Day 1
N'Djamena
Arrival in N'Djamena
Welcome and hotel transfer. Briefing on the park and the game-drive programme.
HotelDîner
Safari · 9 days
Zakouma Safari
Nine days in the most accomplished park in Central Africa, when wildlife concentrates on the last pans.
- Duration
- 9 days
- Group size
- 2–8 travellers
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Distance
- ≈ 1,720 km
From€3,980per person
Enquire about this journeyZakouma at the end of the dry season is one of the continent's great wildlife spectacles — and one of the least visited. The elephant herd, rescued from poaching and back above 600, often moves as a single block. Kordofan giraffe, lion, buffalo and roan antelope are all there. And on the Rigueik pans, crowned cranes number in the thousands.
We travel by road, via Mongo and the Guéra, which lets you see Sahelian Chad before entering the Sudanian savannah.
Highlights
- The herd of over 600 elephants, often moving together
- Kordofan giraffe, among the last in the world
- Bird concentrations on the Rigueik pans
- Four nights inside the park, in lodge and seasonal camp
- The granite domes of the Guéra on the way
Our journeys
Upcoming departures
Provisional calendar — dates and availability are to be confirmed with the agency.
27 December 20264 January 2027
2 places leftGuaranteed departure€3,980
Enquire about this journey6 February 202714 February 2027
5 places left€3,980
Enquire about this journey13 March 202721 March 2027
Meilleure période — la faune se concentre sur les dernières mares
1 place leftGuaranteed departure€3,980
Enquire about this journey3 April 202711 April 2027
Dernier départ avant la fermeture du parc
6 places left€3,980
Enquire about this journey
The route
N'Djamena → N'Djamena
9 days
Day-by-day itinerary
Day 2
Mongo
460 km
The Guéra road
A long leg via Massaguet, Bokoro and Mongo. The granite domes of the Guéra rise from the Sahelian plain — the Pic de Guéra reaches 1,613 m. Night in Mongo.
CampPetit-déjeuner, déjeuner, dînerDay 3
Zakouma
280 km
Into the park
Down into the Salamat and into Zakouma. Check in at Tinga lodge. First drive in the late afternoon, as animals move to the water points.
Tinga LodgePetit-déjeuner, déjeuner, dînerDay 4
Zakouma
Finding the herd
A full day in the field. Zakouma’s elephants form an exceptionally tight-knit herd and often move together: finding them takes patience, but the sight of several hundred animals on the move is rare.
Tinga LodgePetit-déjeuner, déjeuner, dînerDay 5
Rigueik
The Rigueik pans
Pre-dawn departure for Rigueik. At the end of the dry season the pans gather thousands of crowned cranes, white pelicans in tight rafts, marabous and saddle-billed storks — one of Africa’s greatest bird gatherings.
Camp NomadePetit-déjeuner, déjeuner, dînerDay 6
Zakouma
Giraffe, lion and large mammals
Morning and evening drives seeking Kordofan giraffe — the park holds around a thousand — plus lion, buffalo, roan antelope and tiang. Rest and reading through the heat of the day.
Camp NomadePetit-déjeuner, déjeuner, dînerDay 7
Am Timan
120 km
Am Timan and the Salamat
Morning drive, then on to Am Timan, capital of the Salamat. Market and town life, on the edge of the floodplain.
CampPetit-déjeuner, déjeuner, dînerDay 8
Mongo
400 km
North again
A long return leg via Mongo and Bokoro, across the Guéra and the Batha.
CampPetit-déjeuner, déjeuner, dînerDay 9
N'Djamena
460 km
Return to N'Djamena
Final leg to the capital. Free time, farewell dinner and airport transfer.
Petit-déjeuner, déjeuner, dîner
What's included
- Transport in 4×4 with driver-guide
- Lodge and camp accommodation inside the park
- Full board
- Morning and evening game drives with a park guide
- Zakouma National Park entrance fees
- Unlimited mineral water
What's not included
- International flights to N'Djamena
- Chadian visa and processing fees
- Travel, repatriation and cancellation insurance (mandatory)
- Alcoholic drinks
- Tips for the team
- Personal expenses
Sites & heritage
