A recent work visit to Juba (one of many) had me fly with Air Uganda for the first time. The 10:00 am departure time proved perfect for excellent views from the lofty height of flight level 360 (or 36,000 feet for those less acquainted with the aviation lingo). Heavy rains the previous day made for perfect flying weather and clouds were largely absent along the entire route.

Once airborne out of Entebbe and climbing towards cruising altitude, a spectacular view began to unfold below. The River Nile, once visually “acquired” would not leave us again all the way to Juba and the first feature was a high altitude view the river running through the Murchisons Falls National Park and into Lake Albert. The route of the Nile, with rapids and falls clearly visibly by the white water, could be followed to the border with Southern Sudan where a 90 degree bend of the river signaled the entry into Sudanese airspace and not far into this stretch of river became the Nimule National Park visible from the air.

It is in fact at Nimule, that the Southern Sudan Wildlife Service is training rangers and guides, while training for supervisory and managerial cadres takes place at the Boma National Park training institute, located near the border with Ethiopia and subject of a future story. A major stretch of white water, the Fula Rapids, can be clearly seen from the air and can in time to come form a major attraction for white water rafting.

Hills, escarpments and minor mountain ranges, all painted in a lush green, and only dotted by an occasional human settlement – the iron roofing sheets glittering in the morning sun – mark the way, leaving much to imagination what travel by road would reveal to the intrepid adventurer daring to make the trip in a sturdy 4×4.

Nimule National Park is rich in bird life, in particular along the shores of the river, and a wide range of other game including predators can be found inside the park – not visible from the air though unless using a light aircraft scouting over the park area at low levels.

On the route Air Uganda serves a hot meal in business class, delivered by an attentive service which makes ringing the service bell in the panel above the seat unnecessary. An added advantage of traveling upfront, besides getting a tasty meal and undivided attention by the crew, is disembarking first and beating the inevitable queues when reaching the small terminal building, which is bursting at the seams when – as it happened – two or more flights arrive more or less at the same time.
A word of caution though, NO Visa are given on arrival but the Southern Sudanese mission in Kampala nowadays processes applications more or less instantly, in stark contrast with the Embassy of The Sudan, were applications can take a week or more to be approved, or not at all. Travelers to the Southern Sudan are therefore advised to deal exclusively with the Southern Sudan mission offices near the Fairway Hotel in Kampala, unless one really has to go on to Khartoum.

Another relic from the days of control by Khartoum is the need to formally register one’s presence within three days of arrival, in case of staying longer, which costs some additional 150 Sudanese Pounds or about 65 US Dollars at the time of going to press. In order to attract more visitors other than for business much therefore needs to be done to make visits easier, i.e. Visa on arrival, dropping the registration requirements and of course completing the new airport terminal right next door to the ‘old’ one to avoid, amongst other things, baggage to be carried by porters hands into the arrival hall.

For those braving these inconveniences however, several parks have already been restored and in particular the Boma National Park can be recommended to see the massive migration of the white eared kobs, numbering by some educated estimates into the 800, 000 plus! (Yes, this is a real estimate and not spinning yarn.) Early arrangements must be made, however, to arrange for a specialized safari operator to pu