South Sudan
Juba
A hard-edged capital on the White Nile, and the way in to the Mundari cattle camps, where herders sleep among long-horned cattle in the smoke of dung fires.
Juba is the capital of South Sudan, a hot, sprawling and fast-growing city on the west bank of the White Nile. Few travellers come for the city itself, a place of busy markets, walled hotel compounds and riverside camps where aid workers, traders and officials meet. The reason to make the trip lies up the river: the Mundari cattle camps, where herders live among long-horned cattle in the smoke of dung fires. Almost every visit is arranged through a local operator, and permits, photography rules and security shape the trip as much as the sights do.
Suggested stay
2–4 days
Language
English, Arabic
Currency
SSP
Timezone
UTC+2
Why you'll love Juba
The cattle camps up the Nile from the city, Mundari herders live among their long-horned cattle, coating the animals and themselves in ash from smouldering dung fires against insects and sun
The river the White Nile slides past the city's eastern edge, and an evening on a riverside deck, with fishermen's dugouts out on the current, is how Juba unwinds
The hill Jebel Kujur, the bare granite hill on the western edge of town, looks out over the whole sprawl of Juba to the river
A young capital Juba is still being built, and Juba Arabic, English and dozens of South Sudanese languages mix in markets piled with goods trucked up from Uganda
Best time to visit
Jul-Sep, Nov-Dec
31-35° days
4.846° N, 31.596° E
UTC+2 · Africa/Juba
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Weather & when to go to Juba
Month by month: typical highs and lows, rainfall and rain days.
✓ Best Jul-Sep, Nov-Dec
Watch for Dec-Apr extreme heat risk
Cards tinted by calculated verdict · big number = typical daily high, small = low · hover for conditions
When to avoid Juba
February is the month to avoid, at the peak of the hot, dusty dry season. Beyond the weather, security and access matter more than climate here: check your own government's current advice before you plan anything, and ask your operator how the dirt roads to the cattle camps are running before you book.
Top things to do in Juba
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Mundari cattle camps - a night among the long-horned herds
culture arts off beaten path ⭐ Highly recommendedNorth of the city along the Nile, Mundari herders keep camps of long-horned cattle, tethered to pegs at night among smouldering dung fires, hides and herders alike dusted grey with ash. Late afternoon, when the herds walk in, and dawn, when they leave, are the times to be there; go with an operator who knows where the camps are.
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White Nile - sundowners on the riverbank
scenic food 👍 PopularThe river runs past the city's eastern side, and the riverside camps along its west bank are where Juba goes at the end of the day, for a cold drink and grilled Nile fish as fishermen's dugouts work the current and the light goes. Keep your camera well away from the bridge.
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John Garang Mausoleum - the independence ground
history 👍 PopularThe tomb of John Garang, honoured in South Sudan as the founding father of the nation, stands in a memorial ground in the centre of Juba where the independence ceremony was held in 2011 and national days are marked. Treat it as the official site it is, and ask before taking any photographs.
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Konyo Konyo Market - the old town's trading floor
culture arts foodOne of Juba's main markets, in the old commercial heart of town, is a crush of stalls selling dried and smoked Nile fish, sorghum, charcoal, spices, plastic goods and produce trucked up from Uganda. Go in the morning with a local guide, and keep your camera away unless people say yes.
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St Theresa's Cathedral - Sunday choirs in Kator
culture artsJuba's Catholic cathedral stands in Kator, one of the city's older districts. Sunday Mass is long, crowded and full of song, with choirs and drums, and visitors are welcome if they dress modestly and sit quietly towards the back.
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Kisra and Nile fish - eating in Juba
foodThe local table leans on sorghum: kisra, a thin fermented flatbread, and asida, a stiff porridge, eaten with stews of okra, greens or meat. Ful beans start the day, Nile fish comes grilled or fried, and the city's many Ethiopian, Eritrean and Ugandan kitchens fill in the rest, while street tea sellers pour sweet, spiced tea.
Best areas to stay in Juba
$ Budget $$ Mid-range $$$ Premium
Tongping
First-time visitors $$Guarded hotel compounds beside the airport
Explore hotels in Tongping →
The Nile riverfront
River views $$Riverside camps and sundowner decks
Explore hotels in The Nile riverfront →
Hai Amarat
Longer stays $$Central quarter of guesthouses and restaurants
Explore hotels in Hai Amarat →
Live nightly prices from Booking.com, Agoda and others, centred on Juba
Getting to & around Juba
Getting there
Fly into Juba International (JUB) on the edge of the city, usually connecting through Addis Ababa, Nairobi or Entebbe
Flight
Juba International Airport (JUB)
The airport sits beside Tongping, a few minutes' drive from most hotels and not much further from the old town. Almost every visitor is met by a hotel, host organisation or tour operator, and arranging that pickup before you fly is the norm.
