South Sudan Safety Guide
Health, security, and travel safety information
Emergency Numbers
Save these numbers before your trip.
Healthcare
What to know about medical care in South Sudan.
Healthcare in South Sudan is a patchwork of NGO-run clinics, church missions, and one national referral hospital.
For visitors: Juba Teaching Hospital (Gudele Road), Al Sabah Children's Hospital (Tong Ping), and St. Mary's Hospital in Wau for western travellers heading to Boma National Park.
Reliable pharmacies, Nile Chemist (Customs Market) and Trinity Pharmacy (Kololo Road), stock antimalarials, rehydration salts, and broad-spectrum antibiotics. Bring your own prescription glasses and EpiPens as these are rarely found.
Proof of medical insurance is checked on arrival at Juba International Airport. Policies must include evacuation coverage.
- ✓ Carry a small medical kit with sterile needles. Local clinics sometimes reuse disposables.
- ✓ Download the offline map of Juba Teaching Hospital and mark the 24-hour casualty entrance.
Common Risks
Be aware of these potential issues.
Unofficial checkpoints appear on the Nimule and Yei roads, after dusk. Soldiers may demand 'transport facilitation'.
Pickpockets operate in crowded markets such as Konyo-Konyo and Jebel Market where dried fish smell hangs heavy and music blares from tin-roof stalls.
Year-round transmission, peaking during the May, October rains when stagnant water glimmers in roadside ditches.
Scams to Avoid
Watch out for these common tourist scams.
Men in khaki jackets approach drivers at Juba airport arrivals claiming park permits for Boma National Park are mandatory and sell forged tickets for inflated rates.
Money changers on Unity Avenue count South Sudanese pounds under the table and slip a wad of old 10-pound notes rendered worthless by 2021 demonetisation.
Safety Tips
Practical advice to stay safe.
- • Hire only 4×4 vehicles with working air-con and two spare tyres. Inspect tyre treads in the heat shimmer of the rental yard before signing.
- • Refuel whenever the gauge drops below half, petrol shortages occur without warning and queues snake around Nile Petrol Station for hours.
- • Register with your embassy on arrival and note WhatsApp numbers of the local UNDSS radio room.
- • Download the offline map of South Sudan from Maps.me; mobile data drops to 2G once you leave Juba.
- • Avoid walking after 9 p.m.; instead use hotel shuttle cars identifiable by yellow rooftop placards.
- • When dining out, choose restaurants with security guards who scan guests with handheld metal detectors.
Information for Specific Travelers
Safety considerations for different traveler groups.
Women can travel safely in South Sudan by dressing modestly and moving with a trusted local guide. Harassment is rare but can occur in crowded markets.
- → Wear ankle-length skirts and loose cotton blouses in pale colours. Dark fabrics absorb heat and draw unwanted attention.
- → Sit in the rear seat of ride-hailing boda-bodas and keep knees together. Drivers often weave between potholes and exhaust fumes sting the eyes.
- → Use the women-only section of Konyo-Konyo Market near the spice stalls where cardamom scent is strongest and female vendors watch out for each other.
South Sudan's Penal Code outlaws same-sex relations, and the sentence can stretch to 10 years behind bars.
- → Book single rooms rather than doubles to avoid questions at reception.
- → Skip nightlife beyond hotel bars; instead, settle into the shaded terrace of the New Sudan Hotel, where talk drifts above the clink of ice in mango juice.
Travel Insurance
Protect yourself before you travel.
Medical evacuation flights to Nairobi run higher than most round-trip tickets. Insurance is non-negotiable.
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