Afrinkong
The Ennedi
A sandstone massif eroded into arches, towers and canyons, with water at the bottom of them.
Central & West Africa · Afrinkong
Chad
Zakouma, and the lakes of Ounianga.
Zakouma brought its elephants back from four hundred and fifty to over six hundred, the Ennedi is a sandstone massif full of rock art and desert crocodiles, and the Ounianga lakes sit in the middle of the Sahara without a river feeding them.
Where it is
Africa · Central & West Africa · Chad
The land in brief
- Spans
- 1,100 km E–W, 1,760 km N–S
- Latitude
- 24°N to 8°N
- Borders
- 6 countries
- Sea
- Landlocked
- Best time
- November to March. Zakouma is at its best in March, when the game concentrates on the last water.
Also in Central & West Africa
CameroonAfrica in miniatureCentral African RepublicDzanga Bai, and the forest elephantsCongoOdzala, and the western lowland gorillaDR CongoVirunga, Nyiragongo, and the okapiEquatorial GuineaA volcanic island, and turtles on the black sand
Compare Chad with another countryAll fifty-four, worked through the same twenty-seven categories.When to come
JFMAMJJASOND
November to March. Zakouma is at its best in March, when the game concentrates on the last water.
01Highlights
What Chad is known for.
Six of the twenty-seven, and the ones most people come for. The rest are below — and none of them is filler.
Wildlife
Buffalo in Thousands
Zakouma's buffalo move in herds of over a thousand, and the Kordofan giraffe with them.
Emi Koussi and the Tibesti
A 3,415-metre volcano in the far north, the highest point in the Sahara.
Landlocked, and the Lake
The beaches here are the shores of Lake Chad, worked by fishermen in reed boats.
Gallery Forest on the Rivers
The Chari and Logone carry woodland far north into the Sahel.
Culture
Two Hundred Groups
Toubou and Zaghawa in the north, Sara in the south, and Arabic and French across both.
02Experiences
25 ways to spend the time.
Every country we cover works through the same twenty-seven categories, so you can hold two of them side by side and compare like with like rather than one brochure against another. Compare Chad with another → The two not listed here are the hero picture and the case for going, which has a section of its own below.
Landscapes
- The EnnediA sandstone massif eroded into arches, towers and canyons, with water at the bottom of them.
- Emi Koussi and the TibestiA 3,415-metre volcano in the far north, the highest point in the Sahara.
- None, and Guelta InsteadNo falls. What the Ennedi has is the Guelta d'Archei, a permanent gorge pool.
- Lake Chad and the Ounianga LakesA shrinking inland sea in the west, and eighteen lakes in the Sahara that no river feeds.
- Landlocked, and the LakeThe beaches here are the shores of Lake Chad, worked by fishermen in reed boats.
- Gallery Forest on the RiversThe Chari and Logone carry woodland far north into the Sahel.
Wildlife
- Buffalo in ThousandsZakouma's buffalo move in herds of over a thousand, and the Kordofan giraffe with them.
- Zakouma in MarchEverything concentrates on the last pans, and the birdlife with it — crowned crane in their thousands.
- The Turnaround at ZakoumaAfrican Parks took it on in 2010 after poaching had taken ninety per cent of the elephants.
- Walking ZakoumaZakouma allows walking with armed rangers, which very few West and Central African parks do.
People and culture
- Two Hundred GroupsToubou and Zaghawa in the north, Sara in the south, and Arabic and French across both.
- The ToubouA desert people of the Tibesti and Ennedi, and among the most self-sufficient anywhere.
- The Gerewol and the Camel RacesWodaabe gatherings in the Sahel, and camel racing in the desert north.
- Leatherwork and SilverToubou leather, Sara basketry, and silver from the N'Djamena market.
- Boule and Grilled CapitaineMillet boule with sauce, and Nile perch off the Chari grilled on the bank.
- Serious CountryDistances are enormous and facilities are few. Zakouma is possible; the Ennedi is an expedition.
- Tea in the ShadeThree glasses, poured from a height, and no business concluded before the third.
Places
- N'DjamenaA capital on the Chari, opposite Cameroon, with the largest market in the region.
- Mud and BancoSahelian mud-brick in the towns, and reed and mat construction on the lake.
- Ennedi Rock ArtThousands of painted and engraved panels recording a Sahara with cattle and giraffe in it.
- Two Sites in the SaharaThe Ennedi massif and the Ounianga lakes, both World Heritage, both barely visited.
Ways to travel
- Crossing the EnnediTen days by four-wheel-drive between arches and gueltas, sleeping under the rock.
- One Camp, and It Is GoodZakouma has a single seasonal camp. The Ennedi is tents you bring with you.
- Sandstone and ShadowThe Ennedi arches in the last hour, when the sandstone goes from orange to red.
- The Guelta d'ArcheiCamels come down a gorge to drink, and desert crocodiles live in the pool below them.
03Why go
The case for Chad.
Why Visit This Country
Why Chad
A national park that came back from the dead, and a desert massif almost nobody has seen.
Hidden Gems
The Guelta d'Archei
Camels come down a gorge to drink, and desert crocodiles live in the pool below them.
Eco Tourism
The Turnaround at Zakouma
African Parks took it on in 2010 after poaching had taken ninety per cent of the elephants.
Heritage
Two Sites in the Sahara
The Ennedi massif and the Ounianga lakes, both World Heritage, both barely visited.
04Go deeper
All of Chad, four ways in.
Who would take youAfrinkong
The ground is ours right across Africa: your vehicle, your driver for the whole journey, and the days shaped around what you came for.
In Cameroon, Uganda and Namibia you travel with companies of our own as well.
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Begin
Your Chad starts here.
Tell us the month, or simply the thing you want to see, and a guide who works there will answer.