Tibesti / Chad

[andrasz]

Originally Posted by Fastship

What is your opinion on the possibilities to cross the Libyan border to the north?

Officially I'd say chances are pretty slim. You need travel permits issued in N'Djamena and I think you would need a pretty good story (or very deep pockets) to get approval to travel anywhere close to the border. However I'd be more concerned about who/what I find on the other side, rather than how to get across the dotted line only marked on a printed map.

As we all know, with experience and good local contacts you can get to pretty much anywhere in the Sahara as long as you don't advertise your presence and intentions. I know someone who was repeatedly in the Dohone (Libyan part of the Tibesti) organizing things from the South, and I believe he did not bother with paperwork...

If you have any more specific questions, you can contact me through my website.

[andrasz]

In the past couple of weeks I have been sitting over books, maps and articles (plus Google Earth), planning a more ambitious journey to the Tibesti for the next year. Our target will be the amazing rock art sites in the Ouri depression (Korossom, Karnasahi, Fofoda, etc.), which are very little known but are among the most important prehistoric paintings of the Sahara. The plan is to do a camel supported trek of about 180 kilometres to get in to the area:
Eastern Tibesti, Chad - February 2015

[andrasz]

Our January expedition to the incredibly remote (even by Saharan standards!) Ouri Plain along the Eastern side of the Tibesti Mountains was one of the ultimate desert experiences. The objectives were primarily to see the magnificent rock art of the region, but in doing so we have crossed some of the most grandiose and untamed landscapes of the planet. I have uploaded the first part of our trip account, updates will follow:

Tibesti Expedition, Chad - January-February 2015

[priffe]

Nice tree

[ursula]

Dear Andras - thanks a lot for sharing this great Expedition

Ursula

[andrasz]

Added another update over the week-end:
Tibesti Expedition, Chad - January-February 2015

[andrasz]

Trip account now complete.
Tibesti Expedition, Chad - January-February 2015

[andrasz]

Just back from another great trip to Chad, this time to the Ennedi. A quick preview of photos here while the trip account is in the works:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...6435853&type=3

[Wanted]

Originally Posted by andrasz

Just back from another great trip to Chad, this time to the Ennedi. A quick preview of photos here while the trip account is in the works:
https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?...6435853&type=3

Just for curiosities sake, if one were travelling around Africa via motorcycle and wanted to stop in Chad simply for the sake of going there, what would be your top recommendations? As far as I know, its a given that it is considered a dangerous country, maybe in some parts more than others. Without trying to discourage what could make a great trip if done with a bit of planning, what would you suggest in regards to entry points, and a little bit of exploring without getting beheaded or land mined?

[andrasz]

Wanted,

The problem with a DIY Chad trip on any number of wheels is that it is pretty much a dead end. At present the only open route is via Cameroon, the Lake Chad route to Nigeria/Niger is BH country and you would not be permitted to go anywhere near. CAR, Sudan (Darfur) and Libya are all busy with an ongoing civil war, and again you would not be permitted to go anywhere near the border (and you would be rather unwise to cross in any case). Even the Cameroon route is rather dodgy, it is uncomfortably close to the BH hideouts in Nigeria.

The interior of Chad itself is pretty quiet and peaceful at the moment (save for the Lake Chad area), but there is occasional banditry along the main roads in the south, and traveling solo is not the best idea. You need to have an 'Authorisation de Circuler' issued in N'Djamena in any case, and while technically it is possible to obtain it for independent travel, you need to have a good story. Usually it is issued to agencies.

Both the Ennedi and the Borku-Tibesti regions are beautiful, one of the finest (and at present most accessible) Saharan landscapes, but they are a mighty long way to go, if you need to go back again via Cameroon. You need to have a local guide in both places, primarily to keep you off mined areas, and also to facilitate your 'protection' (yes, that mens handing out cash to the right people), to arrange fuel and anything else necessary (there are no fuel stations, and especially in the Tibesti you need to have a pre-arranged supply along your planned route).

[Wanted]

Thanks for the reply man,

What a shame that such beautiful parts of the world are just too dangerous due to such stupid reasons. Some of these militants really need to chill lol. Maybe one day eh

[roro]

I've found this on Le Monde:

"Un Français enlevé au Tchad, annonce le Quai d’Orsay
Le Monde | 23.03.2017 à 13h53 • Mis à jour le 23.03.2017 à 15h25



Le ministère des affaires étrangères français a confirmé, jeudi 23*mars, l’enlèvement d’un Français au Tchad, sans donner de précision sur son identité. «*Nous sommes mobilisés avec les autorités tchadiennes pour parvenir à la libération de notre compatriote*», écrit le Quai d’Orsay dans un communiqué.
De source militaire tchadienne, le Français a été enlevé tôt ce matin dans la zone de Goz Beida, près de la frontière avec le Soudan, par des hommes venus en pick-up et à moto, sans qu’il y ait pour l’instant de piste claire sur les ravisseurs.

En savoir plus sur [url=http://abonnes.lemonde.fr/carte/#K7egwd69VMUPPbSZ.99]Carte anim

[nickt]

Thanks for the info roro. Here's an English translation.


"Frenchman abducted in Chad, announces the Quai d'Orsay
Le Monde | 23.03.2017 at 13h53 • Updated on 23.03.2017 at 15h25

The French foreign ministry confirmed Thursday (March 23rd) the kidnapping of a Frenchman in Chad, without giving any details about his identity. "We are mobilized with the Chadian authorities to achieve the liberation of our compatriot," wrote the French Foreign Ministry in a statement.

A Chadian military source says the Frenchman was abducted early this morning in the area of ​​Goz Beida, near the border with Sudan, by men coming in pick-up and motorcycle, without there being at the moment a clear track on the kidnappers.

[url=http://abonnes.lemonde.fr/carte/#K7egwd69VMUPPbSZ.99]Carte anim

[gvdaa]

Good to know Goz Beida is in the south of Chad, not in Ennedi or Tibesti!

[andrasz]

Always thought the FCO managed to get it all wrong. Never felt uncomfortable in the red North, but was always glad to leave the Abeche road which is 'only' yellow.


We had a rather difficult but very successful trip to the Ouri Plain in the Eastern Tibesti in February, will get to the trip account eventually as soon as I've cleared the pile of backlog.