TCHAD
A vast, forbidding desert at the crossroads of North and Central Africa, Tchad is rarely visited by tourists. And yet this barren landscape is exquisite in its ‘splendid isolation’, its topography hugely varied and packed with hidden wonders that bear witness to a fascinating past. More than nine thousands years ago when Tchad was a land of abundant grasslands and wildlife, human settlers took advantage of its position on the trans-Saharan trade routes. Productivity and trade flourished while empires rose and fell over millennia. An exploration of this terrestrial ocean is guaranteed to set all senses tingling as the past reveals itself in tantalising fragments.
EXPLORING THE DESERT
Piero Ravà fell in love with the desert on an overland trip in 1975. Soon after, he formed Societé de Voyages Sahariens (S.V.S.) and began leading expeditions to Niger, Algeria, Libya and Tchad. Nearly five decades on, his sons Rocco and Tomaso, together with their team of passionate expedition leaders, continue to explore and discover.
Based in Kenya, Tropic Air Helicopters is a diverse company best known for aerial filming, wildlife conservation and bespoke expeditions to Africa's wildest and most remote regions. Over the past 20 years, Tropic Air’s clients have experienced pioneering trips to Ethiopia's Danakil depression, spent nights under the stars by the shores of Lake Turkana and even landed atop the active Virunga volcanoes.
With the Sahara too compelling to ignore, Tropic Air joined forces with S.V.S. in 2018 to create rare desert encounters in Tchad. The result has been truly extraordinary. Every trip to this remarkable land has been a voyage of discovery, the experience of working together tethering us to a future of further discovery.
This trip to Chad is characterized by flying to incredibly remote places, landing by insane features and taking the time to walk around and explore the areas. Time really does slow down in an area like this, with no connection to the outside world.
THE ENNEDI
WARDA CAMP
The Warda Camp is situated in the Ennedi Massif, a spectacular region known to many as a 'Garden of Eden'. Its unique geographical features have been sculptured over time by water and wind into a spectacular plateau with canyons and valleys, and hundreds of natural arches, spires, pillars and columns, rising 1,450 meters, from the deserts of the Sahara that surround it on all sides. The camp is located at the heart of Ennedi, it is the ultimate base to explore the desert.
In the middle of this plateau, it’s possible to see Barbary sheep, Dama gazelle, baboons, striped hyenas, fennec foxes, and little gerbils. Patas monkeys live close to camp, and at night, all sorts of things come out. Only a short while ago, giraffes and cheetahs also found refuge here.
Whilst at Warda, we typically leave camp after breakfast with a packed picnic lunch. We return to camp in the early afternoon for a siesta and then head out for a short evening sundowner flight. During an excursion we make several landings to explore the surroundings and take short walks.
EAST ENNEDI
The East of Ennedi has several natural archways including the second highest natural archway in the world, Aloba Arch; 120 meters tall and 75 meters wide - surpassed only by Shipton’s Arch in China. The massive sandstone structure was initially hollowed out by ancient streams, and polished over centuries by sand storms.
We will land at the Gaguele Canyon, a beautiful white sandy gorge lined with thick doum palm forests, the ideal location for a walk and a picnic lunch.
NORTH ENNEDI
The rock art of this region, one of the major reasons to visit it, leaves more questions than answers. Everywhere is evidence of human life: from the paintings on the cliffs and in the caves to the scattered primitive tools and weapons. There are two distinct types of rock art in the Ennedi: first, etchings, where the artist has scratched his impressions into the rock, as found at Niola Doa, where eight-foot-tall, patterned fat-bottomed women curve their way around the cliff face, and Anoa, where you find beautiful bovine depictions.
Second are the paintings, the best example of which is at Erdebeche, where you will see rhinos and giraffes, hunters and general scenes of abundance racing across rocky canvases. There are also sites that show a slightly different side to the time - images more shamanic in nature, with figures sporting mushroom heads or dog faces, people drawn as half man, half animal. Specific styles and ‘schools of art’ become evident as you traverse the area, as does the spiritualism and reverence held by these long-lost ancestors of ours. Some of them date back 8,000 years - galaxies of history contained in one sweeping depiction of a giraffe, an eland, a cow.
Together with thousands of painted images found in the mountainous Ennedi Plateau it makes up one of the biggest collections of rock art in the Sahara.
We will continue on to the Guelta Maya, an ancient desert oasis. It is 40 meters wide, fed from aquifers believed to be over 4,000 years old. Life thrives in these fresh waters. Set deep, with a rocky overhang at the top of the canyon that limits evaporation, Guelta Maya has never yet dried up.
WEST ENNEDI
On the fringes of the Ennedi, we stop to look at the burned tanks of the Battle of Bir Kora, also known as the ‘Toyota Wars,’ when the Chadian forces repelled Gaddafi’s army using only Toyota Land Cruisers. This dates back to 1987 when the last phase of the Chadian-Libyan conflict took place here, in which Libya was heavily defeated, in their efforts to resolve a 1935 border dispute. These vestiges of a harrowing past are revealed and hidden in turn by the shifting sands of the desert: 50 were lost in the battle, but only 10 show at any one time. Entire tanks are swallowed up and spat out, time and again, by giant moving dunes.
