Chad
Peaks of the Tibesti

Arrive in N’Djamena and transfer to the hotel. Overnight Irrisor Hotel or similar.

From N’Djamena, Chad’s capital city, we follow the road which connects N’Djamena to the important oasis of Faya as far as Massaguet, where we continue east. The path is filled with numerous villages and markets, and we pass through settlements of Ab Toyour, Bitkine, Mongo and Oum Hadjer in the beautiful and lively region of Guera. The landscape is characterized by granite peaks and some of the richest markets in Chad. We continue to Abeche, the ancient capital of Chad, and now the capital of the Ouaddi region and one of the most important centres of the whole country. Overnight wild camping. (BLD)

From Abeche you swap the asphalt road surface for a northbound track towards the village of Biltine. After the small village of Arada, the Sahelian environment transforms more towards the desert with death dunes and low vegetation prominent. We may see nomadic herders along the way. You reach Kalait, a true Saharan crossroads for trade. You are now in a true desert region on the southern borders of the Ennedi, inhabited by populations of Gaeda, Tama and Zagawa nomadic tribes. Continue northwards along the western (and most jagged) edge of Ennedi Massif. In the gorgeous tassilli region of Bichigara witness the sandstone cathedrals of the Ennedi, separated by sandy plains and scattered dunes, an area of unrivalled beauty. Here you will see some beautiful rock art from the Bovidian period. You continue north to reach the oasis of Ouei, an important place for the Toubou clans to obtain water for their herds. Overnights are spent wild camping. (BLD)

We take the trail heading north that takes us to Kora, one of the exit gates  the Ennedi massif. The initially barren and bleak landscape becomes more appealing with small Tassili and stripes of sand. The vehicles puff and struggle in this mixed and challenging terrain. After last difficult cross of dunes of Kora we’ll cross the wild plane that exceeded the Gouro   where dunes and palm groves alternate at the foot of an imposing sandstone cliff. In this oasis it is inhabited by Toubou and represents the meeting point between Tibesti and Ennedi. Overnights are spent wild camping. (BLD)

The journey continues north where the last rocky buttresses of the Ennedi region join the southern ones of the Tibesti. A sandy corridor will take us into the labyrinth of Kozen and its impressive sandstone rock formations. Traversing the mountains, your trail takes you sometimes through natural gorges and other times across stony hills before the drive to Yebbi Bou, a typical Toubou village. Nearby, a deep canyon hosts one of the most beautiful palm groves in the region. Nights are spent in wild camping. (BLD)

Skirting across the gorges of Yebbigué, the track alternates between hard and rocky stretches to long routes into the green ‘enneri’ (wadis) of acacias and tamarisks; you head around the Tarso Voon and Tarso Toon, two imposing volcanic structures. In the Enneri Zoumri valley you will see some green oases. Bardai, situated at 1000m altitude on a ledge of striking mountains, is the main town of the region. This oasis is just emerging from many years of terrible war and starting to take its place once more as an important trading post – although small, it is the only one for hundreds of kilometres.  Overnights are spent wild camping. (BLD)

You ascend in altitude, travelling past the Oudinger Gorges until reaching a height of 2200m. At the top, the crater of Trou au Natron appears. A white surface of sodium covers the bottom of the crater and it is used as a salt pasture for the animals, accompanied there by Tubu, after a precarious descent amongst the crags. You descend on foot to the bottom, then return to meet your vehicles. The track that takes you to the plateau of Enneri Tao at 650m of height is difficult, but the sight on the horizon of the first dunes of the Erg of Bilma and, to the north, the view of the spires of Sissé, more than makes up for it. You head towards Zouar, home of the Dardai, the spiritual and traditional leader of Tubu families of Tibesti. Overnights are spent wild camping. (BLD)

You will arrive at the oasis of Zouar, residence of the Derde, spiritual and traditional leader of the Toubou families of the Tibesti. The Derde represents the highest political and religious authority among the Teda of Tibesti. You should be able to explore the village and the picturesque market before leaving Zouar to traverse rocky buttresses and enter the beautiful region of Marmar, in which isolated high rocky peaks dot the sandy soil. You are now in a magnificent desert environment characterised by beautiful dunes. After exploring this area return to the Borkou region and reach the oasis of Faya, whose palm groves are the most lush and important in the entire region. Overnights are spent wild camping. (BLD)

Your journey south starts with a crossing of around 80km’s of difficult dunes. After crossing the dunes, you  arrive at the beginning of Bahr el Ghazal where clusters of diatom fossils are present, evidence of climatic periods when Lake Chad stretched up to the southern reaches of the Tibesti. Along the Bahr you pass through the village of Kouba Oulanga, also known as the ‘depression of the acacias’. Visit the village of Salal, made up of a few houses constructed from banco arranged around an abandoned colonial fort. The track then follows the Bahr el Ghazal depression also known as the river of gazelles. Groundwater reserves here are close to the surface and as a result there is lush vegetation comprising of different acacia and palms. Take the road for Massakory crossing the savannah where herds of zebu and sheep graze. At this point you take the last part of our journey back to N’Djamena on asphalt road. Overnights camping until arrival in N’Djamena. We should arrive back in N’djamena on the evening of day 22 where day-use rooms will be available until your late evening flight out of N’djamena. Overnights are spent wild camping and day room in N’Djamena is in Irrisor Hotel or similar. (BLD)