Chad

Eternity in an incredible desert 

At first side Chad could not seem a perfect travel destination; known for its endless Sahelian extensions and difficulties to travel (few roads are paved, temperatures are extremely hot in summer etc) however the country holds some surprises. Boat rides on Lake Chad or strolls along the shady streets of the southern towns where the dusty landscape, fed by small rivers, offers unexpected green scenes resulting in a quasi-tropical break. 

The best destinations – the otherworldly desert landscapes of Ennedi and the teeming wildlife of Zakouma National Park are definitely world class and not to be missed by Africa lovers. The best moment to travel to Chad is between November and April. 

As the situation throughout Chad is extremely fragile Middle-Africa only offers trips to the South part of the country and mostly in combination with the North of Cameroon.

1. The years of war and the lack of infrastructure have kept this country away from the tour operators and is therefore a virgin destination yet to be discovered.
2. Chad is home to one of the most spectacular desert areas of the world. The Sahara desert and the Ennedi Tibesti, in a mountainous area, are full of wonders.
3. The negative effects of globalization seem to have passed by vast areas of Chad and in many villages one can still find the taste of the past, the mythical Africa. 
4. Several nomadic ethnic groups, which include the Fulani and Teda, continue moving through the Chadian territory with its vast herds. Contemplating one of these millenarian movements of animals and people is an impressive spectacle. 
5. The adobe architecture of the farmers who inhabit the shores of Lake Chad and the Logone River remains unknown but truly one of the great cultural wealth of Chad. Examples are the villages of Excel Kotoko with conical huts of the Massa and Musgum. 
6. Zakouma National Park is located in south central Chad. It hosts large numbers of animals (elephants, giraffes, hippos, lions, cheetahs, ostriches, antelopes and large numbers of interesting birds) It is a true natural paradise. The European Union helps manage and protect Zakouma, due to its fragility. 
7. One can find people known as “Sara”, of Sudanese origin. They are very tall and dark and still decorate their faces and bodies with spectacular tattoos of significant ethnic symbolism. 
8. The cave engravings/drawings of the massifs of the Saharan Tibesti are an invaluable heritage of mankind and show a Sahara full of animals, vegetation and slender dark-skinned people tattooed. 
9. Lake Chad is the last large area of water left in the Sahara desert. The Buduma tribe, which inhabits the shores of this lake, still produces papyrus canoes with dry stems, as they did in ancient Egypt. 
10. Despite political instability, and the negative influence of the war in Darfur in neighbouring Sudan, Chad has a clear desire to normalize its situation and start to appear in the mental maps of travellers in love with the authentically Africa.