Part of Borkou desert region is made up of with countless arches, most unnamed. The Anoa Arch is the most iconic with 3 openings, the largest of which is 55 feet high.
ENNEDI MASSIF TO TIBESTI
As we fly from the Ennedi Massif across the Mourdi depression to the Tibesti Mountains we will fly over a spectacular Gueni Metorite Crater, in the northern sector of the Ennedi. We will stop for coffee at Mayar, a huge desolate dune field before continuing on the vast Ounianga Lakes.
The lakes are the ‘Jewel of the Sahara’. Islands in a sea of sand, 18 interconnected lakes in the Ounianga region to the west of the Tibesti Mountains in the heart of the Saraha Desert, are relics of a single, much larger lake occupying the basin some 10,000 years ago. In 2012 they received UNESCO World Heritage status. The lakes are divided into three groups – the Ouniaga Serir series with 6 lakes, the Ounianga Sérir group with 11 lakes, and Lake Motro which stands alone. The total surface area of the lakes is about 20 square kilometres with the largest being Lake Yoa.
All the lakes, except one (Lake Teli) are fresh water. These lakes form a hydrological system that is unique in Earth’s deserts.
Ordinarily lakes in these arid conditions with exceptionally high rates of evaporation would be saline, but the underground aquifer is supplied to the lakes keeping them fresh, and evaporation is surprisingly low due to the thick layer of reeds on their surfaces. The perfect place to take a dip.
TIBESTI
TIBESTI CAMP
Fly north to your private mobile camp set up by Saharan experts SVS in the Tibesti region of northern Chad. The region is run by clans and tribal leaders, and our expeditions are only possible due to the long-standing relationship between them and the Rava family. Piero and Marina, set up a desert tour company - Société de Voyages Sahariens - back in the seventies and have been passionate advocates for its allure ever since.
Delving deeper into Chad’s northwest, Tibesti is a combination of volcanic rock and sandstone: a 380 kilometers long mountain range made of tarsos in various states of decay, and the highest point in the Sahara. There is still life in these rocks though: you will find craters with bubbling mud, others with hot springs and some salt mines. Three times the size of Switzerland, it is mostly devoid of people, but a sense of energy pulsates through the atmosphere.
Excursions in the Tibesti are usually longer than those in the Ennedi, starting with a dawn wake up, early breakfast and taking a packed picnic lunch. You will usually return back to camp mid afternoon, and spend the rest of the afternoon in camp.
NORTHWEST TIBESTI
The Northwest of Tibesti is dotted with endless dramatic mountains and valleys, with big tall canyons and numerous little river crossings. The Tarso Toon, Taro Voon and Tieroko are fantastic walking destinations.
We will drop down to the Tarso Toon, a strato-volcano that lies in the central Tibesti mountains, it is 2,575 metres high and stretches 20 kilometers across. It also features a massive caldera. Here we walk for a couple of hours, experiencing the views and vastness of the landscape on foot, with no sign of people.
Within this mountainous region we may come across the rare Barbary sheep, these sheep populations have declined drastically over the years due to hunting for their skins, meat, and sinew.
NORTH TIBESTI
As we leave camp and head up through Kozen and the digital valley, we will enter a unique and captivating environment, with endless incredible landscapes with orange sands surrounded by eroded hills and formations.
The presence of ancient Rock Art sites within the Tibesti Mountains is particulary intriguing. These paintings and engravings provide a glimpse into the past, depicting wildlife, hunting scenes, and offering insights into a time when the area had a completely different environmental condition. The most famous are Karnashai, Ouri and Fofoda. The Karnashai art style is regarded as the most elegant, beautiful style, very different to what we will have encountered in the Ennedi regions. This rock art is a masterpiece of the Sahara, in one of the most difficult places to reach in the entirety of Africa.
Exploring village sites and discovering artifacts like ancient pottery and hand tools provides a tangible connection to the people who lived in these areas centuries ago. It's a reminder of the rich history and human presence that has shaped the land over time.
Further north along the river valleys you will spot compass graves, these are large stone rock canes, with a unique tear drop shape, orientated towards the East. These burial sites offer an insight into the beliefs and practices of the past. Some are as long as 80 meters, adding a layer of mystery and significance.
The final stop is the spectacular Mount Moskobe, offering panoramic views of the North.
WEST TIBESTI
The flight in the West of Tibesti is characterized by long dramatic canyons, all the way to the Emi Koussi. The Emi Koussi is a shield volcano that lies at the southeast end of the Tibesti Mountains. It was summited in 1938 by Wilfred Thesiger, and marks the highest point of the Sahara. Its crater is an impressive 12 miles wide and 4,000 feet deep.
We will fly into the volcano and land in its crater. Exploring the salt flats before flying back up to land on the rim of the volcano, a perfect spot to relax for lunch.
This leg of your journey is all about the nature, with enormous terrain features dominating the scene. The lack of human presence in this desolate region only emphasizes the raw beauty and untouched quality of the landscape.