Tour Overview
| Duration | 16 Days / 15 Nights |
|---|---|
| Destination | Chad — Ennedi Massif, Ounianga Lakes, N’Djamena |
| Price From | $4,995 per person (twin share, 3-4 pax per vehicle) |
| Tour Style | Full Expedition — Sahara Desert Overland |
| Best Season | November — February |
| Data Source | Kumakonda / Tchad Évasion — 2026 |
Itinerary Highlights
Days 1-2: N’Djamena — Faya-Largeau
Arrival in N’Djamena. Day 2: fly to Faya-Largeau, a historic oasis town in northern Chad that was once a key stop on trans-Saharan caravan routes. Visit the old fort and markets. Meet your expedition team: drivers, cook, and Toubou guides. Overnight in Faya.
Days 3-8: Ennedi Massif — Sandstone Cathedrals of the Sahara
Six days exploring the Ennedi Massif (UNESCO World Heritage), one of the Sahara’s greatest natural wonders. This vast plateau of eroded sandstone has been sculpted by wind and water over millennia into an otherworldly landscape of arches, pillars, towers, and labyrinthine canyons. Key sites:
- Guelta d’Archei: The most iconic site — a permanent waterhole in a deep canyon where camel caravans stop to drink, and where a relic population of West African crocodiles (desert-adapted, surviving since the Sahara was green 10,000 years ago) still lives
- Aloba Arch: One of the world’s largest natural arches — taller than the Arc de Triomphe
- Terkei Cathedrals: Towering sandstone formations resembling Gothic cathedrals, glowing red and gold at sunset
- Ancient Rock Art: Thousands of petroglyphs and paintings depicting giraffes, elephants, cattle herders, and hunters from when the Sahara was a green savanna — a visual record of 8,000 years of climate change
- Bachikele Canyon: A narrow slot canyon with towering walls
Camp under the clearest night skies you’ll ever see — zero light pollution, the Milky Way blazing overhead. Days involve moderate 4×4 driving between sites and hiking through canyons and arches.
Days 9-11: Ounianga Lakes — Sahara’s Turquoise Mirage
Drive to the Ounianga Lakes (UNESCO), a chain of 18 interconnected lakes in the heart of the Sahara — an impossibly blue, life-sustaining miracle in one of the driest places on Earth. Fed by fossil groundwater from a wetter era, the lakes support fish, birds, and date palm groves tended by the Ounianga Kébir and Ounianga Sérir communities. Swim in one of the freshwater lakes. Hike to viewpoints for panoramic views of turquoise water surrounded by golden dunes. Visit a local village to understand how these communities have survived in such an extreme environment. Three nights camping at the lakes.
Days 12-15: Tibesti Mountains (Optional Southern Approach)
If conditions and security permit, approach the southern fringes of the Tibesti Mountains — Africa’s highest desert peaks. Visit the Trou au Natron, a massive volcanic caldera. Otherwise, explore the Mourdi Depression and the transition between Ennedi and the great sand seas. Drive back toward Faya-Largeau with cultural stops at remote oases.
Day 16: Return to N’Djamena — Depart
Fly back to N’Djamena. Day room for rest and shower. Transfer to international airport. You’ve experienced some of the most remote, spectacular, and least-visited places on Earth.
Inclusions
- 15 nights (hotels N’Djamena + expedition camping)
- All meals and drinking water
- Toyota Land Cruiser 4×4 (3 pax per vehicle)
- Experienced Toubou guides & driver team
- Professional expedition cook
- Quality camping equipment (spacious tents, camp beds, sleeping bags)
- Satellite phone for emergencies
- All park and UNESCO site fees
- Internal flight N’Djamena-Faya return
- Chad visa support
