Chad Ennedi Expedition - 16 Days

You will also explore the mountain range known as the Ennedi, it is an ancient eroded sandstone plateau around 35,000 square kilometers in extent. Ennedi offers the most recent rich rock art probably made 2,000 years ago. Ennedi is also called the "Saharan Garden", since it's home to the uncommon sandstone rock formations looming over the desert like giant strange alien art sculptures. 

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Itinerary 

Day 1

Once you flight arrives in N'Djamena today, you will be met and then transferred to the hotel for check-in.  

Day 2 - Day 4

Departure by 4x4 from N´Djamena, direction east, taking the paved road that crossed the alluvial plains as far as Massaguet. Still, on the tar, we head towards Mongo. After the villages of Bitkin and Ab Touyour (and its ¨mountain of vultures¨), we are now in the Guera, the mountainous Sahel region marked by its granite peaks. 

It is a very interesting area from an ethnological point of view. It is the place of the ethnic Hadjerai (the inhabitants of the land of stone), farmers and hunters with very sophisticated techniques. We will visit the villages with small but very colorful markets.

Continue through immense savannah plains as far as Mongo, located on the edge of the Aboutelfane massif (Montguerra, 1500m), then head towards Oum Hadjer through the succession of hills and verdant valleys. We arrive at Abeche. 

The capital of Ouaddai was a former commercial center, at the crossroads of caravan routes, and for centuries a large slave market. This city was the capital of the kingdom of Ouaddai.

From there we head north to the Ennedi. The landscape becomes more and more desert-like here, wherein populations also gradually change from sedentary farmers to the nomadic herders of the Sahara. After Arada, a rolling sandy path leads us to Kalait. 

Day 5 - Day 7

Then, continuing north-east a hundred kilometers, one penetrates finally into the complex hydrographic system of the basin of Wadi Archei, the monolithic real access door. 

Over this period we take short walks and conduct explorations with vehicles of the most spectacular confines of the Ennedi, where live the semi-nomadic Gaeda, Tama, and Zagawa. 

Archei, a gigantic green flow that delineates formations of Tassilian's incredible beauty: rock castles, cathedrals, arches... everything is gigantic here!

At the great land of Archei, it is frequent to meet the nomads of Toubous and their enormous photogenic flocks of camels and to see the last living examples of the Saharan Crocodile. In these incredible shows one can add the discovery of some shelters of cave paintings, mostly unknown. 

Our itinerary also takes us to Fada chief's place of the region, for formalities and fuel. 

Day 8 - Day 9

We reach the prefecture of Fada, its old colonial fort, and its important palm plantation. After administrative formalities, we take the direction of Mourdi. A vast region of "trains" (snaking lines of) the dunes where some isolated mountains are lost. After crossing the baekanes towards Derbili, we find the tracks of caravaners towards the salt pans of Demi and Teguedei. 

Day 10 - Day 12

This region lives only on the exploitation and trade of salt. 

The salt works are very rudimentary and open-air, something out of a lost storybook for this part of Africa. There the caravans of the Toubous practice transport for traditional salt exchanges, for millet and sorghum. Following the cliff of Ounianga after Teguedei, finally appears the lakes. 

Incredible lakes and oasis abound next, surrounded by palm trees and sandy multicolored outcroppings and layers that flow into blue and green waters, among the most unusual and beautiful landscapes one can imagine in the Sahara!

Leaving the lakes of Ouninaga, this time we take the direction of the south towards Ouaddi Doum, the field of the great battle with the Libyans during the war of Lybian occupation. Several weapon debris and abandoned combat tanks and several rockets lie dead on the road. 

Then we arrive at the very interesting pass of Kora, with its spectacular dunes and rock.

Day 13

One of the gates of the Ennedi stops at the magnificent cathedral of Bichagara, a chain of decoration and contrast between peak and sand. We cap it off at Kalait refueling point and former military base in the name of Oumchalouba. 

Day 14 - Day 16

A very long but interesting stage of our voyage is up next, with stops on pastoral and nomadic water points Toubou and Kereda. Multitudes of herds of camels and cows are at the rendezvous for the morning, the chore of their valiant breeders, sometimes accompanied by their children too!

We cross the corridors of the old shelters of the dead lake, today dry, and the bizarrely verdant forest and greenish dying dust trace the presence of water in this area of the transit of all Arab nomads. 

We will finally take you to Ndjamena via Massakori, so you can have your return flight.

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Additional information

It is difficult to specify the daily distance, but 4 to 6 hours per day of 4X4 with fuel.

Our cook and camping equipment includes foam mattresses of 1m80 and 70 CM/ w 7 cm of thick-tent.

1-night hotel in N´Djamena is included with breakfast. Most are around the same price but we don't include the Hilton.

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Visa Formalities

LOI invite letter will be sent to you by our agency. But once the visa is obtained, it is imperative to send us 15 days before the trip a copy of the visa and passport to obtain authorization to move from the Ministry of the interior for this trip. That's the rule,

We will need 4 photos for each participant for the police formalities on this trip.

You will, of course, need to bring your own travel insurance. 

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Included:

4X4 including fuel

Guides

Cook and camping equipment 

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner (basic meals)

1 night in N'Djamena on arrival with breakfast and shower room on return trip.

Excluded:

Visas

Flights

Tips

Travel/medical/cancellation insurance

Any COVID19 related expenses

Personal items such as first aid, sunscreen, insect repellant etc

**Note that group pricing is if you bring your own group. 

**2022