Overview
South Sudan is the best cultural travel destination in Africa, given its incredible traditions and cultures exhibited in its many tribes that have stood for generations under the pressures of civilization and modernity. While on this 13 days travel experience, you will not just explore these tribes and their cultures and traditions, but also the vast Sudd Swamp that harbors various species like the shoebill, and many others. Dive through the details of the itinerary below and see how your trip will go.
Day 1. Arrival at Juba International Airport.
You will arrive at Juba International Airport, where you will meet our city tour guide to receive a warm welcome to the world’s youngest nation, South Sudan. Your first impression is meeting the tallest people on earth. The rest of the day is dedicated to exploring, relaxing, and brief preparation for the next programs.
Day 2. Drive for 3 hours to Bor – visit the fish landing site proceed to explore Sudd Swamp.
After your breakfast, you will drive for 3 hours to Bor town, arrive, and check into the hotel Freedom/Park Palace. After which, you will visit the fish landing site to explore the different types of fish being sold and how they are packaged for later loading in the trucks for exportation to the rest of the African countries of Congo, Uganda, and Kenya. Thereafter, you take a boat through the Nile to explore the beauty of the Sudd swamp, and you will experience some bird species like shoebill, great white pelican, black crowned crane, black tern, etc.
Continue with the cruise to visit the communities living in the Sudd highlands. You will have your packed lunch here while relaxing and interacting with the fishermen. After the amazing experience, you will then cruise back to Bor town for your overnight.
Day 3. Breakfast- cross the Nile by boat to the Dinka cattle camp – Awerial lake state.
You will have your nice breakfast at the hotel, after which our local guide and driver will meet and transfer you to the boat site to board the boat through the Nile to the Dinka cattle camps in Awerial areas. (for about a 1-hour cruise). Arrive and relax, have lunch ready prepared by our chef in the camp.
This time, the cows will still be at the grazing fields, not until 4-5 pm when they return, but with that, you will still experience some few activities like cleaning and drying of cow dug, story telling with elders, take a walk to the river to experience the fishing activities, and enjoy water waves, the cold breath of the fresh waters of the Nile.
You will then return to the camp to meet cows arriving back from grazing fields and immerse yourselves in Dinka sunset activities.
Day 4. Morning experience with Dinka sunrise activities – to the Mundari Cattle Camp.
After sunrise, experience with Dinka, have your nice breakfast, you will then pack and drive for 2 hours to the Mundari cattle camp. First, before arriving at the Mundari cattle camp, you will en route visit the largest Mundari village by the riverside, thereafter, pass by to visit the Mundari busy market in Terek eka town, where you also enjoy fresh Fish Tilapia/Nile perch as your lunch.
You will then proceed to the cattle camp to meet the cows arriving back from the grazing field. Immerse yourselves in the sunset activities of tying cows, massaging of bulls, drum beating to welcome/ call cows back from grazing, singing of songs praising loved bulls, and enjoy the smoky arena with a beautiful sunset.
Day 5. Morning experience with Mundari sunrise activities – drive to Juba, refresh – proceed to Torit, capital city of Eastern Equatoria.
You will wake up to have your last photography with the Mundari sunrise activities, of urine wash, Virginia blowing as a way to stimulate cow produce milk, preparation and serving of coffee, cleaning and spreading of cow dung to dry, massaging of bulls, milking, etc.
Have your breakfast and thereafter load and drive to Juba to refresh in a hotel for 2 hours, then continue with your journey to the eastern part of the country, arrive in Hotel Torit for your lunch and check in for your overnight. The rest of the day is to explore Torit city, relax, and recharge for the next tour programs.
Day 6. Have breakfast – drive for 4 hours to Lopa – visit Lopit people with amazing traditional dance, dressed in leopard and monkey skin and ostrich feathers.
After your nice breakfast at 6 o’clock local time, you will drive for 4 hours to the Lopit territory, arrive, and meet with the local guide who will explain to you about the life history and daily life activities of the Lopit people. The Lopit people are a Nilotic group belonging to the Lotuko kingdom. They have similar traditions and speak the same language. Lopit keeps cows, goats, and sheep, and practices subsistence farming, growing mainly sorghum and maize as staple food crops.
The rest of the day is to explore the beautiful tall houses of the Lopit people built on Mountain slopes with rocky highways, meet and interact with elders, visit the village’s traditional healer, and the rain maker to learn how they perform their rituals to call and stop rain and Birds.
Day 7. Morning experience with Lopit traditional dancers – drive to Lotuko kingdom.
