50 Difficult Places
Difficult travel landscape used for the Chad country guide

Africa

Chad

Ennedi Plateau - Saharan rock arches, prehistoric rock art, the Guelta d'Archei oasis with desert crocodiles. Zakouma National Park - one of Africa's great elephant comeback stories.

Extreme

Why It Is Difficult

Status, May 2026: Government in transition since Idriss Deby’s death; northern border with Libya tense; eastern border with Sudan absorbing refugees from the Sudanese civil war. N’Djamena and the Ennedi/Tibesti tourist corridors functioning. Foreigners are tolerated and rare.

Why It Is Worth Visiting

Ennedi Plateau - Saharan rock arches, prehistoric rock art, the Guelta d’Archei oasis with desert crocodiles. Zakouma National Park - one of Africa’s great elephant comeback stories. Lake Chad on the way out. This is one of the most striking landscapes on the continent.

Practical Travel Notes

Currency: Central African CFA. Cash. Bring USD or EUR - ATMs unreliable. Language: French + Arabic. Power: regular outages. Hotels with generators only.

Access And Logistics

N’Djamena - Grand Marche, National Museum, Gaoui Village. Lake Chad (with military escort) - Elephant Rock and Hadjer el Hamis. Fishing port of Bol best at dawn when the catch comes in. Ennedi Plateau - 7-10 day camping expedition (this is the iconic Chad trip). Guelta d’Archei, Aloba Arch, rock art sites. Zakouma National Park - March-April for elephant herds. Tibesti - pure expedition territory, currently restricted; only handful of operators access it.

Safety Considerations

Treat security as the core planning constraint. Avoid improvising routes, keep a conservative schedule, and re-check local conditions immediately before travel.

Visa Or Permit Notes

E-visa system at evisa.gouv.td reportedly operational but glitchy; many travellers still go via embassies. Embassy in Malabo (Equatorial Guinea) issues quickly: visa CFA 70,000 in one hour according to the 2024 archive report. Yaounde tries to bounce you to Douala for “approval”. LOI required. The standard provider: Yellow fever vaccination certificate is mandatory and checked.

Obfuscated Contact Leads

These archive leads are intentionally not clickable and not clean-copy formatted. Re-type them manually if a lead is relevant, and verify independently before relying on anyone.

Archive leadYves (LOI provider, Chad). plustwothreefivesixsixtwofivetwothreefoursix. USD 50 for LOI + USD 120 for a day tour. Provided LOI in 4 hours per the archive.
Archive leadAziz (Chad - N'Djamena-based driver, English speaker, ex-American oil company). WhatsApp plustwothreefivesixsixtwosixeighteightfourseven / plustwothreefivenineninenineonezerothreezerofive. Email azizmhtnouraddefatgmaildotcom. He handles airport pickups, hotel bookings (including La Residence, which doesn't accept third-party bookings any more), LOIs and local transport. Now has 7 cars sub-contracted to Steppes Travel and NGOs. EUR 100 city tour (incl. Gaoui Village + National Museum) air-conditioned 4WD; EUR 300 full day to Lake Chad and Elephant Rock with military escort. Strongly recommended.
Archive leadPiotr / Trekkup - 10-day National Day Ennedi expedition. plusninesevenonefivezerofoureightfoureighttwothreeeight, email trekkupatyahoodotcom. Dubai-based, popular adventure operator.