Two weeks and two countries!
February 9 – 22, 2023
Ancient villages with pristine thatched roofs scatter the vas undeveloped wilderness of South Sudan. An un-spoilt nature with its untamed spirit, South Sudan reminded me of my first adventures on the African continent. Separated from South Sudan only by a line on a map is Northern Uganda, where there are still hidden treasures of the ancient world. Exploring the last of these raw, wild, hidden places is an incredible privilege especially in a world with an astounding growing and expanding population – very few have had the opportunity to travel to this part of the world.
South Sudan became an independent country in July 2011, the youngest country in the nation. In January of 2020 I was finally able to join Joan Rivera, a leading African cultural anthropologist who has been traveling to South Sudan since it’s beginning, on an expedition. Wildly off the beaten path on dusty rough roads, we spent endless hours exploring the tribal areas. We were successful in hand crafting a unique itinerary to intimately connect you with some of the last beautiful hidden tribal villages. Joan will be traveling with us in South Sudan sharing his deep knowledge about these tribes and stories of his travels all through the African continent!!
In Northern Uganda we have found a treasure of a camp that gives us access to the Karamjong tribe. Originally known as the JIye they migration from Abyssinia (southern Ethiopia) between 1600 and 1700 AD as a single group.
The authentic truly off the beaten path African bush is exhilarating but can be very exhausting after a long day of photography, especially if you are really roughing it! Thus, having some minimal creature comforts can significantly help to rejuvenate you and keep up your stamina throughout the entire expedition. Unheard of in South Sudan, our incredible team will be erecting a simple mobile tent camp near each of the tribes we visit. The camp will have canvas tents that you can walk into; they will have a camp bed, mattress, and proper linens/ blanket. There will be a cabana for shade during meals, downloading images, editing, and to relax while having the treat of a cold beverage. Hot showers will be available.
In true expedition style, putting up our own private camps allow us access to villages far from the nearest towns bringing you deeper into the authentic tribal areas for a more intimate and authentic experience. We will be able to walk to the villages at sunrise and fall asleep under a brilliant star filled sky listening to beautiful tribal singing. These camps, along with our food donations, will help support the local community.
We work with a properly licensed South Sudan company. We have arranged for a VIP group arrival into Juba. You will have ALL the proper required documents and photography permits to legally move throughout the country.
This exciting expedition is being offered to ONLY 7 participants. This is a custom specialized photographic expedition and NOT a commercial trip. Therefore, traveling in a true remote off-the-beaten-path location requires flexibility, patients, open-mindfulness, a good sense of humor, and an adventurous spirit to embrace cultural idea’s that differ vastly from your modern culture. If you have any questions, please email me in advance of registering – Info@PiperMackayPhotography.com.
Itinerary
Day 1, Feb 9, 2023 – Arrive South Sudan –
Group VIP arrival. Our team will meet you upon arrival and personally assist the group through customs. Once checked into the best hotel in Juba you may relax by the pool or have a massage. We will meet in the early evening for a briefing about our upcoming adventure before we head out to a secret gem of a restaurant along the blue nile!
Accommodations: Pyramid Hotel D
Day 2, Feb 10, 2023
Rise early for breakfast.
Let the adventure begin as we hop in our safari vehicles and head out to the famous cattle camps of the Mundari!! We will have time to settle in before the camp comes to life that Afternoon.
This is the dry season when the mass cattle camps are located along the banks of the White Nile.
As the sun begins to drop streams of smoke will begin to float across the camp as the livestock is brought in from grazing. The evening rituals begin with the men massaging their cattle with ash to mitigate the insect bites. The ropes are prepared to tie up their cattle while other members of the group set up the beds where they will spend the night with their cattle. The dense atmospheric scene is indescribable and the photographic opportunities are incredible; an experience to never be forgotten!
Accommodations: Private mobile tent camp– Mundari B,L,D, All Beverages
Day 3&4, Feb 11 & 12, 2023
Coffee, tea, and biscuits will be available before sunrise.
Work begins before dawn in the large cattle camps of the Mundari along the banks of the White Nile. The young boys ensure the fires are going; smoke and dust fill the air making it appear as if the Mundari cattle just fade into the mist of the morning. The men have a deep symbolic bond with their cattle. The cattle are massaged and covered in ash to protect them against tsetse flies and mosquitoes. The ash-covered boys wandering through the scene creates an ethereal atmosphere, which is almost biblical. Unlike many of the cattle camps of other tribes where being in the camps is a stage towards manhood, these boys may spend their whole lives in these camps. Mid-morning the cattle are released out to the fields for grazing and they return back in the late afternoon. This ritual is repeated each day.
Accommodations: Private tent camp at Mundari cattle camp –B,L,D, All Beverages
Day 5 Feb 13, 20223
Coffee, tea, and biscuits will be available before sunrise.We will have one last magical morning in the cattle camp. After a relaxing breakfast we will pack up and head back to Juba. You will have the afternoon to relax or edit your images from this unbelievable adventure.
This evening we will enjoy one last group dinner at Da Vinci restaurant along the White Nile river
Accommodations: Pyramid Hotel B,D
Day 6 Feb 14, 2023 –
Rise early for breakfast.
The landscape will change drastically today as we take a private charter to the south and enter the unique tranquil mountainous region of the Larim Tribe. The traditional huts of the Larim are architecturally fascinating. Even more interesting is their nose piercings with beautiful chains much like you see across India, to say nothing of some of the most beautiful body scarification imaginable. Our private mobile camp is set up in the heart of this community. Once settled into our camp, along the foothills, we will begin exploring these unique villages.
