FACTS ABOUT SOUTHERN SUDAN

The country of Southern Sudan became the newest nation in the world on July 9, 2011, when they declared independence from the northern part of old Sudan. After 25 years of civil war an agreement was reached with the predominantly Muslim north and predominantly Christain/Animist south. This was signed in January of 2005, which allowed for a vote for full independence. The vote was overwhelming to seperate.

Juba is the capital of Southern Sudan (officially known as the Autonomous Government of Southern Sudan). The peace agreement allows for a large degree of autonomy, as a result the interim government is rapidly trying to bring their country into the modern world, with considerable aid from the international community. Truck loads of materials flow north from Uganda, daily.

We consider our company as pìoneers in Tourism in Southern Sudan, doing our small part to help this new nation.

LANGUAGES AND THE PEOPLE

The official languages are English or Juba Arabic, depending upon who you are dealing with. In the estimated population of 12 million there are over 400 dialects based upon the Nubian, Ta Bedawie, Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic and Sudanic language families. The language of education and government is English. Juba Arabic is a new language developed from Sudanese soldiers stationed in the south in the 1800s, combined with the Bari tribal tongue. Arabia Juba is a lingua franca used, wherever English is not known.

Many of the people adhere to their tribal dress, customs, religions and languages. Witchcraft, cattle raiding parties, bride prices, Animist (the belief that trees, animals and certain geologic feature are spirits), secret socities all still exist. Thus part of the experience of Southern Sudan are its people.

Construction of a Luak by the Dinka people to house their cattle.

ECONOMY

Subsistence farming, subsistence hunting & gathering, and cattle are the major means of support. The discovery of oil will hopefully change many people's lives. There is a new school to teach forest rangers and the rebuilding of lodges in National Parks have started. These are the first steps in jump starting the safari tourism business, that was lost over 2 decades ago.

For a majority of the people of Southern Sudan cattle are the bases for all wealth and are central to their culture. Among the Dinka for a young man to marry he must pay the father of the bride, 100 cattle as a bride price. As a result cattle raids on neighbors are part of the culture.

VISA

When entering Southern Sudan by road or river, from Uganda, a visa can be obtained on the frontier. Cost is €20 ($50 usd) with your valid passport. Flying into Juba you need to have a visa or a letter of introduction from a Southern Sudan embassy or mission, before you board the plane.  With the letter of introduction you can get a visa upon arrival at the Juba Intl airport.

This is an on-going situation subject to change. We hope soon visas can be obtained upon arrival at Juba with no letter of introduction.

The Washington DC USA Embassy of Southern Sudan has just started issuing visas. www.gossmission.org 

The European Union Southern Sudan Mission in Brussels can issue letters of introduction: info@goss-brussels.com  phone-+32-22802355.

The Canadian embassy web site is www.gosscanada.org

The United Kingdom embassy web site is www.embrss-london.com

There are Government of Southern Sudan (GOSS) missions or embassies in: Nairobi, Kenya; Cairo, Egypt; Pretoria, South Africa; Kampala, Uganda; Asmara, Erithea and Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, however they do not have web sites as of yet. For their addresses, phone numbers and emails use the following link:

http://www.gossmission.org/goss/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=4&Itemid=10

 

BANKING

The Southern Sudanese pound is the official currency. US dollars or Euros are more welcome. No ATMs exist and no credit cards are accepted.

WEATHER

The wet season is from the start of May to the end of October. The dry season is from the start of November to the end of April.

Juba has a tropical wet and dry climate (Köppen Aw), and as it lies near the equator, temperatures are hot year-round. However, little rain falls from November to March, which is also the time of the year with the hottest maximum temperatures, reaching 38 °C (100 °F) in February. From April to May upwards of 100 millimetres (3.9 in) rain falls per month. The annual total precipitation is 1,000 millimetres (39 in).

INCREDIBLE WILDLIFE

In January of 2007 biologists set-out on an aerial survey of Southern Sudan to census wildlife. It was assumed after 25 years of civil war the animals would be gone. They were amazed as to what they saw: "I have never seen wildlife like that in such numbers, not even when flying over the mass migrations of the Serengeti" said project leader J. Michael Fay.

Great herds of elephant, white-eared kob, Tiang, Giraffe, Oryx, flocks of Ostriches and many other animals were seen from the air. The animals had retreated into the great swamps during the war and were basically safe.

Open the following link to a story and photos of the aerial survey:

http://news.mongabay.com/2007/0612-sudan.html

There are 5 National Parks and 14 Game Reserves in Southern Sudan. Go to the "Map" page on this web site to see a map of the parks and reserves.

We plan to expand our safaris into other areas of Southern Sudan in the near future.

The Sudd- A great swamp the size of England, that the Bahr el Jebel (Nile River) drains into on its way north. On the other side of the Sudd the river re-emerges passing Khartom and flows onward to Egypt. Throughout Sudan's 25 year civil war this swamp was a refuge to wildlife. Here a river barge plies through a channel in the great Sudd.

MALARIA

 Malaria is brought on by a blood-fouling female mosquito that is a carrier of the various strains of malaria. It kills over 1 million people per year. It is essential that you take steps to prevent malaria before traveling to Africa. There are several drugs on the market that prevent the disease, all of these drugs somehow interupt the sexual cycle of the parasite that the mosquito injects into you. It is uncertain how the drugs interupt this cycle only that they do.

  The Center for Disease Control in Atlanta has information on the web you and your doctor can read about at:

http://www.cdc.gov/travel/malinfo.htm

or

http://www.cdc.gov/travel/malariadrugs.htm

 In the August 1997 issue of the Atlantic you can read a good article about Malaria at:

http://www.theatlantic.com/issues/97aug/malaria.htm

 Malaria mutates through time and the drug companies keep changing the drugs to keep pace with the mutating.

Chloroquine for years worked affectively on malaria

then it mutated in the 80s and Mefloquine (also caled Lariame) became popular, but had many side affects

 

In late 90's a drug called Malarone was created in England. This drug promises to replace all other Malaria preventive drugs. It is taken daily and is expensive.

 If your doctor is unfamiliar with tropical medicine, give him/her the above information well in advance so that he/she has time to study which drug is best for you