Visas
Most travellers will require a visa to enter South Sudan, which can be obtained online through this link: https://evisa.gov.ss/ . You will usually need a visa invitation or proof of hotel reservation, which we can provide. Visa regulations can change however and so we recommend that you contact your nearest embassy, or us, for the most up to date information.
Health and vaccinations
We are not medically qualified and so we recommend that you speak to your doctor or nearest health professional for advice concerning recommended vaccinations. For more advice on vaccinations, you can also visit www.fitfortravel.nhs.uk.
Please note that a Yellow Fever vaccination certificate is required for entry to South Sudan and you must bring this with you.
Insurance
It is a condition of joining our tours that you have suitable travel insurance in place, and we cannot accept travellers without insurance. All policies differ in terms of what they will cover, but as a minimum you need medical and health cover which will cover you for the whole time that you are away. Most policies will also include cancellation cover, which will cover you if an unforeseen circumstance obliges you to cancel your trip. We recommend that you obtain your insurance as soon as you book your trip.
Please note that government travel warnings often affect the validity of your travel insurance, and you should check this with your insurance company.
Money
The local currency in South Sudan is the South Sudanese pound, which you will not be able to obtain at home. You will need to bring US dollars for exchange purposes. You should bring clean and unmarked notes that have been issued after 2009, otherwise it is almost impossible to exchange them.
The only real place to change money is Juba, and your guide can assist with this.
Credit cards are virtually useless in South Sudan and so you should bring cash.
Local conditions
When travelling to some of the destinations we offer you need to bear in mind that things won’t always work here as we’re used to them working at home. Travelling in underdeveloped and untouristed destinations requires both patience and a sense of humour. There may be problems with infrastructure, attitudes may be different, and maintenance may not be as high a standard as we would always like, but this is very much part and parcel of travelling in such a place. We aim to resolve any issues as quickly as possible, and thank you for your patience.
South Sudan is one of the more challenging destinations that we offer, and we do not recommend this trip unless you are accustomed to travel in Africa. There is almost no tourist industry to speak of and therefore people are very unaccustomed to western visitors, and what they may expect in terms of service. The local authorities are likely to be rather confused by your presence and so often your tour leader will need to explain your presence to them – in addition to this they may all interpret rules and regulations differently and so what is permissible in one place may not be in another.
Travel advice
We keep a very close eye on the travel advice issued by the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office so that we can keep you up to date with any warnings. At the time of writing the FCO advises against travel to all parts of South Sudan due to the recent conflict there.
This tour avoids the key affected areas of Unity, Upper Nile and Jonglei states, staying in Central and Eastern Equatoria states. We take the safety of our travellers extremely seriously and obtain regular updates about the situation in South Sudan from our local team based in Juba.
Should you have any concerns over safety please do not hesitate to contact us and we can address your concerns. We have visited the country ourselves, work very closely with our local team and are fully confident that we can operate tours safely in these parts of South Sudan.
This relates to advice from the British government – other nationalities need to check the stance of their own governments.
Updated July 2023