Day 1 – N’Djamena
Arrive in N’Djamena and transfer to the hotel. Depending on when you arrive you may have time to explore the city. Overnight Hotel Mercure or similar.
Days 2-3 - Abeche
Begin our journey by heading east from N’Djamena, towards the city of Abeche. Travel through a Sahelian landscape of small villages through the region of Guera, with its interesting markets and isolated granite peaks, stopping en route where possible. Overnight camping. (BLD)
Days 7-8 - Borkou
From Abeche head north, through the villages of Arada and Biltine en route to Kalait. We stop here to shop in its busy market, then continue into a Saharan landscape populated by Gaeda, Tama and Zaghawa people. At the northwestern edge of the Ennedi massif, we reach the region of Bichagara with its incredible sandstone structures and rock paintings; we should also see nomadic groups with their livestock as we travel further into the desert. Overnight camping. (BLD)
Days 7-8 – Emi Koussi – Birni Erde
We head further north on the way to Emi Koussi, crossing dunes and passing palm groves and small settlements, and travelling through a region known as Kouroudi, studded with magnificent tassili rock structures. This is a particularly beautiful area with some of Chad’s most picturesque scenery, dotted with small Tubu villages. We continue towards Emi Koussi and skirt the base of the volcano, the highest mountain in the Sahara. Overnight camping. (BLD)
Days 9-11 - Emi Koussi – Birni Erde – Yebbi Bou
We explore Emi Koussi and its surrounds, looking for prehistoric rock art, enjoying magnificent scenery and following the course of an old waterbed, the Enneri Miski. We stop at sites of interest along the way, exploring the region on foot and by vehicle, and visit the well of Birni Erde, where a small population of Tubu live nearby. Continue to Yebbi Bou, a small village of Teda Tubu. Nearby a deep canyon is home to one of the prettiest palm groves in the region. Overnight camping. (BLD)
Days 12-13 - Zoumri – Bardai
Following the Yabbigue gorges our route takes through diverse landscapes, from harsh rocky terrains to lush wadis with acacia, tamarisk and other vegetation, and we travel past Tarso Voon and Tarso Toon, two of the Tibesti’s dead volcanoes. In the valley of Zoumri we pass oases, settled by farmers, and continue to the town of Bardai. Bardai is the principal settlement in this part of the Tibesti and an important trading centre for the nomadic groups that populate the area; it is also one of Chad’s most attractive towns, nestled amidst pretty palm groves. Overnight camping. (BLD)
Days 14-15 - Trou au Natron
Climbing higher we travel past the gorges of Oudinger until we reach the Trou au Natron, a vast crater with huge deposits of sodium on its floor. This provides a vital source of salt for local people and their animals and we may see groups of Tubu grazing their animals and gathering salt here. We descend to the bottom on foot to explore the crater in depth before moving on. Overnight camping. (BLD)
Day 16 - Zouar
Drive up to the Enneri Tao plateau to be greeted by views of the erg of Bilma, a vast sand sea stretching far into Niger, and the mountain of Sisse to the north. From here we head to Zouar, another of the Tibesti’s small towns and traditionally the home of the Dardai, loosely the leader of the Teda Tibesti. Overnight camping. (BLD)
Days 17-19 - Marmar – Faya
After refuelling in Zouar we drive to the region of Marmar, with its high rocky peaks contrasting with the surrounding sands. This area of the Tibesti is characterised by beautiful sand dunes, which we traverse on the way to Faya, the ‘capital’ of the Tibesti region. Overnight camping. (BLD)
Days 20-21 - Salal – Moussoro
We make our way south, crossing the formidable Erg du Djourab, a vast sea of sand that effectively isolates Faya. Making our way into the Bahr el Ghazal region we traverse vast plains, often covered in yellow grass, a remnant from the rainy season. The people that live here are from a number of different groups – Fulani, Keraida and Kanembou among others. The landscape starts to change from desert to a mixture of savannah and sahel. From Salal we head west, onwards to Moussoro and our last night in the bush. Overnight camping. (BLD)
Day 22 - N’Djamena
Return to the capital. The landscape is far more populated now, with small villages and decent roads showing us that we have completely left the Sahara behind. We should arrive at N’Djamena in the afternoon, where day use rooms are available for a welcome shower, before heading out for a final dinner and transferring to the airport for your flight home. (BL)
Please note
This itinerary is provided as a guideline – the nature of Saharan travel means that it is not always possible to stick rigidly to a day-to-day itinerary and you should be prepared for slight changes to this when necessary
Included in price:
- Airport transfers
- Accommodation – as listed in the dossier. The nature of the destinations that we operate may sometimes mean that we need to change hotels, but we’ll always endeavour to keep the same standards. Please be aware that as we operate in many countries where tourism is in its infancy, hotel standards may not be the same as you’re used to elsewhere.
- Guides – In most cases you will be accompanied by one guide from start to finish. However there may be occasions when this is not practical, for example if your trip covers a number of different countries. In these cases it often makes more sense to include different guides for each place, to take advantage of their specific knowledge of the destination.
- Meals – As listed within the itinerary / dossier (B-Breakfast, L-Lunch, D-Dinner).
Entrance fees – Entrance fees are listed for those sites that we mention within the itinerary. If there are any other sites that you’d like to see, these would be at your own expense.
Not included:
- Visas
- Airport taxes
- International flights
- Travel Insurance
