nile river.

The world's newest country!