Terekeka: the Mundari cattle camps on the White Nile

The cattle camps

For the Mundari, cattle are wealth, identity, poetry and protection. The animals, a long-horned breed often called Ankole-Watusi, are tended with great care. In camp, young men and women rub the cattle with ash from burned dung to protect them from insects, massage them, polish their horns and sleep beside them at night. Fires of dung smoulder through the camp, giving the evening light a smoky gold haze. Favourite bulls carry names and songs, and boys and girls grow up learning every animal by sight.

The camps move with the seasons, closer to the river and its grazing in the dry months, and further away when rains flood the land. That is why most visits happen between December and April.

How to visit

Camps are not tourist sites. They are working homes, and you visit as a guest. Go with a guide from Juba who has relationships with the families and can introduce you, explain local customs and arrange permission to stay or take photographs. Expect to agree a contribution with the community in advance through your guide, and do not hand out money or gifts directly. Terekeka is roughly two hours by road north of Juba, though conditions vary a great deal, and the last stretch to a camp is often a rough track.

Most visitors either make a long day trip or spend a night camping nearby to see both sunset and sunrise, the most atmospheric times, when the cattle return and leave and the fires are lit.

Respect

• Always ask before photographing people and follow your guide's lead. Some families welcome cameras, others do not.
• Cattle are precious: do not touch or walk between animals without being invited.
• Dress modestly and move slowly; the camp is someone's home.
• Many Mundari men carry weapons to protect their herds. This is normal here, but it is a reminder that cattle raiding and local disputes are real.

Terekeka town

The town itself is small, with a market, a river landing and simple shops. Services are very basic, so bring water, food, sun protection and a torch, and do not count on mobile signal everywhere.

Safety

Government advice covering South Sudan applies to this road and area. Travel only in daylight, with an experienced operator, and check the latest situation in Juba before leaving. Cattle-related violence can flare between communities, and your guide's knowledge of current conditions matters more than any guidebook.

A suggested plan

Leave Juba early in the morning with your guide, stopping in Terekeka town to greet local contacts and confirm which camp is welcoming visitors that day. Arrive at the camp in the afternoon, as cattle return from grazing, and spend the evening watching the fires being lit and the herds settling. If you camp overnight, wake before dawn to see the cattle rubbed with ash and led out to pasture, then return to Juba before the afternoon heat.

What to pack

Bring a tent or confirm that your guide supplies one, a sleeping mat, a torch with spare batteries, plenty of drinking water, snacks and a light scarf to keep ash and smoke out of your face. Wear long, light clothing and closed shoes, as the ground is dusty and thorny. A small, considerate camera is better than a large lens pushed at people. Carry clean US dollars for any agreed contribution, which your guide will handle, and a printed copy of your passport and permits for the checkpoints on the road north.