Sudd Wetland Wildlife Attractions and Activities, South Sudan Cultural Tours and Safaris
If you have been one of the many tourists who wonder what to tour on a South Sudan trip beyond Cultures or tribes, here we introduce you to the iconic Sudd Wetland trip. The Sudd Wetland is one of Africa’s largest floodplains and is still among the world’s largest tropical wetlands. Forming part of the White Nile or the Bahr-El-Jebel River system which originates from the African Lakes Plateau, Sudd wetland is a heavenly place to visit, and it's currently being considered as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Sudd wetland, with an estimated area of approximately 57,000 km2 represents one of the largest freshwater ecosystems in the world. The extent of the Sudd wetlands is highly variable; it depends largely on the seasons and years respectively. In the wet season, the size of the wetland increases up to 90,000 km² and gradually decreases to about 42,000 km² depending on high seasonal floods. It is sustained by the flow of the White Nile (or Bahr el Jebel) from Lake Victoria in Uganda, in addition to rainfall runoff from its surrounding areas.
The White Nile dissipates northwards from Juba across a shallow depression to produce a network of channels, lagoons, and inundated areas, which harness the nutrients of the underlying clay soils. Patterns of flood inundation heavily influence the Sudd’s vegetation, which consists primarily of permanent swamps, river, and rain-flooded grasslands, and floodplain woodlands.
The Sudd’s vast flooded expanse with lagoons, channels, and floating vegetation transforms the entire Sudd habitat into a scenic landscape of exceptional natural beauty, and sustains the ecosystem of remarkable habitat features and species diversity, enhancing the maintenance of the ecological process and incredible natural phenomena.
The Sudd wetland falls within the “Sudd-Sahelian Flooded Grasslands and Savannas”. It is internationally recognized for its unique ecological attributes that include various endangered mammalian species, antelope migrations, millions of Palaearctic migratory birds, and large fish populations, and therefore was declared a Ramsar Site, a designation that recognizes the importance of the wetland and its importance to the region.
Sudd’s wetland ecosystem is characterized by mineral soils with poor drainage and its plant life is dominated by trees forming a beautiful scenery to watch. Sudd Wetland is the best spot for bird-watching in South Sudan and most of the tourists to South Sudan visit the wetland for birding tours.
The Sudd also forms part of the East-Asian/East African flyway of Palearctic migratory birds, linking breeding ranges in central Europe and Asia with winter ranges to the south. A large number of inter-African migratory birds also depend on the Sudd and surrounding habitats as a dry-season refuge.
You can spot many bird species here on your birding Tour including shoe-bill stork, white-faced whistling-duck, red-billed duck, mallard, nob-billed duck, blue-billed teal, Garganey, Egyptian goose, Ruddy shelduck, Southern pochard, and others. Bird watching here can be done on trails, walking through the mugged trails, sometimes even sliding into the mud or on canoes.
Other notable wildlife species include the African elephants, Nile lechwe endemic to South Sudan, tiang migration, white-eared kob migration, buffalo, and elephants among others.
People living in the Sudd:
The Sudd is also host to different cultures and societies as approximately 1 million people inhabit the Sudd wetland region and are closely linked to its ecological functioning. The dominant cultural affiliations in the Sudd include the tribes of Nuer, Dinka, Shilluk, and Anyuak, all of which are Nilotic and pastoralist peoples indigenous to the Nile Valley.
There are the Nuer and Dinka, two pastoralist peoples that make up the largest ethnic groups in South Sudan. Raising cattle is the primary livelihood for both of these groups, and many social rituals incorporate the animals. Husbands-to-be, give cattle to family members of the bride, and Nuer priests often settle feuds through the exchange of cattle. In a centuries-old ritual, Dinka boys transition into manhood when they stop milking cows.
Another group, the Shilluk, are primarily sedentary farmers. According to tradition, the physical and spiritual well-being of their chosen leader was tied to the overall prosperity of the land. The Anuak people are also farmers and maintain herds of cattle, sheep, and goats. Like many others, they also fish in the wetlands and set up seasonal fishing villages.
The Neur, Dinka, Shilluk, and Anuak have all adapted to the seasonal changes of the Sudd. The Sudd’s dry season, between December to February, often sees nomadic communities move deeper into the wetland to graze their herds and hunt the Sudd’s plentiful fish. Communities, especially the Dinka, will build seasonal, circular homes on naturally occurring islands in the wetland during the dry season. During the Sudd’s wet season, between March to August, many move back out of the Sudd to settlements near water deposits in the savanna.
Arrange and Book with Ultimate Wild Safaris for the Safari Tour of the Sudd Wetland in South Sudan.
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