Southern National Park was founded in 1939 and occupies an area of 23,000 square kilometers. Three rivers drain the park. Southern national park is the largest national park in South Sudan offering game drive opportunities to spot giraffes, Elephants, Buffaloes, oribi, kobs, warthogs, lions, and hartebeests among several other wildlife species. The park hosts a variety of habitats like gallery forests, rainforests, bushveld, and grasslands. Several species of fish, like the catfish, lung fish, and tilapia are found in the park's rivers. Crocodiles can be found in the park's waters. The mammalian fauna of Southern National Park features the colobus monkey, Congo lion, Kordofan giraffe, African buffalo, giant eland, and kob.

The park has four rivers, the Nile, Sue River, Gel river and Ibba river. These are primary sources of water for wildlife throughout the year which also offer special opportunities of spotting wildlife on the river bank, mainly the Nile crocodiles.

A.B. Anderson, a former Assistant Game Warden, reported that in 1950 that the Southern National Park was spread over an area of 7,800 square miles. It was drained by three rivers: the Sue River to the west, a well-defined channel that joined the Nile; the Gel River to the east; and the Ibba River in the centre of the park. The Gel and Ibba Rivers, after flowing through the park, formed a flood plain which made the habitat swampy. The park has abundant bird life most especially along the water channels.