Sahara – Ennedi & Lake Ounianga Discovery 15Days/14 Nights

Upon arrival at the N’djamena you’ll meet our guide and driver to welcome and later transferred you to Hotel La Residence for overnight.

Breakfast and registration of passports at the immigration office, departure after the return of passports.
We leave the city behind, heading eastwards through Massage and Massakory, where the tarmac road disappears. The landscape starts as a mixture of savannah and Sahel, becoming arider as we progress, the vegetation becomes scarce and we traverse vast plains often covered in yellow grass, a remnant from the rainy season. Wildlife around this region is good, and you can expect to see Dorcas gazelles as well as jackals. 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, away from anyone where you will spend the next three days.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch , Dinner

The highlight for the next 3 days in undoubtedly the Guetta d’Archei, the only permanent waterhole in the region situated amidst a dramatic and towering gorge, where one can often see hundreds of camels drinking, their bellowing echoing around the rock walls. The Vuelta is also home to one of the last populations of Saharan crocodiles, and with a bit of luck, we should be able to see them. The Ennedi Mountains In the northeast of Chad lie the stunning Ennedi Mountains, a red sandstone massif that has been sculpted into a multitude of fascinating rock formations by the wind and sand over the millennia.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Today you can participate in optional trekking to get to the crocodile observation point (medium difficult)return at noon for lunch at the camp before exploring, the landscape in this region is truly spectacular and we pick our campsites in the prettiest areas. , we will make our camp in Abaike ‘enjoying exceptional panorama views.

Meals. Breakfast Lunch &Dinner

We drive down from the plateau to Fada, the only 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. Rom, 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 the Fada and beyond .we’ll spend the next 2 days in a tented camp

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

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. Nearby is the salt lake of Teguedei, situated amidst lush palm groves and seasonally inhabited for the date harvest – one can also see piles of salt drying on the shores of the lake. From here we head to the lakes of the Ounianga oasis. Emerging from the desert this is a spectacular site – lakes surrounded by dunes and palms with multihued mountains behind them. Back to the camp for overnight.

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch Dinner

The lakes themselves are different in colors, a result of the minerals in the ground as well as algae. We explore the lakes, visit the village of Ounianga SerirWe also stop in the town of Ounianga Kebir for supplies and formalities. Until recently this was a critical hub on the trade route with Libya, but that country’s troubles have reduced traffic to a trickle. The Ounianga Lakes Recently declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the Ounianga Lakes have to rank amongst some of the Sahara’s finest scenery. All are fed by freshwater springs, but in all but one the salty soil that the water filters through means that they are saline. There are a number of lakes spread between the small settlement of Ounianga Serir and the larger ‘town’ of Ounianga Kebir, including twin lakes adjacent to each other with different colors. Overnight will be at the camp
Meals: Breakfast Lunch, Dinner

We leave the Lake Ounianga 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

Meals: Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Reluctantly we leave the Ennedi, stopping first at Kalait to again pick up supplies. We then head south on a different route, traveling through a more ‘African’ landscape, with settled villages and mud huts replacing the camel hair tents of the Tubu. We pass through the towns of Arada and Biltine before reaching Abeche, the largest town we have seen since N’Djamena. From here we head west – the lands here are more populated and we expect to see more people, and traffic, on our journey back. Abeche is the capital of Ouaddai province, the seat of an ancient sultanate that once played an important part in Saharan trade, linking tropical Africa to the slave markets of Tripoli

Meals. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner

Through the beautiful and lively region of Guera, with its granite peaks and home to some of the richest markets in Chad will be a stop at the village of Ab, a dominated homonymous granite peak also known as “vultures Mountain” We arrive N’Djamena! transfer to the hotel Residence for overnight.
Options
Visit the village of Gauri, the sultan’s house, the Sao civilization museum, and handcrafted ceramics. Option valid only for travelers departing on the 18th day.

Meals. Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner