Young Pioneer Tours
Unclaimed & Youngest: Bir Tawil & South Sudan Combo
Join YPT for a combo adventure clearly out of the ordinary! We offer you to scratch two massive accomplishments off your goal list. First, visit the world’s only inhabitable strip of unclaimed land: Bir Tawil. This will be an epic road trip through the sands of the Egyptian/Sudanese border. Then, as if it wasn’t enough, we’ll fly to the world’s youngest country, South Sudan, for a full tribal excursion. Hanging out with Mundari herders, mingling with Dinkas and chilling with the Lotuko people!
Bir Tawil has been claimed by many internet-based micronations, but very few of them have actually been there and no one has ever stayed to establish a presence. There, we will be beyond the laws of any nation.
To get there, we will start from Sudan so this trip can also be done as a extension of our Sudan trip. A trip to Sudan wouldn’t be complete without a visit of the Meroe so we will first head there and visit its multiple ancient necropolises.
Then, with our own transportation and food, we will head north, towards the Sudan-Egypt border — crossing not via road but directly through the depths of the deserts, with only the tyre tracks of other vehicles to mark our path.
We will then get to Bir Tawil and explore this land for a full day, setting foot where no one rules.
It will then be time for us to head back to civilization, towards Khartoum airport to catch our flight toward Sudan’s southern breakaway brother: South Sudan.
Our trip starts with a full tour of the strange boom-town capital that is Juba. We will take in its limited sites but also witness the full melting-pot of cultures that is South Sudan.
Our trip then takes us to the incredible Mundari tribes, herders who literally live in the wild in symbiosis with their cattle. They are unmistakable by the fact that they cover their whole body in chalk-like makeup, making them look like ghosts. After visiting the Mundari, we will encounter the Lotuko and Boya people. The Boya people are known for their beautiful scarification and piercings.
We finish our trip with a visit of the Dinka, which are a majority in South Sudan. The Dinka’s contribution to the struggle for independence was enormous, and here too we will spend a day mingling with them and truly seeing what their life is like.
The flight between Sudan and South Sudan is not included in the price of the tour in order to allow maximum flexibility. If you would like us to book it for you, mention it while booking to know our prices!
Due to the infrastructural limitations of South Sudan, we can only have 12 people on that part of the trip. The good news is that if you book this combo, you have the priority!
Please note that bookings for this tour will close 90 days before the tour in order for us to have time to get the necessary permits.
50% of the tour fee should be paid up to 90 days before the tour and the remainder paid no less than 30 days before the tour
Such a trailblazing tour in first, a far-way land where no one lives and then the world’s youngest country where tourism is basically inexistent comes with its lot of unexpected changes and cannot realistically be done with the highest standards of comforts. This is a trip for the most hardened travellers. A great degree of open-mindedness and flexibility is required to partake in this trip, which is why we offer it first to you, our most valued pioneers!
Friday 1st November – Khartoum
- Arrival in Khartoum at your own convenience where our local driver will pick you up and drive you to our hotel.
- Free time to explore Khartoum before you meet the rest of the group tomorrow.
- Overnight in Khartoum.
Saturday 2nd November – Meroe
- Early drive today after breakfast to catch up with the rest of the group.
- Meeting up with the group and your YPT guide.
- Set off on an off-road/on-road adventure to visit Mussawart. This is a complex of temples dedicated the local god Apedamak – the lion god. This was the biggest construction in the history of Nubia.
- After a local lunch we continue up to Naqa 20km from Mussawart. This was once a vital trading post between the Mediterranean world and Africa. It houses a wonderful collection of buildings dated to the first century AD.
- Vist the Roman kiosk which represents the intersection of several ancient cultures.
- Visit the Among temple, after which we head back north to Meroe.
- Overnight in Meroe.
Sunday 3rd November – Abu Hamad
- After our breakfast, we leave early for the long trip to Abu Hamad, the end of the road!
- The town of Abu Hamad is one of the last stops on the train, and name after a sheikh who was buried here. Our guide will introduce us to the legends behind him
- We enjoy our last dinner in a human settlement, before we head… nowhere!
- Overnight in tents by Abu Hamad.
Monday 4th November – Bir Tawil
- Today, our expert guides drive us across the desert, where there is no road but the traces of the previous travelers cars.
- We are in the deepest of the desert and shall stop for many photo opportunities.
- Lunch today is a picnic in the desert.
- We reach Bir Tawil in the evening!
- Enjoy our camp meal outside of any country!
- It wouldn’t be a YPT trip without a party, the first party ever probably, in that part of the world!
- Overnight in tents, in Bir Tawil!
Tuesday 5th November – Bir Tawil
- Today, our day will be dedicated to the in-depth exploration of Bir Tawil.
- If you brought a flag, plant it in Bir Tawil and claim the land! It is your opportunity to change the world and start a country according to your values (YPT can’t guarantee your claim will be approved by any international organization but you’re welcome to have a go at it!).
- Lunch by our camp.
- Afternoon spent exploring Bir Tawil some more. Chances are we’ll be scoring many firsts in that part of the world.
- Dinner and overnight by our camp (the first human settlement?) in Bir Tawil.
Wednesday 6th November – Abu Hamad
- As always, all good things must come to an end and we start making our way down towards Khartoum but this time as proper trailblazers; fathers and mothers of a nation.
- Lunch on the way.
- Arrival in Abu Hamad by the beginning of the evening. We’re back in civilization! Kind of…
- Overnight camping by Abu Hamad.
Thursday 7th November – Khartoum
- After a good breakfast, we’re back on the road!
- We arrive by Khartoum in the early evening.
- We go for an evening stroll around Khartoum.
- Dinner in Khartoum for our last night in the North, before things go South Sudan!
Friday 8th November – Khartoum/Juba
- This morning, we will catch our flights to South Sudan. We recommend taking the very early flight ET343 leaving at 3:30 followed by flight ET 352 arriving in Juba at 11:15 so you don’t have to miss much of the day. (Flight not included in the price of the tour)
*For safety reasons, we chose not to make the South Sudan part of this itinerary public. Please send an email to tours@youngpioneertours.com for the detailed itinerary*
Tour Extensions
Want to extend your YPT adventure? Join one of our great tour extensions
