South Sudan Attractions: Republic of South Sudan is a landlocked country in East Africa bordered by Ethiopia in the west, Sudan in the North, the Central African Republic in the East, Uganda and Kenya in the South. It’s vast plains are drained by the Nile River and its tributaries.
National Park of Boma, South Sudan Attractions
While on Sudan safari, you will visit a 22,800 km2 in size One of the biggest wildlife reserves in Africa, Boma has a migration that rivals the Serengeti and that of the well-known Kruger and Ruaha parks. Two million animals may be moving about between March and April and November and January. Kob, antelope, and gazelle make up the majority of them, but you can also spot some of the 7,000 elephants, giraffes, oryx, and baboons that live in the park.
The Sudd, South Sudan Attractions
The greatest way to enjoy South Sudan’s magnificent birds is to take a boat excursion on the Sudd, one of the biggest wetlands in the world. This area is home to more than 400 different bird species, including shoebills, great white pelicans, and black-crowned cranes.
National Park of Nimule, South Sudan Attractions
Nimule National Park is the most easily accessible of South Sudan’s national parks. It was created in 1954 during British administration and spans 540 km along the border with Uganda. It crosses the White Nile River and is home to wildlife that roams freely in both directions. In this journey Visitors can witness the elephant herds when traveling across the river by boat to Opekoloe Island. Later, while exploring on foot, they can encounter zebras, warthogs, baboons, and even the occasional leopard.
Game Reserve Kidepo, South Sudan Attractions
Elephants and defassa waterbuck are frequently seen up close at the Kidepo Game Reserve. It is a sea of greenery that covers more than 1,200 square kilometers of savannah and is bordered by the renowned Kidepo National Park in Uganda across the border.
Southern National Park, South Sudan Attractions
Southern National Park off the beaten path The Southern National Park, one of the biggest protected wildlife areas in the country, is a nearly 7,800 square kilometer expanse of patchwork forests and grassy savannah in the very center of South Sudan. There are many lions, colobus monkeys, bush infants, Marabou storks, and Kobs in Southern National Park.
Wau, South Sudan Attractions
The 1913 construction of the domed Catholic church in Wau is a testament to the significant contribution that Christian missionaries have made to the nation’s advancement from the late 19th century. It is one of the biggest churches in Sudan and features a stained-glass window in addition to some lovely stone carving. The impressive cathedral in Wau, the second largest city in South Sudan, is one of the biggest substantial buildings in the region. With just over 150,000 residents, Wau is the largest city in Bahr el Ghazal and South Sudan after Juba (2011 estimate).
It is located on the western banks of the Jur River and has a distinctive urban landscape and ambiance from other cities in the nation because of the abundance of structures from the colonial era, notably the unexpectedly beautiful cathedral. With an average high temperature of 38 C and a rainy season that lasts from May to October, Wau enjoys a pleasant climate.
The beginning of the year is the driest. The city of Wau does not have a single dominating ethnic group, and this, along with the numerous UN organizations and national and international NGOs that have offices and staff there, lends the city an almost cosmopolitan character. A few decent places to stay are available because to the aid presence.
The Mundari Tribe, South Sudan Attractions
The Mundari Tribe is headquartered on the little town of Terekeka and is located to the north of Juba. The Mundari people are farmers who make their living from agriculture and herding. They inhabit tiny communities and lead essentially traditional lives. Young men and women are marked with parallel “V-shaped scars on their foreheads, a practice that is now officially prohibited by the government and is beginning to disappear. However, most people over the age of 25 still display these markings.
Young men from nearby villages will congregate on specific days of the week to compete against one other in age-old displays of strength since the Mundari are renowned local wrestlers. The men’s attempts to fling and hold each other to the ground while dousing themselves in mud and carving patterns into their bodies make for quite a show. It’s fascinating to watch the spectators as they yell and sing along with the crowd’s favorite teams. another opportunity to experience an aspect of Africa that might soon disappear.
The Boya South Sudan Attractions
The Boya Tribe: The Boya tribe reside east of Torit, in a small, somewhat run-down community with the uninspired name of Camp 15. The Boya decorate their homes in lovely designs and adorn themselves with intricate beadwork. They live in charming towns beneath mountains and enormous boulders. The local idea is that they are copying a “fashion” from the Toposa, one of their close neighbors, and if scarification is practiced here, it’s curiously more common among younger women than older ones Boya women traditionally wrap animal skins around their waists and bind their arms and legs in a striped pattern with thin leaves.
After the death of her spouse, a Boya woman becomes the property and responsibility of his closest male relative. The Boya are also hunters, thus it’s usual to see kids practicing their bow and arrow techniques in groups on the edges of settlements.
The Toposa Tribe
The Toposa Tribe is the main ethnic group in the area of Kapoeta and is maybe the most fascinating in the entire nation. They are herders, closely connected to the Turkana of Kenya and the Karamojong of northern Uganda, and they depend heavily on livestock for their livelihood. They frequently raid cattle, which has caused violence with other groups in the past but is now less of an issue due to the country’s independence and increased stability.
The Toposa people live in mud and stick villages with thatched roofs that are frequently decorated with cow skulls. The Toposa’s practice of scarification is their most notable characteristic. Many of the men and women had intricate raised designs covering their upper arms, torsos, backs, and in some cases their faces that were created by precise incision.
