SOUTH SUDAN
Undiscovered tribal groups
Duration: 10 days / 09 nights
Best season: From November till March
Short description: Ethnographic route to discover some of Africa’s most traditional tribes. South Sudan is Africa’s newest country and it has not yet been discovered by tourism. Our team of anthropologists visited the country for the first time in 2012 and has opened tribal areas to adventurous travelers willing to see a virgin territory.
ITINERARY:
Day 1: EUROPE – JUBA
Arrive in Juba, the capital of South Sudan. The guide will meet you at the airport and transfer you to the hotel. The rest of the day is free to relax or explore. Accommodation: Rainbow Hotel or similar
Day 2: JUBA – MAYONG (2h)
Breakfast and morning visit to Konyo Konyo market, the biggest one in Juba. Introduction to South Sudan’s ethnic diversity. We can take a drink at the nearby Da Vinci hotel to have a panoramic vision of the Juba bridge over the Nile and from there we move to the South Sudanese bush. 2h drive to Mundari tribal territory. Reach Mayong village, greet the elders, and have lunch (picnic). From Mayong we will reach a cattle camp to admire the Mundari traditional way of life. The Mundari have kept alive Animistic cattle camp culture while the neighboring Dinka have lost most of these traditional ways due to war and conversion to Christianity. Visit small Mundari villages where facial and body scarification are still practiced to this day.
Evening dinner in Mayong. Accommodation: tents. FB
Day 3: MAYONG – JUBA – MAGWI – TORIT (8h)
Breakfast and an early morning visit to the cattle for pictures. Farewell to the Mundari tribe and long drive back to Juba and from there we take the tarred road to Nimule (Uganda border) and turn left in Magwi to reach Torit, Eastern Equatoria’s capital, in the afternoon. Stop in small Lotuko communities along the way. Arrive in Torit and transfer to the hotel in the town center. Having dinner in one of the Sudanese restaurants in the old central street is highly recommended. Accommodation: Hotel Torit Vision or similar. HB (lunch)
Day 4: TORIT – KAPOETA (6h)
Breakfast (8 a.m.) and drive to South Sudan’s far East. Beautiful landscape along the earth road (sometimes in really bad shape) and few settlements along the way. In Camp15 we meet the Boya tribe, with beautiful scarifications and nose and lip piercings. After an hour’s drive, we reach Toposa tribal territory. The Toposa are Turkana-speaking cattle-rearing people that have resisted Western influence to this date. We will have 2 days to discover the old ways of this proud tribal people. Accommodation: Mango Camp or similar. HB (dinner)
Day 5: KAPOETA – TOPOSA VILLAGES – KAPOETA
Breakfast. Visit the tribal market in Kapoeta North. From there we move to artisan gold mines where tribal people gather to extract the precious metal from handmade wells. After this interesting visit, we drive to Toposa communities to experience their daily life. The Toposa continue to dress in their traditional clothes (leather or cotton) and pierce their lips and scarify their arms, chests, and faces. Each and every scarification is a work of art. Pic nic in a Toposa village. After the cultural encounters, we transfer to the hotel for the night. Accommodation: Mango Camp. HB (dinner)
Day 6: KAPOETA – BOYA – LOTUKO MOUNTAINS (4h)
Breakfast. Drive back to Camp15. From there we visit Boya tribal villages. The Boya are similar to the Toposa but speak a different language and decorate their hair in a particular manner. But what makes the main difference is their architecture style. The Boya are magnificent architects and their houses are well built and nicely decorated. After the visit to the Boya tribe, we drive to Lotuko Mountains. We will leave the car at the foot of the rocky hills and climb (easy climb) for 20 minutes to Ilieu village, a traditional Lotuko village that is a jewel for nature and architecture lovers. It reminds in some way to Machu Pichu in Peru. Wall made of rocks, nicely positioned to adapt to the mountain geography. It is a stunning place and we believe it is worth spending one night with the community. Dinner and traditional music and dances in the evening. Accommodation: tents. FB
Day 7: LOTUKO MOUNTAINS- TORIT (2h)
Breakfast. Last visits around the village and even to higher points of the mountain. The area contains several natural caves (where Lotuko people used to hide during wartime) and even some rock paintings yet to be documented. After the farewell to the Lotuko, we drive back to Torit for the night. Accommodation: Torit Vision Hotel or similar. FB
Day 8: TORIT – IMATONG HILLS – JUBA (8h)
Breakfast. Morning visit to the forested Imatong Hills. Apart from interesting floral endemic species, the mountains are inhabited by Imatong people with beautiful villages surrounded by cornfields. Pic nic in one of the villages (check for the sacred wooden towers where ceremonial drums are kept). After lunch drive to Juba. In the evening we can go down-town for dinner. Accommodation: Rainbow Hotel or similar. HB (lunch)
Day 9: JUBA – EUROPE
Breakfast. Morning visit to John Garang’s –founding Father of South Sudan-mausoleum (no pictures allowed) and some shopping at one of the few artisan places in Juba. Transfer to the airport. Flight back home.
Day 10: ARRIVAL HOME
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