South Sudan: Discover the Boma–Badingilo natural landscape
Accommodation in South Sudan
In South Sudan, the Boma–Badingilo Migratory Landscape represents a natural region where water, diverse habitats, large-scale wildlife migrations, and a long-standing human relationship with the land come together.
Between the Sudd and the savanna
The landscape covers about 11.25 million hectares and lies at the transition between the Sudd wetland system and the East Sudanian Savanna. It includes seasonally flooded grasslands, wetlands, and floodplains, as well as woodlands and savannas. The Boma–Badingilo Migratory Landscape therefore cannot be reduced to a single landscape type: water-shaped habitats and savannas are equally part of this area.
Seasonal rainfall and flood dynamics shape ecological processes. Water is therefore not only a feature of individual wetlands, but also one of the forces that influence the landscape’s ecological activity. Together with its location at the transition between the Sudd and the savanna, this offers a way to consider the different habitats in context.
Wildlife and large-scale migration
The Boma–Badingilo Migratory Landscape is home to significant populations of Nile lechwe, African savanna elephants, African wild dogs, lions, leopards, Northeast African cheetahs, and beisa oryx. It also supports important populations of waterbirds, birds of prey, and migratory birds. Its wildlife thus includes both numerous mammal species and different groups of birds.
Another dimension is the large-scale migration of an estimated six million terrestrial mammals that the landscape supports. This estimate describes the scale of the migration, not simply the population of a single animal species. Those interested in nature and wildlife can therefore consider two distinct aspects of the area: the species found there and a movement on the scale of the entire landscape.
A long-standing relationship between people and the landscape
The landscape is also connected to the lives and activities of its communities. The Murle, Dinka, Nuer, Anyuak, Toposa, and other ethnic groups have cared for it for centuries or millennia through livestock herding, farming, and fishing. These activities are part of the communities’ long-standing cultural relationship with the Boma–Badingilo Migratory Landscape.
The area therefore offers more than a view of habitats and wildlife populations: the human relationship with the landscape is also part of its character. If you are interested in the interplay of nature, land use, and cultural history, this perspective offers another way to explore the theme of travel in South Sudan.
UNESCO World Heritage in South Sudan
In July 2026, the Boma-Badingilo Migratory Landscape became South Sudan’s first UNESCO World Heritage Site. The area includes Boma and Badingilo National Parks, as well as connected wildlife corridors. The name of the World Heritage Site thus refers to a landscape that encompasses these corridors in addition to the two national parks.
When planning your trip, it is worth keeping the different perspectives distinct: habitats and water movements describe the ecological framework; species populations and migration show different aspects of wildlife. The communities’ long-standing stewardship adds the human relationship with the area to this nature-focused perspective.
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