South Sudan guide book launched

Having covered Sudan previously for Bradt, they offered to research the guide after the country was formed in 2011.

A South Sudanese woman carryies a basket on her head as she walks through Gudele market in Juba (picture: Getty)

In a referendum, almost 99 per cent of voters approved South Sudan’s independence, and it officially became a separate country on July 9, 2011 after several years of autonomy.

The Sudanese civil war still casts a long shadow over the country, however; it has one of the world’s lowest life expectancies, and the political outlook remains uncertain.

The Foreign Office advises against all travel to within 40km of the country’s northern border with Sudan, and advises against all but essential travel to the Jonglei State, which is where the Boma National Park – cited as one of the country’s highlights (see below) – is located.

It also warns: “Violent crime occurs throughout the country. Many people are armed. Conflicts between tribes and armed militia regularly occur.”

Adrian Phillips, Bradt’s publishing director, admits in the foreword to the guidebook that South Sudan “is unlikely to become a tourist hotspot in the near future,” but said the authors had “made the path just that little bit smoother” for visitors.

View Larger Map^[1]

Included among the highlights described by the guidebook are:

Boma National Park, Africa’s largest wildlife reserve, where you can witness migration on the scale of that of the Serengeti

Bor wrestling, a traditional South Sudanes, where wrestlers are stripped to the waist, and

Dinka cattle camps, which give an insight into the traditions of the Dinka, the most populous and politically influential of South Sudan’s tribes,

The Sudd, one of the world’s largest wetlands, where visitors can spot more than 400 species of bird

Mount Kinyeti, the country’s highest peak along the southern border with Uganda.

White-water rafting on the Nile, a recent addition to South Sudan’s tourist options (“The rapids will make you buzz with adrenaline, especially when you realise how many hippopotamuses and crocodiles are sharing the water.”)

Wau Cathedral, one of the largest churches in Sudan and demonstrates the role has some attractive stone carving as well as a stained-glass window.

Telegraph Offer

Bradt is offereing Telegraph readers 40 per cent discount on the South Sudan guide (including free postage). Order through the website (www.bradtguides.com^[2]) and quote the discount code TELEGRAPH40.

References

1. ^{^} View Larger Map (maps.google.co.uk)
2. ^{^} www.bradtguides.com (www.bradtguides.com)