Lost Heart of Africa – South Sudan
A pioneering expedition into the world's newest country; we are the first organisation to travel here. We will combine an exploratory trek in the Imatong Mountains and a river journey down the least explored stretch of the White Nile.
Summary
The expedition will begin in the regional capital Juba, from where we will stock up on provisions and set off on the journey south, into the wild hills that stretch over the border into Uganda. We begin trekking at Katire and start the exploration of the Imatong Mountains – prior to our 2012 expedition they had been visited twice by outsiders since 1984. We will travel on the route we pioneered through the mountains to summit Mount Kinyeti (3187m). Five days later we will move by vehicle down remote roads to Nimule, the frontier town, where we set off on foot again through the newly-founded Nimule National Park, still a refuge for some big game including antelope, elephant and hippos.
We rendezvous on the River Nile where we meet our rafting guides and immediately set off into the turbulent waters of the famous river, immediately plunging into rapids. We will spend a further five days rafting, taking in the remote river jungle scenery that has only been navigated a couple of times this century. We will camp wild, wherever the river dictates and the only habitation we will see is the occasional jungle village or lonely fishermen in dugout canoes. Although the river isn’t white water all the way there are still crocodiles and hippos to contend with, so this clearly isn’t for the faint-hearted!
Participants must be fit and healthy, happy with bush camping and limited resources and have a good sense of humour!
Highlights:
- Summit Mount Kinyeti, the highest mountain in Sudan. First climbed in 1929 and as far as we know only revisited twice since 1984!.
- Trek through remote, overgrown jungle paths that were used as transit routes to Uganda during the civil war.
- Five-day river expedition on the least explored stretch of the White Nile.
- Interact with rural South Sudanese in a world where tourism is unknown.
Responsible Travel: OXFAM
Secret Compass have partnered with OXFAM for this expedition. If you would like to climb Mount Kinyeti and descend the Nile with us to raise money for OXFAM you will receive a 10% discount on the cost of the expedition. Please get in touch and we can discuss sponsorship options and assistance. OXFAM GB is a globally renowned aid and development charity with 70 years of experience, working and campaigning with partners in 98 countries worldwide. Oxfam is a registered charity in England and Wales (no 202918) and Scotland (SC039042).
Read all about our 2012 expedition to South Sudan in the Independent.
Expedition Details
- Duration:
- Group Size:
- Dates:
- Cost:
- 14 Days
- 9
- 2 – 14 February 2014
- £2,999
Practicalities
ACCOMMODATION
We will be rough camping in the Mountains and on the Nile, except for the nights in Juba where we will stay in a decent guesthouse.
FOOD
Food will be of a decent standard in Juba. In the Imatong Mountains we will be eating dehydrated trekking rations and while on the Nile we will eat freshly-cooked basic food each night.
TRANSPORT
Transport consists of a combination of 4×4 vehicle, trekking and inflatable raft. No experience of white water rafting is necessary.
SUITABLE TEAM MEMBERS
Team members should be willing to be part of a team working together to achieve the goal of the expedition. They should have an adventurous and robust spirit. They should also be happy trekking carrying a full rucksack for multiple days and be comfortable on water.
