Soul of Sahara | Expedition to Ennedi, Chad

Chad, officially known as the Republic of Chad, is a landlocked nation in the north-east of Africa. Home to around 12 million inhabitants of different ethnicities, it is a place where cultures converge across three climate zones of the Sudan, Sahel and Sahara regions.

Buried deep in the heart of the Sahara Desert is the Ennedi Massif – a UNESCO World Heritage Site famed for its sandstone mountains and unique rock formations. Spanning 50,000km, the Ennedi Massif continues to provide much needed shelter for the inhabitants, the flora and the fauna of this region – and has done for millennia.

Here natural beauty and biodiversity come together to form some of the largest sandstone arches on the planet. And hidden among them are natural springs, known as gueltas that house the endangered West African Crocodile, while also serving as a life source for flocks of Barbary Sheep, herds of camels and generations of nomadic people since time immemorial – all while the Barbary falcons swirl overhead above the lofty sand spires.

The spectacularly unique landscape of the Ennedi Massif was formed by millions of years of erosion, and it is the permanent underground waters of this plateau that sustain such a rich ecosystem. With thousands of paintings engraved on the rocky surfaces of its caves and canyons, this region offers up one of the largest rock art collections in the Sahara to tell an ancient story.

Experts estimate some of the oldest rock art in this region dates back to the repopulation of the Sahara at the end of the last ice age – about 10,000 years ago! And because of the sheer volume of the paintings and engravings in this area, it has been possible to reconstruct, decipher and map out not only the daily lives, cultural and economic values of our Saharan ancestors, but also form a perspective on the main stages of the climate and environmental change that took place here.

The landscape of the Ennedi Massif is, in a word, breathtaking. The silhouettes of the cliffs, rock formations and tassilis plateaus set against a backdrop of glistening golden sand dunes in some parts, and forest covered valleys in others, offers a symphony of contrasting beauty.
With one sweep of the eyes, you are transported from dizzying heights to the depths of narrow gorges, and from immense desert plateaus to refreshing water basins, framed by delicate and imposing natural stone arches.

A sanctuary of calm and beauty, the Ennedi Massif is a magical kingdom that has stood the test of time. And standing proud as one of the last remaining biodiverse ecosystems in the world’s largest desert, the Ennedi Massif is a testament not only to the existence of our prehistory, but also a real snapshot in time of life during the ‘green Sahara’ era.

Let's go!

DAY 1: N'Djamena

Meet at the airport for the Ethiopian flight via Addis Ababa to N'Djamena. After the immigration process and police registration, take a quick look at the capital city. Tonight, we will stay at a city hotel.

DAY 2-3: N'Djamena – Moussoro – Road to Kalait

Leave the city toward Moussoro and continue to a desert camp in the village of Kalait. The road leads north across the alluvial plains of Lake Chad, passing small Sahelian settlements with villages, mud huts, and markets that offer a glimpse of simple African life.

Make a short stop for supplies before continuing to Massakory, which marks the end of paved roads and the start of true off-road ride. The landscape gradually transforms into the semi-desert of the Kanem region, with acacia trees and sandy tracks along the dry Bahr el Ghazal riverbed.

Arrive in Moussoro, a small town serving as a key stop for fuel, surrounded by semi-arid zones where nomadic Arab and Kreda families tend to their camel and cattle herds, a testament to the harsh yet resilient Saharan lifestyle.

Pushing onward through sometimes challenging sandy pistes, we head to Bathandjenna, a nomadic meeting point with numerous wells and herds of camels grazing on marginal pastures. If lucky, we will spot wild Dorcas gazelles or fennec foxes. The scenery becomes increasingly arid, with isolated tents replacing villages.

Welcome to Kalait, a bustling Saharan crossroads and market hub for the region, where we set up our desert camp amid the emerging sandstone formations signaling the approach to Ennedi. Overnights are in mobile tent camps, with meals prepared by our team under the stars.

DAY 4: Kalait – Guelta Bachikélé – Ennedi

Our first stop in the village of Kalait is a market for last minute supply pickup before heading into the Ennedi mountains. Here, we will spend our time exploring numerous sandstone rock formations carved by wind and erosion to create unreal shapes. We will also visit several rock art sites with works overhead depicting cows, camels, and warriors. If time allows, we will pass by an ancient burial site in the Tubu territory. First, we reach the Ennedi Guelta of Bachikélé, a water source differing from others with clean waters from a permanent spring, surrounded by abundant vegetation, palm trees, and fruits that feed local baboons.

