Dinka Cattle Camps of Rumbek

In the dry season Dinka herders around Rumbek move their cattle to camps on the floodplain, and life in those camps runs on the animals: dung fires burn continuously to keep flies off, the ash is rubbed into hides and hair, milk is the main food, and the long-horned Ankole cattle are individually named and sung about. The camps break up when the rains come and the herds move back.

What you actually see

• The dung fires - the smoke that keeps flies off the herds.
• The ash-covered cattle - the animals and herders whitened with ash.
• The long-horned cattle - the Ankole herds the camps exist for.
• The seasonal cycle - camps that form in the dry and break in the rains.

When to go

December to March is the dry season when the camps are established. The rains from April break them up. Early morning and evening are when the camps are most active.

Honest expectations

Visits need permission from the herders and photography rules must be asked about and followed; these are people's homes, not a display. Access needs a guide and four wheel drive. Travel in this region requires arrangement well ahead.

Nearby

Rumbek is nearby, and Lake Yirol is east.