Getting around
Car with driver
How most visitors move: book one through your hotel or operator for the markets, the riverside, the hill and every journey after dark
TBC
Boda-boda
Motorbike taxis are everywhere and move much of the city, but crashes are common and many organisations bar their staff from them; a car is the safer choice
TBC
Minibus
Crowded shared minibuses run fixed routes between the markets and the suburbs; how most residents get around, but rarely practical for visitors
TBC
Day trips from Juba
Mundari cattle camps
1-2 daysCattle-herding camps
The Mundari move their camps with water and grazing, so an operator finds them for you and arranges the permits to travel and take photographs. Arrive in the afternoon as the herds walk in and the dung fires are lit, and stay the night to see them leave at dawn.
Getting there
car | tour
Up to a few hours north of Juba by 4x4 with an operator, depending on where the camps are
Jebel Kujur
Half dayGranite hill climb
A steep walk and scramble up bare rock to a summit that looks across the whole of Juba to the Nile and the plain beyond. Go early, before the heat builds, in a group with someone who knows the paths, and carry plenty of water.
Getting there
car | walk
A short drive by car to the foot of the hill on the city's western edge, then on foot
A little history of Juba
Juba stands on the west bank of the stretch of the White Nile known here as the Bahr al-Jabal, the Mountain Nile, in the homeland of the Bari people. In the 19th century this reach of the river was the far southern frontier of Egyptian-ruled Sudan. Traders, missionaries and explorers worked from Gondokoro, near today's city, where Speke and Grant, coming down the Nile from Lake Victoria in 1863, met Samuel and Florence Baker heading upstream. Egypt's Equatoria province was later governed from Lado, a short way downstream, by Gordon and then Emin Pasha.
Juba itself grew under Anglo-Egyptian rule into a small administrative and trading town. In 1947 it hosted the Juba Conference, a meeting of British officials and southern and northern Sudanese that led to the south being governed as part of a single Sudan. After the 1972 Addis Ababa Agreement ended Sudan's first civil war, Juba became the capital of a self-governing Southern Region. In 2011, after a referendum, it became the capital of independent South Sudan, and it has grown fast around its old core since.
Speke and Grant, travelling down the Nile from Lake Victoria, reach Gondokoro near present-day Juba and meet Samuel and Florence Baker
Samuel Baker, leading an expedition for Egypt, proclaims Egyptian rule over Equatoria at Gondokoro
Egypt's Equatoria province is governed from Lado, just downstream of today's Juba, by Charles Gordon and then Emin Pasha
The Juba Conference brings together British officials and southern and northern Sudanese, and the south is governed as part of a single Sudan
Sudan becomes independent, with Juba part of the new state
The Addis Ababa Agreement ends Sudan's first civil war and makes Juba the capital of the self-governing Southern Region
A second civil war begins in southern Sudan
South Sudan becomes independent following a referendum, with Juba as its capital
Know before you go
Payment
Cash only
English
Limited
Wifi
Limited
Power
Type C / D / G
230 V, 50 Hz
Dialing
+211
Bring cash. Foreign cards and ATMs are unreliable to unusable here, so plan on carrying what the trip needs and changing money on arrival.
Extreme heat risk in this window; check current conditions before you go.
The months our climate read flags to avoid: the wettest, lowest-rated weather of the year.
FAQs about Juba
▸ When is the best time to visit Juba?
July to September and November to December are the best-scoring months, and February, at the peak of the hot, dusty dry season, is the one to avoid. The other months sit in between. Whatever the month, ask your operator how the dirt roads to the cattle camps are running, as heavy rain can make them slow going.
▸ Is Juba safe to visit?
Check your own government's current advice before planning a trip, and make sure your travel insurance covers South Sudan. Visitors generally travel through a local operator or host organisation, stay in guarded compounds, get around by car rather than on foot, and are back inside by dark. Carry your passport and any permits, expect checkpoints on the roads out of the city, and follow your driver's lead at them.
▸ Can you take photos in Juba?
Carefully. Never point a camera at soldiers, police, government buildings, the airport or the Nile bridge, and ask before photographing anyone. Visitors have long needed a photography permit, which operators and hotels can advise on and arrange; carry it with you. At the cattle camps, let your guide handle introductions before the cameras come out.
▸ How do you visit the Mundari cattle camps?
With a Juba-based guide or operator. The camps move through the year, so you need someone who knows where they are now, and travel outside the city generally needs permits that the operator arranges. Most visits drive north towards Terekeka, and many stay overnight in or near a camp to see the cattle come in at dusk and go out at dawn.
▸ What language is spoken in Juba?
English is the official language, used in government, business and on signs. On the street and in the markets the common tongue is Juba Arabic, an Arabic-based language that grew up in the south, and Bari, the language of the area's original people, is widely spoken alongside dozens of other South Sudanese languages.