Here, we will meet indigenous inhabitants - nomads, passing small groups of tents as we spot them on their way to pasture with their camels or drawing water from wells.

The landscape in this region is truly spectacular, and we will camp in one of the prettiest areas in the Ennedi mountains in the northeast, known for its all shades of red. This is one of Africa’s most unexpected areas, with natural arches and isolated deep gorges.

DAY 5: Ennedi – Rock Formations and Arches

Today, we head to the Arch of Julia, an imposing and inexplicable structure carved by wind and sand into a magical setting, followed by the enormous Arch of Aloba, one of the world’s largest at 120 meters high and 77 meters wide, where wind creates challenging circuits. Nearby stands the Five Arch, a stunning cluster of five natural bridges.

DAY 6: Ennedi – Labyrinth and Rock Art Exploration

As we delve deeper into Ennedi’s hidden gems, we start with the labyrinth of Oyo, a maze of wadis bordered by sandstone mountains with yet another set of fantastic shapes, as we cross sinuous passages and precarious pinnacles. Next is the rupestre peintes of Terkei, one of the richest Saharan cave art sites featuring Neolithic depictions of animals like giraffes and elephants, shepherds, warriors, and enigmatic "flying" horses. Continue to Wimina, a site with additional prehistoric rock art echoing ancient narratives of daily life and culture.

DAY 7: Guelta d'Archei – Trekking Guelta - Kalait

Today’s highlight is undoubtedly the Guelta d’Archei, the only permanent waterhole in the region, situated amid a dramatic and towering gorge. Here, we will see possibly up to 600 camels quenching their thirst as their bellowing echoes bounce off the rock walls.

The guelta is also home to one of the last populations of the Saharan crocodile, which live in small waterholes. Reduced to a population of around only 10, no young Saharan crocodiles have been seen for years, leading to speculation that the population is either entirely male or female and headed for extinction soon. With a bit of luck, we should be able to spot them.

As we head out of Ennedi, we stop back in Kalait before heading south. The landscape changes back through a more typically African setting, with settled villages and mud huts replacing the camel hair tents of the Tubu.

DAY 8: Kalait – Moussoro

The drive leads southwest through the Bahr el Ghazal wadi, that drains into Lake Chad during rare floods. This region is part of the Kanem prefecture, where archaeological sites have yielded human remains from 7 million years ago. Passage includes areas with acacia stands and low vegetation supporting wildlife such as jackals and fennec foxes, with Chad's total mammal count at 134 species. Nomad camps of Kreda groups, who form the largest subgroup in Bahr el Gazel, appear along the track, often near wells providing water from aquifers. Arrival in Moussoro, the capital of Bahr el Gazel province, to refuel.

DAY 9: Moussoro – N'Djamena

The final stretch of 230 kilometers head south on a mix of tracks and paved sections through Sahelian zones in the Chari-Baguirmi region, passing sparse settlements. The route borders areas affected by Lake Chad's shrinkage, which has reduced from 25,000 square kilometers in the 1960s to about 1,500 today, impacting local fishing communities. Arrival in N'Djamena in the afternoon will mark the end of our Sahara-Sahelian expedition. Overnight in a hotel.

DAY 10: Return

It is time to bid farewell to Chad and head back to the airport for the return flight home.

Level:
Easy, however it is a journey to the heart and soul of Africa, area with limited facilities.

Activities:
Trekking, off roading, immersion of Saharan and Sahelian cultures, experiencing one of the simplest life on the planet.

Duration: 10 days

Accommodation & meals:
2 nights in the hotels in N'djamena - double sharing and mobile camping. Meals included except meals during transfers.

Specifically excluded:
E-visa, restaurant meals on transfers, entry fees if any, insurance.

Cost: 2350 EURO + flight approx. 4,950 AED. Cost valid until FEB 28.

Requirement:
Comfortable shoes, camping equipment, head lamp, hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, sleeping bag, disposable plates and cutlery, gifts for tribes.

Visa:
E-visa for all passports.

Yellow Fever Certificate is required for entry to Chad.

This is a travel to malaria endemic region, prophylactics is compulsory for all participants.

Expect:
Real, raw Africa! Limited facilities with shower only every other day, lifetime experience with indigenous African tribes, waking up to sound of villages, stunning landscapes, tons of smiles but also striking poverty - share your t-shirts! Come back home with high appreciation of your life.

See yah in Chad xx

Trekkup Crew

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