South Sudan
Republic of South Sudan
Middle Africa · SSD
Editorial Snapshot
Why Go To South Sudan
South Sudan is only relevant to a tiny set of travelers pursuing highly specialized field or expedition travel, not to normal trip planning. If there is a viable route at all, it should stay extremely focused and locally guided.
Popular For
Things To See
- Juba
- Bandingilo National Park
- Boma National Park
- The Sudd
- Nimule National Park
Best Months
Know Before You Go
- Security and access constraints make this unsuitable for ordinary tourism planning.
- Any travel that does happen needs current local coordination, flexible logistics, and a sharply limited scope.
- This is not a destination where a generic country overview can substitute for on-the-ground advice.
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Flights
Hotels & Accommodations
Compare stays across major booking options
Open hotel and accommodation options for South Sudan.
Guidebooks
📚Browse South Sudan Guidebooks on AmazonTours & Activities
Country Data
Stats At A Glance
Practical travel, safety, climate, and quality-of-life stats for South Sudan.
Quick Facts
- Capital
- Juba
- Population
- 15,786,898
- Area
- 619,745 km²
- Region
- Middle Africa
Languages
- English
Currency
South Sudanese pound (£)
SSP
Exchange rate unavailable for USD.
Cost of Living (World Bank)
66.6
Price level index (US = 100)
Safety & Peace
lower score = more peaceful · 1.0–3.5 scale
Monthly Climate Averages
These weather averages are based on data for Juba (4.85°N, 31.62°E).
LGBTQ+ Friendly
11/100
Traveler LGBTQ score
- Legal protections
- 2/100
- Lived safety
- 27/100
This score blends legal protections with lived-safety context so strong laws alone do not automatically push a country to the top of the ranking.
- Homosexuality legal❌
- Relationship recognitionNone
- Adoption recognition❌
- Anti-discrimination laws❌
- Employment protections❌
- Legal gender recognition❌
- Conversion therapy ban❌
Human Development Index (UNDP)
0.388
Low human development
- 5-year change
- +0.017
- 10-year change
- -0.003
- Trend
- improving
- Data year
- 2023
- Planetary-adjusted HDI (PHDI)
- 0.383
Natural Beauty (World Bank)
- Protected land area
- 15.4%
- Forest cover
- 11.3%
Source: World Bank.
Wildlife & Birdwatching
- Threatened mammal species (IUCN)
- 18
- Threatened bird species (IUCN)
- 23
Source: World Bank / IUCN Red List. Higher counts indicate richer biodiversity, typically in tropical rainforest, island, and savannah ecosystems.
Food & Cuisine
16/100
Food and dining score
Built from two layers: dining-scene breadth and open prestige signals. We combine restaurant density, cuisine diversity, distinguished restaurants, and gastronomy-city recognitions from open data sources.
Luxury Infrastructure
65/100
Luxury & premium accommodation score
Based on OpenStreetMap luxury hotel density and World Bank international tourism receipts.
US Travel Advisory
Do not travelto South Sudan due to risk of unrest, crime, kidnapping, landmines, and health threats. The U.S. government has limited ability to provide emergency consular services to U.S. citizens in South Sudan. U.S. government personnel working in South Sudan are under a strict curfew. U.S. government personnel must use armored vehicles for nearly all movements. Official travel outside Juba is limited. Because of the serious crime threat in Juba, walking is restricted to a small area near the embassy during the day. Unrest Armed conflict is ongoing and includes fighting between various political and ethnic groups. Weapons are readily available to the population. In addition, cattle raids occur throughout the country, often leading to violence. Journalists regularly report being harassed in South Sudan and many have been killed while covering the conflict. Reporting in South Sudan without the proper documentation from the South Sudanese Media Authority is illegal. Any journalistic work there is very dangerous. Crime Violent crime is common throughout South Sudan, including Juba. This includes carjackings, shootings, ambushes, assaults, robberies, and kidnappings. Foreign nationals have been the victims of rape, sexual assault, armed robberies, and other violent crimes. Kidnapping Criminal groups have kidnapped and threatened to kill or hurt people in order to force a third party, like a government, to act or abstain from doing something as a condition of release. Kidnapping for ransom happens occasionally in South Sudan. Criminal groups most frequently target local citizens. Landmines Landmines are sparsely located throughout the country. While most locations are marked, unmarked unexploded ordinance remains a threat and causes multiple casualties each year. Health Medical services in South Sudan are extremely limited. Adequate medical treatment, as well as access to routine and emergency procedures, is often unavailable, and even minor health issues could require medical evacuation. All medical services, including medical evacuation, are at your expense. If you purchase additional medical insurance, be sure to keep records of all medical services paid for and provided.
Read full advisory →Data current as of May 2026 and subject to change. Travel advisory information is sourced from the U.S. State Department and reflects conditions at the time of data collection, not real-time conditions. Do not rely solely on this information for travel decisions. Always check current government advisories for your nationality. Terms of Use · About our data