Many of the elder Toposa still dress according to tradition, with women typically wearing animal skins around their waists while men frequently going bare. This is true even if modernity is beginning to undermine their traditions. We ask that you accept your tour leader’s instructions when in the Toposa communities because central authority is weak there.
No self-respecting Toposa guy will leave his compound without the required AK47 slung over his shoulder. Although tourism is scarce and poorly understood among the Toposa, they are likely to be just as curious about you as you are about them, so prepare to be somewhat the center of attention. The Toposa people pan and dig for gold by the banks of a river south of Kapoeta; although the amounts are not great, the resource’s presence has sparked a mini-gold rush that is fascinating to observe.
The Dinka Tribe
The Dinka Tribe is a Nilotic ethnic group that lacks a single center of political authority and is instead broken up into separate but linked clans. Bahr el Ghazal, the old Anglo-Egyptian region of Sudan, is home to the majority of the Dinka population. The Dinka traditionally worship Nhialic, a single God who may briefly possess people and communicate with them through spirits. British missionaries brought Christianity to South Sudan later in the 19th century, and it currently dominates the country’s religious landscape. With 36% of the population, the Dinka are the most numerous ethnic groups in South Sudan.
The Lotuko Tribe
The majority ethnic group in the area of Torit, Eastern Equatoria State’s capital, is the Lotuko. Many of the Lotuko, however less traditional than some other tribes, reside in settlements tucked up in the hills and surrounded by rocks, where they fled the civil war’s predators. The majority of the homes are built on raised stone terraces, making it difficult to view the towns from a distance because of their overall layout and position. In the past, a “rain-maker” who served as the spiritual leader of several distinct villages conducted the Lotuko. It was his responsibility to make intercessory pleas with the spirits in order to bring about rain and a successful crop.
The old stone enclosures that functioned as the men’s gathering place and served as a forum for discussion of concerns and matters pertaining to communal life may still be found in some communities. The Lotuko, a group of about 100,000 people, have adopted modernity more fully than other ethnic groups in many ways, but what draws tourists to them is the chance to wander through their picturesque villages, which are distinct from those of the Boya or Toposa and offer an alternative view of life in South Sudan..
The Nuer Tribe
The Nuer Tribe: The second-largest ethnic group in South Sudan is the Nilotic-speaking Nuer. The Nuer had a white army, so called because they covered themselves in white ash to ward off insects. To defend the livestock of the Nuer people from other Raiders, the white army was originally made out of armed youth. After South Sudan gained its independence, the white army refused to hand over their guns because they had faith in the SPLA’s ability to protect them. As a result, the SPLA tried to seize their cattle and impair their economy. In South Sudan, the Nuer make up 16% of the population.
The Imatong Tribe
One of the smaller populations in South Sudan, they are primarily concentrated in the state of Imatong in the southeast, which was formerly known as eastern Equatorial before reorganization. They have made their home in the Imatong highlands and continue to practice traditional traditions. The range has an equatorial temperature and dense montane forests that support a variety of fauna in addition to housing its plants. They engage in farming as well to help their income.
The Otuho Tribe
The Otuho Tribe is a pastoralist tribe from eastern Equatorial Sudan that first arrived there in the 1800s. They are a member of the Nilotic ethnic group. The Otuho are a people who venerate their ancestors and the natural world, and they speak the Otuho language. The land is held in trust by the community, not by any particular authority. The Murle, who are persistent livestock rustlers and kidnappers of the Otuho and their adjacent community’s children, have been at odds with them recently. 2% of the population is made up of Otuho people.
The Shilluk Tribe
The Shilluk Kingdom, which lasted between 1490 and 1865, was founded by the Shilluk. The Shilluk King, formerly revered as a god, now reigns as a traditional chieftain in both Sudan and the Upper Nile region of South Sudan. The bulk of Shilluk are now believers in Christ. The Shilluk also governs the White Nile, and Kodok is the Shilluk King’s city of meditation and the site of the majority of festivities. 3% of the population is made up of Shilluk people.
The Didinga Tribe
The Didinga people reside in the Didinga hills, including the valleys, plateaus, slopes, and nearby plains. The Boya, Toposa, Dodoth, Dongotono, and Lotuka/Lopit are nearby tribes. Although there have been conflicts in the past, they now generally get along well with each other, intermarry, and speak a language related to the Boya, Murle, and Tenet. According to tradition, the Didinga immigrated to their current location in the sixteenth century as part of a migration from either Lake Turkana or Ethiopia.
The Didinga was located in the Catholic area when the East and West banks of the Nile were split during the British era into Protestant and Catholic influence areas. There is still a little amount of Catholic influence, but not true religion, among certain older individuals. Culturally, the Didinga are farmers by necessity and pastoralists by inclination.
At an elevation of 2000 meters, the region receives enough rainfall to support the growth of two crops each year, making cow herding extremely essential. They dwell in circular homes with cone-shaped roofs on clan-based homesteads. Along with crafting and music, they also like to sing. Even though there is a hereditary position known as the supreme chief, decisions are decided by the community, and younger people are free to challenge the more senior members.
They want to be educated. The Didinga practice various religions. The Didinga acknowledge the presence of a supreme being and the realm of spirits interacting with the living, just like their neighbors. They revere and honor dead ancestors greatly and offer sacrifices to gods and spirits. The rainmaker is a prominent member of the community who engages in specific rituals and is seen to have significant impact.
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