Accommodations: Private tent camp – Larim–B,L,D, All Beverages
Day 7 Feb 15, 2023
Once again we will rise early for coffee/tea and biscuit before heading to a village for sunrise.
To make the most of our time with this tribe our private camp is set up in the heart of this community, giving you more personal time in the villages, and allowing you to freely return back to camp at your leisure.
Accommodations: Private tent camp – Liriam –B,L,D, All Beverages
Day 8 Feb 16, 2023
We will have one last sunrise visit in the village.
After breakfast we will continue our adventure into the heart of the Toposa tribe territory. In the afternoon we will begin exploring the villages of the Toposa. The pristine huts are dramatically tall and their storage huts are built high on stilts similar to the Daasanach who live at the top of the delta’s boarding Southern Ethiopia and Northern Kenya. The women’s leather and beading is similar to the Nyangatom in the Omo Valley, but is much more exquisite.
Accommodations: Private mobile tent camp–B,L,D, All Beverages
Day 9&10 Feb 17 & 18, 2023
We will rise before dawn for coffee, tea, and biscuits before heading up to the Toposa villages at sunrise and you will be able to wander back to camp at your leisure.
Late morning we will enjoy our breakfast. During mid-day you will have time to relax, download image, or socialize with the tribe. We will spend the late afternoon and early evening in the villages of the Toposa
Accommodations: Private mobile tent camp Toposa –B,L,D, All Beverages
Day 11 Feb 19, 2023
We will have one last sunrise visit in the village.
After breakfast the excitement grows as we head further south and across the boarder to Northern Uganda where Luxury awaits! Our lodge, hand made by local craftsmen , is located on a picturesque kopje overlooking the Narus valley of Kidepo- Uganda’s most remote park and home to the Karamohong tribe. They are descendants of the Nyangatom tribe in the Omo valley and have some characteristics of the Turkana tribe in Northern Kenya.
After our adventurous expedition in South Sudan. you may view the wildlife directly from your private outdoor stone bathtub on your private veranda, from the swimming pools that is carved out of a big rock, or hop in our Landcruiser’s for a beautiful afternoon game drive; amazing wildlife experience in a remote and pristine wilderness.
Accommodations: Luxury lodge Northern Uganda–B,L,D, All Beverages
Day 12 Feb 20, 2023
We will head out early to visit the Karamjomg tribe. It is said that the Karamojong were originally known as the Jiye. The name Karamojong derived from the phrase “Ekar nigimojong”’ meaning “the old men can walk no farther”. According to the tradition, the peoples now knon as the Karamojong Cluster or Teso Cluster are said to have migrated from Abyssinia (southern Ethiopia) between the 1600 and 1700 AD as a single group.
When they reached the area around the modern Kenyan-Ethiopian boarder, the are said to have fragmented into several groups including those that became Turkana, Toposa, and the Dodoth. Therefore, after traveling to Ethiopia, Northern Kenya, and now South Sudan, coming to Northern Uganda to meet this tribe completes the journey of the most tribal rich area in the world
In the afternoon you will be able to relax or go out for an afternoon game drive.
Accommodations: Luxury lodge Northern Uganda–B,L,D, All Beverages
Day 13 Feb 21, 2023
We visit a Karamjong village and have an afternoon game drive.
Accommodations: Luxury lodge Northern Uganda–B,L,D, All Beverages
Day 14 Feb 22, 2023
We will have an early morning game drive or last village visit
After breakfast we will board a private charter to Entebbe.
Upon arrival we will be transferred to get our PCR test and then transferred to the Portea Hotel on the shores of Lake Victoria; Most flights go out late in the even so we have arranged a dayroom, which can be converted to an overnight room in needed.
Lunch and Dinner will be on your own and at your leisure.
Accommodations: Potea Dayroom B
Important Details
Included in the trip
- All in-country travel in 4X4 Air-conditioned vehicles
One private charter flight in South Sudan
One private charter flight in Uganda
All accommodation as specified on the itinerary
All meals as listed on the itinerary. B=Breakfast, L=Lunch, D=Dinner, beginning with Dinner on February 9, 2021 through Breakfast on February 22, 2023
Drinks- coffee, soda, beer, wine, bottled water in the private mobile tent camps
Limited laundry service is included in the mobile tent camps
All entrance fees to villages and village activities as listed on the itinerary
All photography fees and permits
VIP group airport facilitation on arrival date of itinerary
Private transfers on the departure date of the itinerary
VAT, local taxes, and all required legal permits and documents
One Photographic guide, one African Cultural anthropologist, one English speaking local guide who speaks the tribal language.
Contributions to the community
NOT Included in the trip
- International airfare and/or between your home and South Sudan
- Visas
- Travel Insurance
- Personal purchases (including shopping, spirits, laundry at hotels, telephone calls etc.)
- Gratuities for our main guide, drivers, and camp staff
- Optional extra activities not included on the itinerary
- Pre- and Post- expeditions tours or airport transfers
The Cost
The cost of this exciting South Sudan adventure is $12,995.00 per person based on shared accommodation.
If you would prefer a private room (not share the cost and accommodations) the private accommodation supplement is $1,695.00. Private accommodations for this trip are limited.
If a solo guest wishes to share a room, we will do our best to match them with another guest of the same gender. If we cannot match a solo guest with another guest of the same gender, then the single supplement of USD$1,695.00 will be charged.
***The cost of this safari is based on a minimum of 7 participants. If there are less than 7 participants a small supplement group fee of $895.00 will apply.
Payment Terms
USD $4,000 on-refundable deposit to confirm your place on this trip
2nd Payment of USD 4,000 is due April 30, 2022
Final payment/Balance due Oct 1, 2022
We HIGHLY recommend trip cancellation insurance.
