Tour To The Gerewol Festival In The Central Sahara

Flights

Scheduled flight from/to Frankfurt to N’Djamena and back with Turkish Airlines or another airline in Economy Class

Meals

Mahlzeiten: 18×F, 18×M, 17×A

Transport

alle Fahrten in Geländewagen

Guide

DIAMIR-Reiseleitung

Accommodation

17 Ü: Zelt 1 Ü: Hotel im DZ

Others

Camping equipment excl. sleeping bag Cook and cooking utensils Drinking water during the entire trip All entrance fees as per program

Not included:

Others

Meals and drinks not mentioned Visa (approx. 100 €) Entry taxes approx. 15,50 € Tips Personal items

Optional

Insurance

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Day 1 Day 1: Arrival
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 1: Arrival

Flight from Germany to Chad. Arrival in N’Djamena and transfer to the hotel. Overnight stay at the Radisson Blu Hotel N’Djamena.
Day 2 Day 2-3: N`Djamena - Moussoro - Kalait
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 2-3: N`Djamena - Moussoro - Kalait

After breakfast, you leave the capital and head north. After several road blocks and toll stations, you leave the busy urban rush hour traffic behind you. Shortly after the last permanent concrete buildings on the outskirts of N’Djamena, the first mobile tent camps of large nomadic clans with their herds of cattle appear by the roadside. In Massakory, you say goodbye to the asphalt road and begin your off-road adventure in the Sahel. You follow the wadi of the Bahr-El-Ghazal (Gazelle River) along sandy tracks until shortly before Moussoro. You leave your camp and continue through the magnificent desert landscape of the Batha region. Here at the latest, the saying "living desert" is confirmed: gazelles keep appearing not far from the convoy and seem to challenge the vehicles to a race over the dunes. Desert melons with their long, flat branches span large areas of sand like a net. And with a bit of luck, you may even spot a fennec, the desert fox with its characteristic triangular ears. You arrive at the gates of Kalait in the early evening. Spend 2 nights in a tent.
Day 3 Day 4-7: Kalait - Ennedi Massif - Wadi Archei
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 4-7: Kalait - Ennedi Massif - Wadi Archei

The day begins after breakfast with a short visit to Kalait. Once known as Oum Chalouba, the town in the middle of the Fada region has a long military tradition. The remains of old clay forts are silent witnesses to France’s former colonial territorial claims and are still used as a base by the Chadian military today. While your drivers refuel the vehicles and prepare them for the onward journey to the Ennedi massif, you will have time to visit the small local market. It is also worth making a detour to the local well, which supplies thousands of camels and small livestock with water every day. A truly magnificent spectacle! In the afternoon, you will reach the western foothills of the Ennedi and thus the gateway to the Ennedi massif. The first impressive rock formations and their exploration give you a foretaste of the days ahead, where you will explore the spectacular border region of the geographical meridional plains on short hikes and drives with the four-wheel drive vehicles. Here you will repeatedly encounter the semi-nomadic Gaeda, Tama and Zagawa ethnic groups. Experience the bizarre beauty of the sandstone desert with its gorges cut deep into the rock in the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Fada Archei. In the Guelta d’Archei, probably one of the most famous watering holes in the Sahara, you will meet Toubou nomads who water their large herds of camels here. The precious water is fed from a huge underground reservoir in the Nubian sandstone. With a bit of luck, you may spot some of the last Saharan crocodiles here. (walking time approx. 90 min). In addition to the "mountains of madness", there are also numerous prehistoric cave paintings from Terkei and Manda Gueli, which make the region so unique and are silent witnesses to thousands of years of settlement history. 4 nights in a tent.
Day 4 Day 8: Wadi Archei - Fada - Mourdi Valley
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 8: Wadi Archei - Fada - Mourdi Valley

After the last few days away from civilization, you first head for Fada, the capital of the Ennedi region, in the morning. Fada is a characteristic Saharan town on the Ennedi plateau, with houses lined up around the small but lively market. Use the necessary refueling stop for a walk through the narrow streets of the merchants’ quarter before setting off to cross the impressive Mourdi depression. The region of the same name is characterized by extensive sandy areas and isolated mountain ranges. The drive takes you over countless crescent dunes. You will reach your camp at the foot of the Mourdi Depression in the late afternoon. Overnight stay in a tent.
Day 5 Day 9-10: Demi Salt Pans - Ounianga Desert Lakes
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 9-10: Demi Salt Pans - Ounianga Desert Lakes

