South Sudan travel guide
Holidays to South Sudan are a rollercoaster ride. You’ll encounter difficult scenes: roadside tanks and camps for the two million people displaced by the civil war. But you’ll also find curiosity and a cautious warmth from people who honestly wonder why you’d be so awestruck by the festive inter-village wrestling competitions and immense, bird-packed wetlands.
You don’t go for the monuments you can count on one hand. You go to meet the people – tribal leaders, displaced families, city workers – who make South Sudan the complicated country it is.![]()
Cheer from the sidelines as you watch Mundari men wrestle with their neighbours. Learn the truth behind the scarification rituals of the Toposas people. Join a Lotuko dance in the pretty villages outside Torit. And hear for yourself how wars have been fought over the Dinka cattle camps. The best South Sudan holidays surround you with the stories and traditions of the people without ever treating the communities like spectacles. So leave your assumptions at the door and find out more in our South Sudan travel guide.
South Sudan is…
one of the best countries for meeting tribal communities – responsibly. Go without preconceptions and leave rewarded.
South Sudan isn’t…
easy. UN Protection of Civilian camps (POCs) are just the visible aftershocks from the violent civil war that ground to an end in 2018.
Our top trip
South Sudan cultural tour, 9 days
Discover the incredible cultural diversity of a hidden land
From
£4249 to £4399
9 days
ex flights
Small group travel:
2026: 17 Jan
2027: 16 Jan
2026: 17 Jan
2027: 16 Jan
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Is it safe to travel to South Sudan?
South Sudan might be the world’s youngest country, but it’s seen more than its fair share of conflict since gaining independence in 2011. To understand safety in South Sudan, it’s essential to read as many news stories and history books as you can, even if it makes for grim reading.
The most recent conflict began in 2013, when civil war kicked off one of the worst displacement stories in the world when four million people fled violence between opposing factions of the Sudan People’s Liberation Party. Things soon descended into outright ethnic violence, with an estimated 383,000 people killed because of their perceived political alliance or ethnicity. Economic collapse followed, with famine following close on its heels in 2017.
The most recent conflict began in 2013, when civil war kicked off one of the worst displacement stories in the world when four million people fled violence between opposing factions of the Sudan People’s Liberation Party. Things soon descended into outright ethnic violence, with an estimated 383,000 people killed because of their perceived political alliance or ethnicity. Economic collapse followed, with famine following close on its heels in 2017.
But a kind of stability has settled over South Sudan, thanks to the 2018 peace deal and power sharing agreement. There’s a feeling that the whole country is releasing a held breath. People are starting to trickle out of the six Protection of Civilian sites (POCs) across the country. And Juba is waking from its slumber, once more reeling in businesspeople from trading partners like Kenya, Ethiopia, Egypt and China.
The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) still advises against any travel to South Sudan. Still, tourism is taking its first shaky steps into the nation. If you do choose to be one of the first to visit post-war South Sudan, then you must travel in a group with a specialist tour operator. They forge great connections with local guides who know their country – and its unpredictable politics – inside-out.
The other must? Invest in great travel insurance. Specialist companies like our partner Campbell Irvine offer insurance policies for the adventurous. They won’t cover anything related to the FCO warnings, but medical and travel claims will likely be covered.
The UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) still advises against any travel to South Sudan. Still, tourism is taking its first shaky steps into the nation. If you do choose to be one of the first to visit post-war South Sudan, then you must travel in a group with a specialist tour operator. They forge great connections with local guides who know their country – and its unpredictable politics – inside-out.
The other must? Invest in great travel insurance. Specialist companies like our partner Campbell Irvine offer insurance policies for the adventurous. They won’t cover anything related to the FCO warnings, but medical and travel claims will likely be covered.
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