Untamed Tibesti

N’Djamena

Formerly known as Fort Lamy, Chad’s capital sits on the banks of the Chari River facing Cameroon and is the largest city in the country. Founded by the French at the turn of the 20th century, it has grown from a town with a population of around ten thousand in the 1930s to something approaching a million now.

Over the years it has seen its fair share of conflict, largely destroyed during the civil war of the 80s and stormed by rebel forces in 2008. Its wide boulevards were once flanked with trees, but these were cut down to deprive attackers of covers, and only in recent years did its dusty streets become paved.

Rather devoid of traditional sights, N’Djamena is home to a large and sprawling central market which is interesting to explore, and also contains the National Museum with a collection of prehistoric artefacts from the surrounding area. It is also the most ethnically diverse place in Chad, with people from both the southern and northern ethnic groups as well as Lebanese, European and more recently Chinese populations.

Abeche

Abeche is the capital of Ouaddai province, the seat of an ancient sultanate that once played an important part in Saharan trade, linking tropical Africa to the slave markets of Tripoli. Captured by the French in 1909, it is today the fourth largest city in Chad and has been a base for international aid efforts to assist the refugees from neighbouring Darfur. Despite its history there is very little to see in Abeche but the markets make for an interesting walk.

The Tibesti Mountains

The mighty Tibesti Mountains straddle northern Chad and southern Libya and lay claim to being the highest range in the Sahara desert. The name Tibesti means ‘where the mountain people live’ and the range is home to the Teda group of Tubu, most of whom live in the main settlements of Zouar, Aozou and Bardai.

The independent spirit of the Tubu and the geopolitical situation in the region has complicated the exploration of the range as well as the ascent of its peaks, and for a long time this area was considered out of bounds, but it is now possible to visit the mountains – possibly the most remote and least explored area of the whole desert. The Tibesti are volcanic in origin and its highest peak – Emi Koussi, at 3415 metres – is a giant volcano with a huge central crater.

Other volcanoes in the range include Tarso Toon and Tarso Yego, also very impressive. Like the Ennedi, the Tibesti are home to a good number of rock carvings, many of which depict wildlife that has long since vanished with the drying up of the Sahara. The Tibesti is, however, wetter than much of the Sahara and harbours some interesting species, including Barbary sheep, gazelle, cheetah and jackals. The German Gustav Nachtigal was the first European to explore, albeit with great difficulty, the Tibesti in 1869. While Nachtigal provided an accurate description of the population, his account discouraged any new adventure into the Tibesti for over 40 years, as he was convicted by the Tubu of spying and only released after some time.

The Tubu

The Tubu people make up the bulk of the population in Chad’s northern desert regions, and are something of a Saharan legend. Reputedly the toughest desert dwellers of all, there are numerous stories of their prowess in eking a living out of such an unforgiving place, including one that involves a warrior making his way over 500 miles of desert with little more than a handful of dates and a goatskin of water.

The Tubu are split into two main clans – the Teda, based in the Tibesti, and the Daza who are based in the Ennedi and the plains. Their spiritual leader is the Dardai, the leader of the Teda, but in practice, the Tubu are highly individualistic and their principal allegiance is to the sub-clan or family group. Ties between clans are strengthened by the practice of marrying from a different clan, as well as trading camels.

The Tubu are also something of an ethnic conundrum, with dark skin but almost European features, and while researchers have yet to come to any sort of definitive conclusion the current best guess is that they are descended from both Berbers to the north and Bantu Africans to the south. Spread between Niger, Libya and Chad they total around 200,000 in number and were the last group to be ‘pacified’ by the French colonial authorities – even after independence the French were asked to stay on and maintain order in the Tubu regions, as they were thought to be almost ungovernable.

During the war with Libya Tubu forces fought on both sides, both with and against Gadaffi. Traditionally the Tubu have been nomadic, moving to find pasture for their livestock – although most still follow traditional ways, some have settled in towns like Fada and Faya. Based in some of the farthest regions of the Sahara, traditionally they have had very little contact with outsiders and as a consequence can be quite wary of visitors – in particular, they are averse to photography and so we ask that you respect this and follow your tour leader’s guidelines to avoid any problems.

Please note: the trek to the bottom of the Trou au Natron is optional. Although achievable for people of moderate fitness it involves several hours of walking over rough tracks, with some steep ascents and descents, and you should be confident of your fitness to do this. However, if you do not want to do this, then it is possible to remain with the vehicles and drivers at the crater rim – there are stunning, and changing, views from the rim throughout the day.

Faya Largeau

One of the most isolated towns in the Sahara, Faya – often known as Faya Largeau, a nod to the French colonial period – is the capital of the Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti region, a huge swathe of northern Chad that is largely populated by the Tubu. The main occupation here is agriculture and the town is surrounded by large palm groves, while small-scale farmers eke an existence from the desert sands. In a strategic historic position linking the cities of the Fezzan to the empire of Kanem Bornu to the south, Faya changed hands several times during the war with Libya, and evidence of the conflict is not hard to find in and around the town. It is now home to a small and symbolic detachment of French troops, who have long maintained an involvement in this area of Chad even after independence.