South Sudan

The Sudd is the defining geographical and ecological feature of South Sudan — the vast wetland of the White Nile that covers roughly 30,000 km² in dry season and expands to over 130,000 km² in flood, making it one of the largest freshwater wetlands in the world. Listed under the Ramsar Convention as a wetland of international importance, the Sudd is home to a breeding population of the shoebill stork, the Nile lechwe (an endemic antelope), the tiang and over 400 bird species. Access is challenging — the wetland is essentially impassable without a boat or light aircraft — and is normally arranged by specialist operators from Juba.

The Boma-Jonglei landscape east of the Sudd contains the white-eared kob migration — over a million kob, tiang and Mongalla gazelle moving seasonally between Boma National Park (on the Ethiopian border) and Bandingilo National Park (between Juba and Boma), one of the largest land mammal migrations on earth and estimated by some surveys to surpass the wildebeest migration of the Serengeti. Boma National Park (22,800 km²) is one of the largest national parks in Africa; Bandingilo (10,000 km²) is the second-largest. Access is principally by light aircraft from Juba in the dry season (December to April).

The Mundari cattle camps near Terekeka, north of Juba on the White Nile, are one of the most photographed pastoralist cultures in East Africa. At dawn and dusk, the camps fill with smoke from cattle-dung fires that the Mundari believe protect their long-horned ankole-watusi cattle from insects, and the cattle and their herders are dusted with white ash for the same reason. The visit is normally arranged by a Juba-based operator with a local Mundari guide, and respect for the camp's daily rhythm and the cattle is essential. The Mundari speak a Nilotic language and maintain a deeply cattle-centred social organisation.

Juba, the capital, sits on the west bank of the White Nile and is the entry point for almost all South Sudan travel. The city has a small but interesting selection of cultural sites: the John Garang Memorial honouring the SPLM/A leader and architect of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the All Saints Anglican Cathedral, the St. Theresa Catholic Cathedral, and the Italian-founded Salesian Don Bosco school and clinic network that has shaped much of the country's educational institutional life since the 1980s. The Juba Bridge over the White Nile and the riverside cafés along the corniche are the city's main public space.

South Sudan has over 60 indigenous languages and one of the most ethnically diverse cultural landscapes in Africa. The Dinka and Nuer are the two largest groups, both Nilotic cattle-keeping peoples with long traditions of scarification, song-poetry and dance. The Shilluk along the upper White Nile maintain a centuries-old kingdom centred on the Reth (king) at Fashoda. The Toposa in the east, near the Kenyan border, are skilled metalworkers; the Bari around Juba have a strong choral tradition; the Murle and Latuko maintain distinct artistic traditions. Visits to these communities require respectful arrangement through community-recognised guides — the rewards in cultural depth are exceptional.

South Sudanese cuisine combines East African staples with the local culinary traditions: ugali or kisra (sorghum or maize porridge / flatbread) anchors most meals, with grilled river fish (Nile perch, tilapia) from the White Nile, lamb and goat in stews, and a strong tea-and-coffee tradition often served with cardamom and ginger. The Italian Salesian Don Bosco network, present in South Sudan since the 1980s, has shaped much of the institutional fabric of the country alongside the Catholic Diocese of Juba — and the Italian influence is also present in Juba's small Italian-coffee scene and the long-standing presence of Italian humanitarian NGOs (CCM, COOPI, AVSI, Sant'Egidio).