Day 1: Arrival in Juba

Day 2: Juba to Bor

Day 3: Dinka cattle camp and local village

Day 4:  Final moments with Dinka, Departure for Juba

Day 5: Mundari cattle camp

Day 6: Explore Mundari  cattle camp

Day 7: Departure From Mundari Cattle Camp for Juba

Day 8: Returning International Flight Back home

Day 1: Arrival in Juba

You will provide us with your flight details so that we can take note of your arrival and departure dates and times. You will arrive at Juba International Airport, in the capital of the world’s youngest nation, South Sudan. One or more guides will meet you at the Airport and transfer you Juba-South Sudan Hotel where you will spend the night. Depending on your arrival time, we will take a short trek to South Sudan’s biggest market, Konyo Konyo.

While in the market, you will have an overview of South Sudan’s diverse communities portrayed in their style of dressing and facial or body scarifications. Dinner at Da Vinci Lodge where you will have a spectacular view of the Juba Bridge majestically standing over the Nile River. No cameras are to be used, smartphones could be used with utmost caution.

Day 2: Juba to Bor

Breakfast at Royal Palace Hotel. After breakfast, we will depart for Bor, a 4-6 hours drive from Juba (the roads are unsurfaced and challenging!). We take lunch at a local Restaurant en route. We then proceed to introduce ourselves to the local ‘Dinka’ authorities (although they will be informed in advance that we are coming, these things can take time). We then drive to the Dinka cattle camp, where we will camp for two days. Evenings and mornings will be ideal for photography especially when the cattle return from grazing. Dinner at Dinka cattle camp. Accommodation: tents close to the Nile.

Day 3: Dinka cattle camp and local village

Dawn photos/videos of the cattle camp and how the Dinka wake up with their Ankole Watusi cattle. Breakfast. Evening walk and photo shoot in the cattle camp.  The cattle camp, seldom visited by outsiders, is quite simply incredible. I saw Sebastiao Salgado’s photo of these camps years ago and there is no change that I could see. The Dinka are friendly and enjoy being photographed. The dust and smoke intermingle to create an inimitable atmosphere. We arrived in the late afternoon when the light was soft and warm with long shadows. The tribe has all their wealth in their cattle and there are thousands of them. When young men of the tribe get married the dowry may be as much as 40 cattle. They cover themselves in the ash from their fires to protect against insects.

At night they sleep with their cattle to protect them and they carry Kalashnikovs to do so. Cattle rustling is commonplace and is a cause of conflict. The Ankole Watusi cattle have the largest horns (perhaps a meter long in some cases) I have ever seen and the biggest of the cattle may be worth $500. During the day the cattle disperse from the banks of the Nile into the long grasses of the alluvial floodplain. They return at dusk instinctively. Accommodation: tents close to the Nile and cattle camp

Day 4:  Final moments with Dinka, Departure for Juba

Breakfast.  Morning photo shoot at dawn and then Leaving for Juba. Lunch en route Check-in at Royal Palace Hotel. Dinner at Royal Palace Hotel. (All food and drinks at the hotels/restaurants are not included)

Day 5: Mundari cattle camp

Breakfast at Juba-South Sudan Hotel. After breakfast, we will depart for Terekeka, four hour's drive from Juba. We take lunch at a local Restaurant called Naivasha. Naivasha is a name of a lake and town in Kenya but it has historical ties to South Sudan as it was the town where peace talks culminated in the Comprehensive Peace agreement between the government of Sudan and rebels (SPLM/A). We then proceed to introduce ourselves to state government authorities (although they will be informed in advance that we will be coming, again this can take time). We then drive to Mundari’s Khartoum cattle camp, where we will camp for two days. Evenings and mornings will be ideal for photography especially when the cattle return from grazing. Dinner at Khartoum cattle camp. Accommodation: tents close to the Nile and cattle camp.

Shooting at dawn and dusk is perfect as all the cattle are in place. The more you see, the more you realize that there is an inextricable bond between the tribe and their cattle. The way they lead them, rub ash into their skins, attend to their needs, and use their milk, dung, and urine. It is a symbiotic relationship where there is an understanding of the cattle which goes beyond normal animal husbandry. They take pride in their animals and the whole community of man and beast is interconnected. I have never seen anything like it. On the previous evening, the air was filled with smoke from the dung and kindle wood fires to keep insects at bay. The dust is used to help dry the dung which is laboriously collected and piled in the mornings. It is then dried as fuel. As the sun sets in African style the light, smoke, and dust create an ethereal atmosphere which makes it appear that the Mundari and their cattle fade into a mist. An ancient mist, trapped in time, where tribal traits and traditions are perpetuated in the twenty-first century. Accommodation: tents (full board)

Day 6: Explore Mundari  cattle camp

Dawn photos/videos of the cattle camp and how the Mundari wakes up with their cattle. Breakfast. The smoke, fires, and dust create a scene that is almost biblical. The symbiotic bond between man and the cattle is a scene to behold. They massage their Ankole Watusi cattle with ash and do it with care and affection. I watched the young men bathing their heads in urine, this acts as an antiseptic and their hair turns orange in the sun. The dust applied to man and beast mitigates against insect bites. I also saw them holding down cattle and cutting their ears as a form of branding to identify their cattle.

In the morning we returned to the camp and soaked up the atmosphere of the early morning preparations before the cattle move out, without herders, to graze the fresh pasture. When covered with ash they appear as apparitions or ghosts especially when there is dust and smoke in the air. They gather the dung in the morning, dry it by spreading it out, and then use it as fuel for their fires. And so this cyclical use of ash continues. These people have a very sustainable existence and their connection with nature should be a message to us all. These ancient practices ensure harmony with the environment and have a small ecological footprint which is local and ensures cultural longevity. The Mundari are very receptive to travelers and are sociable, kind, and welcoming. Evening photos/videos. Dinner. Accommodation: tents.

Day 7: Departure From Mundari Cattle Camp for Juba

Morning photos and videos. Breakfast. Departure by road to Juba and continue on to check-in at Juba-South Sudan Hotel. Dinner at Affex camp. Accommodation: Royal Palace Hotel. (All food and drinks at the hotels/restaurants are not included)

Day 8: Returning International Flight Back home

Breakfast. Morning sightseeing tour of Juba (depending on your flight times):- Presidential Palace, Dr. John Garang Mausoleum, Jubek tomb, craft market. (Cameras prohibited,  smartphones to be used smartly). Lunch at Da Vinci Lodge. Transfer to the airport. Bidding each other goodbye.

End of photo tour

INCLUDES

• Photography Permit

• Entry Permit

• Domestic Flight Transfer

• Accommodation Both A Tent And Mattress/Sleeping Bag With Mosquito Nets (Camping Equipment) And Hotels Throughout The Tour.

• Airport Pickup And Transfers In 4 By 4 Extended Land Cruiser In Very Good Condition With Enough Space, Throughout The Tour.

• Experienced English Speaking Driver-Guide

• Meals And Bottled Water Along The Entire Trip (Full Board Throughout The Route Prepared By An Experienced Chef)

• Introduction Permit/Letter

• Tribal Visits And Executions, All Payments To Tribes/Sites.

EXCLUDES

• Guide Service Fee
• Air Tickets & Visa Fees
• Any Private Expenses