Welcome to South Sudan
South Sudan is the world’s newest country, but also a war-torn nation. Here’s everything you need to know about visiting this unique African country.
ENTRY REQUIREMENTS & VISA
Of course the most important things is getting into the country; even though you can apply for the e-visa online you need to have a letter of invitation from a tour agency. We went with Mayom Bul’s company, Metro Safari South Sudan, and they’re known to be one of the best. Please keep in mind that this country has been through a lot and still battles corruption, but this tour agency does its best. It’s typical that things don’t run on time and you might be stuck at police checkpoints for hours.
When you arrive and step off the plane, you’re sprayed down with some sort of harmless chemical and taken to a building to fill out a customs form and show your PCR test. After that you head to the main customs area where you get in line and the officers check everything. Have all your documents printed and ready, and if you have your camera with you, make sure you have your tour agency send you the camera permit if you’re held for questioning.
Once you are picked up by your tour agency, they will take your passport to a separate office for registration. This must be done within three days of arrival, and you cannot leave Juba without this extra documentation in your passport. Remember to show this when you depart and be firm; they will take you into a dark back room and claim you don’t have the proper registration so make sure you stand your ground and show it in your passport so you don’t have to pay an extra bribe (another tourist we bumped into didn’t understand this so they paid a $50 bribe).
The Mundari Tribe
The main reason I wanted to visit South Sudan was to visit this unique tribe; they have a highly sustainable relationship with their cattle, almost in a “circle of life” sense. They devote their lives to their cattle by collecting their dung to burn for fires and keep mosquitoes away, drinking a cup of milk each day for sustenance, and using the urine to bathe. It was an unreal experience to be able to spend three days with this tribe, and one of my favorite travel memories to date.
