Friday 25th November – Juba

Morning

• Arrive at your convenience into Juba – the capital city of South Sudan, which has flight connections from a few countries within Africa and Dubai (airport transfer included). Group members arriving from our Sudan tour will touchdown in Juba at 11:00am.
• Pre-tour meeting will be held at the lobby of the Royal Palace Hotel at 9:00am to discuss tour itinerary and to meet your fellow travellers and YPT guide.
• Explore Konyo Konyo – South Sudan’s largest market. It is an incredible place where the immense ethnic diversity of South Sudan mix.

Afternoon

• Lunch at the Da Vinci Lodge
• Visit the Presidential Palace – the residence of South Sudan’s leader, Salva Kiir Mayardit, easily recognised with his distinctive cowboy hat.
• Stop by the John Garang Mausoleum. John Garang lead the revolution as well as promoting the concept of Sudanism, an ideology that all Sudanese should go beyond the divisions of the people (Animists, Christianity, Islamic, Arabs, Blacks) and embrace all cultures of South Sudan and unify under one Sudanese identity.
• Explore Jubek Tomb – Jubek is one of the most important figures of the Bari people and his history is linked to lots of underlying tensions. Jubek is highly regarded in the country, hence the capital being named after him.
• Visit Juba University – founded in 1975 in response to the need for higher education in southern areas of Sudan. Here is a great chance to meet South Sudan’s sharpest students.
• Finish up the day by exploring Juba’s craft market
• Dinner and drinks by the Nile at the AFEX camp
• Overnight at the Royal Palace Hotel

Saturday 26th November – Mundari Villages

Morning

• Breakfast at hotel and early departure from hotel to Mundari camp – approx 4 hour drive
• On the way stopping at small villages or for photo opportunities

Afternoon

• Stopping for lunch at Naivasha restaurant located within a Mundari settlement named Terekeka village. Terekeka is already a world apart from Juba, and we’ll go for a stroll around the local market. Locals are more open to photography here than compared to Juba.
• Continue onwards to a Mundari settlement where you will be introduced to the village chief so that he may personally grant you further access to the local tribe.
• Trip highlight – By sunset, the herders will return to the village with their livestock in masses and start preparing them for the evening stay. The mist created by the smoke the Mundari prepare to repel mosquitoes will create a unique atmosphere.
• Dinner prepared by our very own cook
• Evening of games with the Mundari people
• Overnight camping

Sunday 27th November – Mundari Cattle Camp 

Morning

• We recommend waking up early to see how the Mundari people wake their cattle up, truly living in symbiosis with the animals. For Mundari, cows are the most important possession as the cows provide meat and milk for the tribe but are also used as currency and as a status symbol amongst other members of the tribe.
• The milking process of the cow is rather unique as the Mundari technique involves adding pressure into the backend of the cow by blowing air into the cow’s… well, you’ll have to see it to believe it.

Afternoon

• Begin our drive to Nyikabor village to visit another Mundari tribe where we’ll have lunch prepared for us in a traditional South Sudanese way.
• We’ll spend this afternoon and evening being shown around by the Mundari people, introduced to their families, have local rituals and their traditions explained to us, and to get to know the villagers as their particular lifestyle could not be any more different than what you are used to back home, let alone nearby tribes. What makes this opportunity unique is that very few visitors have been introduced to this tribe. Photos are permitted by the tribespeople.
• Dinner by the campfire and overnight in tents at Nyikabor village

Monday 28th November – Juba

Morning

• Breakfast by the campfire, and the time has come to bid farewell to the Mundaris with whom we have spent the last two days.
• Begin car journey back to Juba where we’ll expect to arrive around late afternoon

Afternoon

• Once arriving in Juba we’ll check into the Royal Palace Hotel so you may freshen up, use the WiFi, grab a cold one from the bar, or explore more of Juba.
• Dinner and drinks at Royal Palace Hotel
• Later in the evening we’ll further explore Juba’s nightlife by heading to Bedouin Lodge, a popular outdoor club for the locals
• Overnight at Royal Palace Hotel

Tuesday 29th November – Dinka Cattle Camps

Morning

• Breakfast at the hotel and begin our journey to Dinka Cattle Camp along the eastern bank of the Nile (4 hours)
• Once arriving you’ll begin to notice the vast differences in culture and cattle husbandry between the Dinkas and the Mundaris. One noticeable difference is the height of the Dinkas, as they are known as the world’s tallest people.

