Day 1 – N’Djamena
Arrive in N’Djamena and transfer to the hotel. Depending on when you arrive there may be time to explore, or you can simply relax at the hotel and prepare for your adventure. Overnight Hotel Ibis or similar.
Day 2 – Durbali
We drive to the region of Durbali, through the Sahel, to join the Wodaabe people in their celebration of the Gerewol festival. Overnight camping. (BLD)
Days 3-7 – Gerewol Festival
These days are spent staying amongst a Wodaabe community and witnessing the rituals and ceremonies of their annual Gerewol festival. Due to our excellent relations with the local Wodaabe sultan, we are welcomed as guests amongst these incredibly friendly people, and have the opportunity to see one of Africa’s most fascinating cultural encounters, unchanged for centuries and with very few traces of modernity.
We can expect to see traditional singing and dancing, and perhaps some horse racing. Young Wodaabe men daub themselves with extravagant and colourful makeup, feathers and traditional jewellery to ‘display’ to young women – the Gerewol is an elaborate mass courtship ritual and truly one of the most fascinating ceremonies you can see in all of Africa. Dances generally take place during the morning and evenings, and can last well into the night, with people coming from far and wide to take part and watch.
Unlike the festival in Niger, this has maintained its traditions largely intact, and makes no concessions to the outside world. We have plenty of time to visit the various camps dotted around the landscape and learn about Wodaabe culture. The Wodaabe are an open and curious people and we are made to feel very much at home in a completely authentic community. You should be prepared for the fact that this is not a ‘non-stop’ festival and during the middle of the day, the Wodaabe are generally resting in preparation for the evening’s festivities, which gives us a great opportunity to meet the various families camped here. On the afternoon of Day 7 we reluctantly leave the Wodaabe and start to make our way back towards N’Djamena. Overnight camping. (BLD)
Day 8 – N’Djamena
We return back to N’Djamena and prepare for the next part of the journey. Overnight Hotel Ibis or similar. (BL)
Day 9 – N’Djamena
Today we visit N’Djamena’s National Museum and take a short excursion to the nearby village of Gaoui, known for its traditional painted houses. Overnight Hotel Ibis or similar. (B)
Days 10-13 - Abeche - Kalait
Head 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. From Abeche we continue north, and the landscape starts to become more arid as we approach Kalait, one of the main settlements on the approach to the Ennedi Mountains. Overnight camping. (BLD)
Days 14-15 – The Ennedi Mountains
We stop first in the village of Kalait to shop in its busy market, then drive into the majestic Ennedi Mountains. We spend our time exploring their numerous rock formations – made of sandstone, the wind and sand have eroded them into weird and wonderful shapes.
Days 16-17 – Fada – Mourdi
We drive down from the plateau to Fada, the only real town in the Ennedi, where we need to complete formalities and stock up on supplies before heading northwards. From here we head back into the wilderness, climbing onto a plateau of red rocks before descending to the last rocks of the Ennedi. From here we enter the Mourdi Depression, an area of vast sand dunes that can be difficult to traverse but are incredibly beautiful. We follow the ancient caravan route that is still used by camel caravans taking salt from Demi and Teguedei to Fada and beyond. Overnight camping. (BLD)
Days 18-19 – Demi – Teguedei – Ounianga Lakes
We visit the small village of Demi, located at the foot of a mountain and on the edge of a salt pan, where men and women dig the red earth for salt to be transported across the desert to market, exchanged for goods like millet, sorghum and other foods. This is an incredibly isolated settlement and completely reliant on the trade.
Day 20 – Kora
We then head south, crossing dunes and entering an area that saw fighting during the war with Libya – in some places the remnants of tanks and other military hardware can be found, slowly being reclaimed by the desert. The dune crossing can be tough in parts and we can expect to get out and push. Time permitting we may be able to stop at small oases en route, and we camp tonight on the outskirts of the Ennedi. Overnight camping. (BLD)
Days 21-22 - Kalait – Salal - Moussoro
Reluctantly we leave the Ennedi, stopping first at Kalait to again pick up supplies. The people that live in this region are from a number of different groups – Fulani, Keraida and Kanembou among others. Wildlife around this region is good, and you can expect to see dorcas gazelles as well as jackals, bustards and perhaps the pretty fennec fox. For much of the route we follow the dried up riverbed of the Bah el Ghazal where remains of the oldest known hominid have been found. We set up camp each night in the middle of the wilderness, with no-one else for miles. Overnight camping. (BLD)
Day 23 - N’Djamena
Continue westwards. 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
Please note that due to the nature of the terrain that we travel through, this itinerary may be flexible and overnight stops will very much depend on how much distance has been covered each day.due to the nature of the terrain that we travel through, this itinerary may be flexible and overnight stops will very much depend on how much distance has been covered each day.
Please note that due to the nature of the terrain that we travel through, this itinerary may be flexible and overnight stops will very much depend on how much distance has been covered each day.
Important: Please note that the exact date of this festival is usually determined around June each year, when the Wodaabe elders have decided upon the best time to hold it. The Gerewol festival is held around the end of September (at the end of the rainy season) and so the precise date of this trip may move by a couple of days either side. You should not book flights until this date has been confirmed by us.
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
