Upcoming Africa Trip centered on South Sudan; Timbuktu, Mali, and Liberia

This trip focuses on: 1) returning to South Sudan to visit the nomad cattle tribes which I was unable to visit back in 2018 when I first visited South Sudan due to the civil war just ending and visiting them wasn't feasible; 2) returning to Mali to visit Timbuktu which was unvisitable in 2020 when I originally visited Mali due to Islamist-Extremist and the lack of safety, and 3) visiting Liberia which I planned to visit at the end of March 2020, but was canceled due to COVID concerns and airport closures. As presented in the table below, 6 of the 16 days were basically spent in airports and airplanes. 

2/19	✈️ Newark USA  to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
2/20	✈️ Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to Juba, South Sudan
2/21	Overnight w/ Dinka
2/22	Return to Juba
2/23	Overnight w/ Mundari
2/24	Overnight w/ Mundari
2/25	Return to Juba
2/26	Free day - Juba
2/27	✈️ Juba, South Sudan to Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
2/28	✈️ Addis Ababa to Bamako, Mali
3/1	Free Day - Bamako
3/2	✈️ Timbuktu
3/3	✈️ Bamako, Mali to Monrovia, Liberia*
3/4	City Tour - Monrovia
3/5	Chimpanzee
3/6	✈️ Monrovia, Liberia to Newark, USA

*Bamako, Mali -> Conakry, Guinea -> Lome, Togo -> Accra, Ghana -> Monrovia, Liberia.  7am to 6 pm! 😩😩

Juba - Day 3

I originally plan to visit the Mundari Tribe located 1 hour dive over a poor dirt road north of Juba on the west bank of the River Nile to the village of Terakeka, but the tour company was asking in excess of $800 for the transport. I decided to cancel and wondered around Juba myself. Even if I did attempt to visit the tribe there was no guarantee the tribe or village even existed anymore, or more probably was not in order to handle tourist.  I suspect the village, based on my experience at the national park the day before,  has not seen a tourist in 5 plus years since the civil war started.

Most notable in downtown Juba was the international aid workers including the U.N. and Chinese industrialist that I assumed were there to help rebuild (purchase) South Sudan.

U.N. and Aid vehicles were everywhere around Juba.  The city was a boon for enterprises that supported this influx of the aid.  

Chinese Hospital 

Chinese Restaurant

Chinese Grocery Store

The departure "lounge" at the airport. Basically a tent.

Metal detector that didn't work. They searched every one by hand.

Check in counter.  A new airport was under construction. 

Bandigalo National Park - Day 2

Apparently September isn’t the best time of year to visit the park and view wildlife. There wasn’t any wildlife near the park’s headquarters, even though the promo stated the park “migrating herds of Tiang, White-eared Kob and Mongalla Gazelle enter the park during the wet season months of May through September”. We drove for four to get there and 4 hrs back. The road was horrible. Instead of viewing wildlife, I had tea with the park’s game warden and his staff. My private security guard and personal driver focused on getting there and back safely. They succeed. The cows were a bonus!

The toursism advertisement that inspired my to want to visit the park: "Just north of Juba is Bandigalo National Park which was recently expanded to receive the migrating herds of Tiang, White-eared Kob and Mongalla Gazella, in the wet season months of May through September. The park actually starts just past the northern city limits of Juba, with the entrance being about 45 minutes north of Juba, on the road to Bor. Baboons and vervet monkeys are year around residence. The park is a series of small rivers and swamps with no internal road system. This one day safari is best taken when the migrating herds are present May through September. Be prepared for rain and mud."

All in all  it was a bit risky visiting the park so soon after the end of the civil war. It's also why the tour company insisted an armed guard accompany me to the park.  But I felt safe during the entire trip, perhaps because there was a desire for peace by all citizens. 

Juba - City Tour - Day 1

The US government discouraged visit to South Sudan, but I decided to visit anyway.  It was a bit strange visiting a country that was in the process of signing a peace agreement to put an end to their five year civil war.  It seemed like everybody was trying hard to live up to their end of the peace agreement.

The following was posted on Wikitravel:

WARNING: All travel to South Sudan is strongly discouraged, with independent travel being nearly suicidal. Armed conflict is ongoing and violent crime, such as carjackings, shootings, ambushes, assaults, robberies, and kidnappings is common throughout South Sudan, including Juba. US Embassy staff are under a strict curfew, travel in armored vehicles, and are not allowed on the streets alone at any time. Those already in country are advised to leave as soon as it is safe to do so (written: May 2018).

City water being from the White Nile.

Concertina wire surrounding most of the fences. 

White Nile 

Villages near town.

The road were decent in the city.  The mountains were far from the city either. 

Small Muslim Presence

The city clearly has a water issue.

My driver's boss's company.  I spoke to him briefly about building a company while a civil occurring.   It started to become clear he was just an opportunist.  I can't be sure, but I'd speculate he was generating lots of income during the civil war especially from International Aid Agencies, UN, etc.