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Desert · 18 days

Complete Chad: Ennedi and Zakouma

Eighteen days crossing the country north to south: the desert, then the savannah and its elephants.

Duration
18 days
Group size
4–10 travellers
Difficulty
Demanding
Distance
≈ 3,420 km

From€6,450per person

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The most complete journey in our catalogue: both faces of Chad in a single crossing. We begin with the Ennedi and its rock-art heritage, come back down through Abéché and the Ouaddaï, then enter the Sudanian savannah of Zakouma to finish with the elephants.

Two worlds, two climates, two ways of travelling — and the rare sense of having genuinely crossed a country.

Highlights

  • The Ennedi massif and the Archei guelta
  • The Aloba Arch and the Terkei frescoes
  • Abéché and the Ouaddaï sultanate
  • Four nights in Zakouma National Park
  • The elephant herd and the Rigueik pans

Our journeys

Upcoming departures

Provisional calendar — dates and availability are to be confirmed with the agency.

The route

N'Djamena → N'Djamena

N'DjamenaAbéchéKalaitFadaGuelta d'ArcheïArche d'AlobaTerkeiAbéchéAm TimanZakoumaRigueikMongoN'Djamena

18 days

Day-by-day itinerary

  1. Day 1

    N'Djamena

    Arrival in N'Djamena

    Welcome, hotel, trip briefing and, timing permitting, a visit to the National Museum.

    HotelDîner

  2. Day 2

    480 km

    East to the Ouaddaï

    Tarmac east via Bokoro, Mongo and Oum Hadjer. Across the Guéra and its granite domes.

    CampPetit-déjeuner, déjeuner, dîner

  3. Day 3

    Abéché

    320 km

    Abéché

    Arrival in the former capital of the Ouaddaï sultanate. Old town, market, palace remains. Last major resupply before the desert.

    Hotel or campPetit-déjeuner, déjeuner, dîner

  4. Day 4

    380 km

    Biltine, Arada, Kalait

    North through Wadi Fira. The Sahel fades, the reg begins. Camp near Kalait.

    CampPetit-déjeuner, déjeuner, dîner

  5. Day 5

    Fada

    300 km

    Fada, into the Ennedi

    Arrival in Fada, formalities and fuel. First outing into the nearby formations at day’s end.

    CampPetit-déjeuner, déjeuner, dîner

  6. Day 6

    Guelta d'Archeï

    Archei guelta

    Walk to the black pools, desert crocodiles from the viewpoint, the constant traffic of herds coming to drink.

    CampPetit-déjeuner, déjeuner, dîner

  7. Day 7

    Arche d'Aloba

    Aloba Arch

    Drive to the arch and camp at its foot. Sunset on the sandstone, then a star field with no light pollution at all.

    CampPetit-déjeuner, déjeuner, dîner

  8. Day 8

    Terkei

    Terkei and rock art

    A day in the painted shelters: Bovidian frescoes, older engravings, superpositions. Reading the four periods of Saharan art.

    CampPetit-déjeuner, déjeuner, dîner

  9. Day 9

    Oyo

    Oyo labyrinths

    Walk in the sandstone corridors, side shelters and engravings. Camp in the heart of the maze.

    CampPetit-déjeuner, déjeuner, dîner

  10. Day 10

    Last day in the massif

    Free exploration to the group’s taste: the Lyre Arch, the Elephant Rock, or a return to a favourite site.

    CampPetit-déjeuner, déjeuner, dîner

  11. Day 11

    Abéché

    560 km

    Down to Abéché

    A long return leg south via Kalait, Arada and Biltine.

    Hotel or campPetit-déjeuner, déjeuner, dîner

  12. Day 12

    Am Timan

    400 km

    Into the Salamat

    South via Am Dam and Haraze. The landscape changes completely: wooded savannah replaces steppe.

    CampPetit-déjeuner, déjeuner, dîner

  13. Day 13

    Zakouma

    120 km

    Into Zakouma

    Into the park and check-in at Tinga lodge. First game drive in the late afternoon.

    Tinga LodgePetit-déjeuner, déjeuner, dîner

  14. Day 14

    Zakouma

    The elephant herd

    A full day seeking the great herd, exceptionally tight-knit since the poaching years.

    Tinga LodgePetit-déjeuner, déjeuner, dîner

  15. Day 15

    Rigueik

    The Rigueik pans

    Pre-dawn start. Thousands of crowned cranes, rafts of pelicans, marabous — and the large mammals coming to drink.

    Camp NomadePetit-déjeuner, déjeuner, dîner

  16. Day 16

    Zakouma

    Kordofan giraffe

    Last drives in the park: Kordofan giraffe, lion, buffalo, roan antelope and tiang.

    Camp NomadePetit-déjeuner, déjeuner, dîner

  17. Day 17

    Mongo

    400 km

    Back through the Guéra

    Out of the park and a long road north-west via Mongo.

    CampPetit-déjeuner, déjeuner, dîner

  18. Day 18

    N'Djamena

    460 km

    Return to N'Djamena

    Final leg via Bokoro and Massaguet. Farewell dinner and airport transfer.

    Petit-déjeuner, déjeuner, dîner

What's included

  • Transport in equipped Toyota Land Cruiser 4×4 with driver-mechanic
  • Chadian French-speaking guide (English on request)
  • Cook and camp crew
  • Full board throughout the itinerary
  • Camping equipment: tent, mattress, table and chairs
  • Unlimited mineral water
  • Travel permits and site entrance fees
  • Satellite phone support and first-aid kit

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

Les sites traversés

Natural siteUNESCO

Guelta of Archei

The most famous guelta in the Sahara: a narrow canyon whose black water, stained by camel dung, shelters an isolated population of desert crocodiles.

Geological formationUNESCO

The Aloba Arch

One of the largest natural arches on earth: a sandstone span 77 metres wide and close to 120 metres high.

Rock artUNESCO

Terkei

A vast set of caves and shelters once inhabited, whose walls carry some of the finest Bovidian paintings in the Ennedi.

Historic town

Fada

Capital of Ennedi-Ouest and the launching point for every exploration of the massif.

National park

The heart of Zakouma

3,054 km² of floodplain savannah, a herd of over 600 elephants and one of the last Kordofan giraffe populations.

Natural site

The Rigueik Pans

At the end of the dry season, thousands of crowned cranes, pelicans and marabous gather on these pans — one of Africa’s great bird spectacles.

Complete Chad: Ennedi and Zakouma

From €6,450 per person

Enquire about this journey