Today’s first stop is the Demi salt pans. The local population here lives from the trade in "red salt", which is transported to the oases in the south via a network of caravans. From Demi, you follow a dirt road to Ounianga Serir and cross Teguedei - a palm grove that is only inhabited seasonally. The landscape here is second to none: deep blue lakes surrounded by palm forests, sandstone formations of different colors and dunes that reach down to the lakeshore. But by the time you jump into the cool and wonderfully refreshing waters of Lake Bokou, you will have arrived in the bizarre reality of this unique and diverse desert region! Over the next few days, you will explore the flora and fauna of some of these salt and freshwater lakes, which are among the most recent UNESCO World Heritage Sites, on foot and by off-road vehicle. 2 nights in a tent.
Day 6 Day 11-12: Ouninaga - Erg Du Djourab - Kalait
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 11-12: Ouninaga - Erg Du Djourab - Kalait

Today you leave the Ounianga Lakes and slowly start your return journey south. Over the next two days, you will cross long, sandy gorges that lead into the large plains of the Erg du Djourab. It soon becomes clear why Erg can also be translated as a sea of dunes: hundreds of crescent dunes line up as far as the eye can see and are reminiscent of a sandy rollercoaster ride - not as fast, but at least as spectacular! On day 12 you reach Kalait again, where you can replenish your provisions and fuel. Spend 2 nights in a tent.
Day 7 Day 13-15: Abeche - Oum-Hadjer - Mongo - Bokoro - Dourabli
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 13-15: Abeche - Oum-Hadjer - Mongo - Bokoro - Dourabli

As you leave the Sahara, you are greeted again by the increasing vegetation of the Sahel zone. Around midday you reach Abeche, the capital of the Wadai region. The fourth largest city in Chad was once an important trading center and a hub for many caravans for centuries. Until 1850, the city was also the capital of the Wadai kingdom. After the off-road journeys of the last few days, a well-developed asphalt road awaits you from Abeche, which ensures rapid progress. On your onward journey, you will cross the mountainous Guera region. Again and again, bizarre rock monoliths rise up to the left and right of the route, which once served as retreats for the Hadjerai who lived here. The Hadjerai are an ethnic group who, as farmers and hunters, have established a sophisticated economic system and in many places still supply markets with everyday goods. You reach Dourbali in the late afternoon of day 15. Here you will meet your Wodaabe guide for the coming days and drive to the place where "everything" meets. Scattered nomad camps appear here and there between acacias and thorny bushes. You also set up camp nearby. Overnight stay in a tent.
Day 8 Day 16-18: Gerewol Festival In Rainbow Colors
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 16-18: Gerewol Festival In Rainbow Colors

With the awakening, the first warriors will probably already be busy preparing, and the first faces will be covered in red ochre. Before the ceremonies, the young men spend hours putting on their decorative clothes and traditional jewelry. Most of the time, however, is taken up by the elaborate make-up work: red dots, white dots, black lipstick, floral patterns and elaborate hairstyles with feathers. Everything has to be perfect, as each of the men not only wants to go home with his beloved at the end of the festival, but also to be crowned one of the most beautiful men of the festival. The women sit in the shade of the trees, watching the action, looking after the children and milking the cows. At dusk, the graceful dance ceremonies and songs begin with torches and campfires and continue throughout the night. For the Wodaabe, this festival is also one of the few opportunities to meet family members who live further away. After midday on the 18th day, you drive back to Dourbali. 3 nights as on the previous day.
Day 9 Day 19: Drive To N’Djamena And Return Journey
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 19: Drive To N’Djamena And Return Journey

Dourbali is one of the most important hubs in the Sahel region and, depending on the time, you will have the opportunity to explore the lively market bustle on a walk. You will then drive back to the capital. In the late afternoon, transfer to the airport and return journey to Germany. Day room at the Radisson Blu Hotel N’Djamena.
Day 10 Day 20: Arrival
12:00 am - 11:59 pm

Day 20: Arrival

Arrival in Germany.

21 days tour

To The Gerewol Festival In The Central Sahara

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Itinerary of your trip To The Gerewol Festival In The Central Sahara

Day 1: Arrival

Day 2-3: N`Djamena - Moussoro - Kalait

Day 4-7: Kalait - Ennedi Massif - Wadi Archei

Day 8: Wadi Archei - Fada - Mourdi Valley

Day 9-10: Demi Salt Pans - Ounianga Desert Lakes

Day 11-12: Ouninaga - Erg Du Djourab - Kalait

Day 13-15: Abeche - Oum-Hadjer - Mongo - Bokoro - Dourabli

Day 16-18: Gerewol Festival In Rainbow Colors

Day 19: Drive To N’Djamena And Return Journey

Day 20: Arrival

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