Taken by Oliver Wright · Public domain“The Ennedi arches and the Ounianga lakes — Saharan landscapes almost nobody has seen.”
The Ennedi Massif in northeastern Chad is one of the great desert landscapes on earth — sandstone arches, labyrinths of eroded towers, the Guelta d'Archei where desert crocodiles survive in a permanent pool below cliffs stained by centuries of camel dung, and rock art across thousands of sites. It was UNESCO-listed in 2016. The Ounianga lakes nearby are freshwater in the middle of hyper-arid desert, sustained by fossil groundwater, and were listed in 2012.
Reaching either takes a week of desert driving from N'Djamena with a licensed operator, permits and a convoy. In the south, Zakouma National Park has recovered from catastrophic poaching — its elephant population fell from over 4,000 to a few hundred before African Parks took over in 2010, and it is now growing again. The security situation across the north and the Sudanese border regions is serious, and most governments advise against travel to much of the country.
Highlights
Ennedi Massif
Sandstone arches — the Aloba arch spans over 70 metres — labyrinths, and the Guelta d'Archei, a permanent pool holding a relict population of desert crocodiles. Thousands of rock art sites across the massif.
Ounianga lakes
Eighteen freshwater and saline lakes in hyper-arid desert, coloured from turquoise to deep red, fed by fossil groundwater and separated by dunes. UNESCO-listed and almost never visited.
Zakouma National Park
Southern savanna where elephants collapsed from over 4,000 to a few hundred before African Parks intervened in 2010; the herd is recovering, alongside enormous buffalo herds and Kordofan giraffe.
Lake Chad
The shrinking lake at the meeting point of four countries, its islands and fishing communities — and a basin heavily affected by conflict on the Nigerian side.
Entry requirements for Chad
Checking your passport…
We don't hold entry details for this passport group yet.
Before you fly
The detail
- Passport validity
- Most destinations want validity beyond your stay, and some want six months. Check yours against the return date.
- Onward travel
- Airlines may ask for a return or onward ticket at check-in.
- Health
- Yellow fever certificate compulsory for entry. Malaria in the south year-round. Meningitis belt. Medical facilities are very limited; evacuation from the Ennedi would take days, which is why operators carry satellite communications.
- Money
- CFA franc, pegged to the euro. Cash only in practice. ATMs in N'Djamena; nothing elsewhere. Bring euros in cash for the whole trip.
What changed
When to go
BestNov–Feb. AvoidApr–Oct.
Cool and dry; peak Ennedi season.
The band above each month is our editorial verdict - it weighs crowds, prices and access as well as weather. The line is average daily temperature, the bars are monthly rainfall. Select a month for the figures. Climate figures: ERA5 reanalysis via Open-Meteo, 2005–2024 normals.
What it costs
A day in Chad
Comfortable · sample day
≈ $140
Line items are real prices we track. The daily budget is an editorial estimate for this level, not their sum.
Where this sits among 244 countries we have costed
N'Djamena hotels are priced for the aid and oil sectors and are expensive year-round. Desert expeditions run only from November to February.
Updated Aug 2026 · Editorial synthesis — operator quotes and African Parks tariffs (2025–2026) · confidence low
Excludes international flights - they depend on where you fly from.
Regions to know
5N'Djamena
The capital on the Chari opposite Cameroon, the national museum and the Grand Marché.
The Ennedi
Arches, labyrinths, the Guelta d'Archei and rock art across the northeastern massif.
Ounianga and the Tibesti
The desert lakes, and the Tibesti volcanoes beyond them on the Libyan border — the latter effectively inaccessible.
Zakouma and the south
Savanna, recovering elephant herds, Kordofan giraffe and the wet-season floodplains.
Lake Chad and the west
The shrinking lake, its island communities and the Cameroonian and Nigerian borders — under advisory.
Practical guide
Getting there
N'Djamena International is served by Air France, Turkish, Ethiopian, Royal Air Maroc and ASKY. Land borders with Cameroon at Kousséri are used; borders with Libya, Sudan and CAR are unsafe or closed.
Getting around
Desert travel is convoy-based with operators. In the south, roads are poor and become impassable in the rains. Domestic flights are minimal. Nothing about internal movement here is casual.
Money & costs
CFA franc, pegged to the euro. Cash only in practice. ATMs in N'Djamena; nothing elsewhere. Bring euros in cash for the whole trip.
Safety
Regional advisories cover much of the country. Banditry on desert routes, spillover from Sudan in the east and from the Lake Chad insurgency in the west. Photography of official buildings and personnel is prohibited and enforced. Travel permits are required for movement outside the capital.
Health
Yellow fever certificate compulsory for entry. Malaria in the south year-round. Meningitis belt. Medical facilities are very limited; evacuation from the Ennedi would take days, which is why operators carry satellite communications.
SIM & internet
Airtel and Moov; SIM registration requires a passport. Coverage in N'Djamena and larger towns only. Operators carry satellite phones in the desert. Internet restrictions have been imposed during political events.
Driving
Self-drive outside N'Djamena is not realistic — permits, convoys, navigation and fuel logistics all argue against it. Desert travel requires an authorised operator and a travel permit issued in the capital.
Rules change - verify with an official source before you rent.
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Before you go
ChadFrequently asked questions
How do I actually get to the Ennedi?
With a licensed operator, a convoy of 4x4s, permits from N'Djamena and about a week of driving each way — or a charter flight to Fada that some operators arrange. Independent travel is not permitted and would be reckless regardless. Expect a two- to three-week trip and a substantial price.
Which areas carry advisories?
The Lake Chad basin, the borders with Libya, Sudan and the Central African Republic, and much of the north. Advice varies by government and the Sudan war has made the eastern border region far more volatile since 2023. Operators running Ennedi trips route around these areas, but check the current picture.
When can I go?
November to February only for the desert — outside that, temperatures make it dangerous. Zakouma is open roughly December to April and closes for the rains, with the best game viewing in March and April as water concentrates.