Ennedi – Amazing Sahara Safari Adventure

Arrival in N’Djamena. Transfer to hotel, overnight and breakfast.

Beginning of the expedition: The first few kilometres will be on asphalt on the northbound road which connects N’Djamena, via Bahr el Gazal, to the important oasis of Faya.

Reaching the large village of Massaguet, we’ll continue east through authentic Sahelian Africa with numerous villages and markets. Pass the settlements of Ab Toyour, Bitkine, Mongo and Oum Hadjer through the beautiful and lively region of Guera, punctuated by its granite peaks and headquarters of some of the richest markets in Chad.

The village of Ab Toyour is dominated by the vast granite peak also known as ‘Vulture Mountain’.

After stopping for pictures and still on the asphalt road we arrive in Abeche, the ancient capital of Chad, nowadays the capital of the Ouaddai region and one of the country’s most important commercial centres.

From Abeche, we finally run out of asphalt and take the northbound dirt road towards the village of Biltine. After the small village of Arada, the scrublands of the Sahel gradually change to desert.

Drive through the typical GOZ of the region, death dunes covered with low vegetation. There’s an end to farming, and we start to see the nomadic and semi-nomadic herders instead.

We reach Kalait, a true Saharan tradeing crossroads and head north.

Now we are deep in the desert region, on the southern borders of Ennedi, inhabited by populations or Gaeda, Tama and Zagawa, semi-nomadic farmers.

Enter the dramatic Massif towards the Wadi Archei – a gigantic green riverbed with hydrographic direction North-East / South-West, lined and bordered by a magnificent series of sandstone tassillian formations which look much like crenelated castles and cathedrals due to erosion by wind and sand. The wadi , which winds for about thirty kilometers, ends in a huge, verdant and rocky amphitheater.

This is the beginning of the gorges of Guelta, a permanent water point where you’ll find Toubou nomads watering their herds of camels.

As a major water source and hub of life for millenia, this is the location of the last living specimens of Saharan crocodiles (Cocodrilus niloticus), once common in ancient times but now remaining only here in isolation.

The whole of the Archei region is a landscape of unforgettable beauty, with many cave paintings in natural rock shelters, drawn by unknown ancient cultures.

On reaching the track between Monouand Fada, we’ll head north as far as Fada, prefecture of the Ennedi and characteristic Saharan village. The little houses are clustered around the old French colonial fort and the small, but animated, market. The town is situated in a verdant oasis with numerous date-palms.

Once having made all the bureaucratic formalities – sometimes very long – we can begin to start crossing Ennedi massif At first proceeding along a slow sandy and stony track leading to the Mourdi, a wide region of cordons of dunes and isolated mountainous groups.

Continuing in a north/north-east direction, we overcome some difficult dune cordons of the Mourdi, following the ancient caravan route that connected the salt-pits of Ounianga region (Demi, Teguedei and Ounianga) to the southern Chadian villages and the northern Libyan oasis.

We continue northward until we reach the Eyo Demi, a reddish sandy formation; at its feet rises the homonymous village, composed of a few palms and poor houses made of sand. The inhabitants, situated in such a wild and inhospitable location, survive on their extraction and trade of “red salt”. Using a very rudimentary method of extracting the salt from the open-air salt-pits, drying it and then selling it to the caravans which take it to the southern oases. The traders then exchange the salt for millet and sorghum.

We’ll see the caravans as we make our way along the track.

From Demi we turn west, to the Ounianga Serir, passing through Teguedei, a palm-grove inhabited seasonally for the date harvest, as the small silos made of sand and stones, show.

In Teguedei we see the first lake of the Ounianga region, situated in a sandy basin surrounded by palms and rocky scenery comprised of multicolored sandstone.

Skirting the Nabar falaise, we reach the first lakes of the Ounianga Serir oasis. The landscape here is incredible: lakes surrounded by palm-groves that spring up from the sand, rocky formations of multicolored sandstone from the white to the red and golden dunes that descend to the water. This has to be one of the most amazing landscapes in the Sahara.

The water is fresh and comes out of the sand but, because of the salty soil, the lakes are very salty with several densities and colours – from blue to green, respectively more and less salty.

We’ll spend the whole day here making excursions on foot along the sandy banks and the palm-groves with the opportunity of a bath in the lakes.

From Ounianga Serir we head north to reach Ounianga Kebir where, after visiting the famous two-coloured Lac Katam, and Lac Yoa (the largest in the region), we’ll visit the village with its small but well-stocked local market.

Once we’ve completed the last bureaucratic formalities we head south to Kora, one of the entrance gates to 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 the final tricky dunes of Kora we’ll make good progress across the plain of Ouei to the magnificent sandstone cathedrals of Bichagara -stone islands on the western border of the Ennedi massif, also known their numerous cave paintings.

Eventually we reach the great track – a major supply route which runs along the Ennedi up to Kalait.

Now following the natural course of the Oued Achim, we are in a wilderness area which is full of wildlife. This environment suits desert adapted creatures such as dorcas gazelle, bustard, hyena and jackal. Keeping an eye out for wildlife we follow the desert plateaus that will lead us to the intersection with the Barh El Ghazal near the village of Koro Toro. The environment here is almost devoid of settlements except the few tents of the nomadic Arabs who live by farming and collecting wild grasses. For Westerners it’s a way of life which is scarcely understandable.

You will now enter and follow the Bahr el Ghazal – river of the gazelles, ancient emissary of Paleochad – and will follow it south.

Finally entering the Kanem region. We should arrive in N’djamena where there are day-use rooms available for a shower.

In the late evening transfer to the airport. (Additionally extra nights in N’Djamena can be arranged for those who wish to relax after their desert adventure)