Super User 20 July 2023

Best Travel Guide To Southern National Park Safari Wildlife in South Sudan

Southern National Park in South Sudan is famous for its biodiversity characterized by scenic savanna, rainforests, and swamplands where its diverse wildlife species roam freely. It is one of South Sudan's least explored destinations, and a holiday here guarantees travelers authentic African experiences.

Location of Southern National Park in South Sudan;

Southern National Park is situated on an ironstone plateau in the southwest of the country, south of the town of Wau and west of Bor. The park is bounded to the west by the Sue River and to the east by the Maridi River, while the Ibba River bisects it north-south. It consists of a gently undulating country with low ranges of hills separated by three parallel northward-flowing rivers and mostly covered with savanna woodland. It is in an area with a low human population.

Southern National Park Overview;

Southern National Park was established in 1939 covering an area of 23,000 km2. It consists of a gently undulating country with low ranges of hills separated by three parallel northward-flowing rivers and mostly covered with savanna woodland, rainforest vegetation, grassland, and gallery forests. During the monsoon season, the park experiences extensive grasslands that grow up to about 15 feet (4.6 m). There are sandy valleys as well.

Wildlife in Southern National Park;

Animals

The Park is rich in wildlife with several animal and bird species. The notable animals within the Park include eland, waterbuck, kob, hartebeest, giraffes, buffaloes, oribi, northern white rhinos, reedbucks, lions, colobus monkeys, elephants, kob, baboons, and various galagos including the Senegal bushbaby, antelopes, giant forest hog.

It’s also an area with massive potential for lion recovery, though the current status of the species in the area is unknown. The Park is also a habitat for Nile Crocodile populations.

Birds

The Park is also home to various bird species including marabou storks, pelicans, sun lark, black-breasted barbet, red-breasted bee-eater, and bronze-tailed glossy staling among others. Bird lovers can visit the Park for bird sighting tours.

Fish

The various rivers flowing within the Park are rich in aqua fauna such as river Gel, Sue River, and Ibba River. The river waters contain several fish species such as eel-like fish, tilapia, Nile perch, lungfish, and catfish. The rivers are perfect for fishing for both tourists and the local communities.

Tribes in and around the Park;

The park is thinly populated and mainly habited by the most prominent tribe in South Sudan, the Dinka who live near areas surrounding swamps. They speak a Nilotic language classified within the Eastern Sudanic branch of the Nilo-Saharan languages and are closely related to the Nuer. They have a rich cultural heritage that is still intact today. They are mainly cattle keepers with cattle camps worth visiting but also engage in hunting, and fishing, the common vocations of the people living in the park area.

The role of cows in pastoral tribes like the Dinka is paramount. They are used for marriage dowries, and currency and serve as the foundation of social status.

The Dinka people's way of life seems quite unchanged since its inception on these plains thousands of years ago. The social, spiritual, and informal political structures within the pastoralist societies here are based almost entirely on the possession and successful retention of cattle. The number and quality of one’s cows determines his social status, masculine worth, and, perhaps most importantly, his ability to marry. Cows form the basis of the dowry system and are therefore a critical obstacle between young men and their ability to reproduce.

Southern National Park Tourist activities;

Southern National Park is perfect for nature-guided walks where visitors can see the beautiful landscape, animals, and birds, game drives where tourists can watch wild animals and birds at close range, and photography. The tourists can also visit the local tribes within the Park and experience their still intact cultural heritages.

Book with Ultimate Wild Safaris and experience the untapped wilderness of Southern National Park in South Sudan.

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