Covering around 50,000 km 2 of the most fertile and picturesque land in the whole of the country, inhabited by the Nuba, a conglomeration of proud, culturally diverse Black African farmers.
Pro-tip: A travel permit is required to visit and so is registration with the security police. The permit covers the main towns, Dilling and Kadugli.
Sibir
A word that roughly translates into ‘celebration’ and generally indicates festivals, which happen to be an important part of Nubian culture. Sibirs are mostly held after the harvest in November. The most popular is Sibir Al Nahr, ‘the festival of fire’, which is announced by the Kujur of the village climbing a hill and burning a bundle of sorghum for all to see. There’s food and merissa, wrestling and dancing, rituals and music that lasts well into the night. Different villages hold different Sibirs. Around Dilling, the Ajunak Nuba hold Sibir Al-Khail, ‘Horse festival’ in September. North of Kadugli Sibir Al Bukhosa is held, named after a musical instrument built out of a dried gourd.
Dilling
The craggy hills that surround the town mark the start of the Nuba Mountains and it makes for a good base to discover the surrounding Nuba villages. If you’re feeling active, you can hike up Jebel Ed-Dish, named after a large satellite at its summit.
Kadugli
A medium-sized town that happens to be the capital of Southern Kordofan. Khazan Miri is a short, pleasant day-hike near Kadugli. You’ll need a vehicle to reach the trail head, which starts at a British-built reservoir and ends at the dam. The hike is graded low to moderate.