Have your morning experience with Lopit morning activities accompanied by traditional dances, enjoy your nice breakfast, and then pack and drive to the Lotuko kingdom of Illeu village. You will arrive and hike for 20 minutes to explore Otuho kingdom, visit the king’s palace, visit the village rain maker’s palace, and enjoy the beautiful scenery view of the Lotuko mountains.
The Lotuko, also called Otuho people, are a Nilotic group believed to have originated from Ethiopia during the 14th century and came and settled by river Nile banks, where the two kings fought to take over the Nile, but after which the Lotuko king defeated the Bari king. They do practice subsistence farming, growing mainly sorghum as a staple food crop.
Day 8. Morning experience with Lotuko sexy traditional dance – drive 3 hours to Buya mountains – visit tribe with the biggest body scarifications.
After your experience with Lotuko sunrise activities accompanied by their sexy traditional dances, you will then drive for 6 hours to the Kimatong villages of the Larim people. The Larim is the right ethnic name, while Buya is the nickname given by their neighbours Toposa, meaning people living in the mountains. Larim speaks Murle and are excellent architects, building unique grass hut houses with small doors for protection.
They also pierce their nose, ears, lips, and scarify their bodies, and are considered to have the most sophisticated scarification in the whole of Africa as a way of beauty and confidence. The more the scars, the earlier you get married, with more cows. Laram also grows seasonal crops such as sorghum as the main staple food crop. Evening experience with the local people in their villages set on mountain slopes.
Day 9. Morning experience with the Larim people – drive 4 hours to Mogo, the largest village of the Toposa clan.
After your amazing morning experience with the Larim traditional dances and photography, have breakfast, and then drive for 4 hours to visit the Toposa people. The Toposa are a Nilotic group related to the Karamojong of Uganda, Turkana of Kenya, and Nyangatom of Ethiopia. They keep cows, goats, and sheep. Donkeys and camels as their primary source of income and wealth.
The Toposa people practice subsistence farming, growing mainly sorghum and maize as staple food crops. Marriage in Toposa is customary, where two families agree on a certain number of cows to be paid to the girl’s parents. The girl will only choose a man she loves if he is found rich or if her parents accept, and if not, she is given by force to the man the parents have negotiated with. You will arrive at the Toposa village of the Mogos clan for your evening experience with Toposa evening activities of cow milking, singing /praising of lovely bulls, dances, and enjoying traditional weddings, if lucky to find one.
Day 10. Morning experience with Toposa traditional dances – traditional wedding of one. Drive 3 hours to explore the Jie people.
You will experience sunrise activities of the Toposa people, accompanied by a traditional wedding, traditional dances, and have your breakfast, then drive 3 hours to Loppet/Kasengor village of the Jie people. The Jie are a Nilotic group of people related to Toposa, Karamojong, Turkana, and Nyangatom. They live in the eastern region of Kapoeta, bordering the Morule and Kachipo people on the plateaus near the Ethiopian border. They keep cows, goats, sheep, and camels, and practice subsistence farming, growing mainly sorghum and maize as staple food crops.
You will arrive and explore the biggest villages of the Jie people. The Jie build their houses in double stairs, where upstairs is for girls to protect them from getting raped by young men at night. It’s a tradition in these communities that boys sneak out at night to have sex with their loved ones. The rest of the day is to explore, meet, and build an acquaintance with the local people for tomorrow morning’s mingling.
Day 11. Morning experience with Jie traditional dances – drive to Kapoeta – Hotel Kuleo.
After your experience with Jie traditional dances, have breakfast, and drive 4 hours to Kapoeta. Arrive and check into the hotel Kuleo for your overnight. The rest of the day is to explore Kapoeta’s busy town, relax, and have a farewell party with the team to interact and reflect on the highlights of the tour. This is your last moment with the team.
Day 12. Have breakfast – transfer to Kapoeta airstrip for your flight to Juba – hotel Pyramid Continental/ Royal Palace.
You will have your breakfast, and transfer to Kapoeta airstrip for your flight to Juba. The flight to Juba takes about 50-55 minutes to arrive in Juba.
You will arrive, and our city guide will meet you at the airport and transfer you to the hotel for your overnight. The rest of the day is to explore Juba city, take a walk to the River Nile restaurants for your dinner, and enjoy the majestic flow of the mighty Nile while enjoying its cool breeze.
Day 13. Fly back to your next destination.
After your nice breakfast, our city tour guide will transfer you to the Juba airport for your flight back to your next destination.