Afternoon

• Lunch by the campfire
• Here we’ll have another special opportunity to be introduced and mingle with the tribespeople. Later in the afternoon the farmers will return with their cattle after grazing.
• Dinner at the camp alongside the Dinkas
• Overnight camping at the cattle camp.

Wednesday 30th November – Juba

Morning

• Breakfast by the campfire
• Feel free to assist our new friends with any chores you see fit and learn more about their daily routines.
• Begin our drive back to Juba and stop by the village of Bangachorot – famous for its beauty and location.

Afternoon

• We’ll arrive in Mangalla and stop to eat our packed lunch
• Continue on and make a stop at Pan Wel to explore abandoned and ruined tanks for the civil war.
• Arrive in Juba and check back into the Royal Palace Hotel
• Dinner at the AFEX camp, absolutely the best restaurant in the country with stunning riverside views.
• Overnight at Royal Palace Hotel

Thursday 1st December – Juba – Torit

Morning

• Breakfast at hotel
• Group A members: tour concludes with airport drop-off arranged according to your flight details – YPT is also able to arrange post-tour accommodation or advice for flights.
• Group B members: depart east for Torit town on a 5 hour journey

Afternoon

• We’ll stop for a packed picnic lunch on the way
• Arrive in Torit and explore this rarely visited town
• Dinner, drinks and overnight at Torit Hotel

Friday 2nd December – Illieu village on Imatong Mountain

Morning

• Breakfast at hotel and continue driving 3 hours to the Latuko village of Illieu which is strategically built on top of a hill.
• The villagers are Latuko-speaking people with a complex socio-political system based on age groups which will further be explained to you by our local guide. We’ll tour the village where the chef will have prepared our special arrival lunch.

Afternoon

• We’ll spend the afternoon interacting and learning more about the Latukos
• Dinner will be prepared for us and we’ll partake in traditional Latuko dances with their traditional music.
• Overnight camping

Saturday 3rd December – Camp 15

Morning

• Breakfast by the campfire and bid farewell to our new Latuko friends of Illeu village as we continue our journey onto Boya/Larim village at camp 15.
• The area is inhabited by the Boya/Larim tribe. Here you will be amazed by the architecture the Boya people are renowned for, consisting of grass thatched huts. While Mundaris are known for facial scarification, the Boya are renowned for an abundance of both body and facial scarification among others as well as the ornaments and attire worn uniquely by them.

Afternoon

• Lunch upon our arrival at Camp 15
• We take time this afternoon to meet the locals as they The afternoon will be spent in the village where locals will introduce us to their way of life.
• Dinner and overnight at Camp 15

Sunday 4th December – Boya Hills – Kapoeta

Morning

• Breakfast by the campfire and head on to Boya Hills and onto our last stop – Kapoeta town. Located on a hilltop, Kapoeta is home to the Toposa tribe.
• One of the most common sights is seeing how the women of the tribe carry water from below the hill up to the village whilst balancing it on their heads.
• In our day dedicated to Kapoeta, we will go for a full village and market tour.
• We’ll check in at the Mango Camp, which has WiFi and showers. A treat after all this camping!

Monday 5th December – Kapoeta – Juba

Morning

• Wake up early to see the spectacular sunrise over the Toposa Villages
• Breakfast at Mango Camp and head to Kapoeta airstrip – not your average airport as we check into our flight in a tent to board our plane to Juba. Probably the easiest check-in and boarding process you’ll ever experience.

Afternoon

• Arrive into Juba and check back into our trust Royal Palace Hotel for hot showers and a cold drink.
• Lunch at La Corte Tuscana Hotel
• The afternoon is left free to visit sights in Juba related to everyone’s interest such as, for example, the Youth Culture Club, where young people take all kinds of  activities or Juba university to mingle with some fresh intellectuals.
• Dinner at Afex Camp
• Overnight at Royal Palace Hotel

Tuesday 6th December

Morning

• Breakfast in Royal Palace Hotel
• Tour concludes with airport drop-off arranged according to your flight details – YPT is also able to arrange post-tour accommodation or advice for flights.

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