Chad is a landlocked country in the heart of Africa, seldom visited by foreigners and almost unknown to the tourism industry. A savage civil war kept the country more or less closed for 30 years, but nowadays it is reasonably safe and easy to travel around, except for the northern regions around the Tibesti Mountains, where rebel activity is still going on.

My friend Javier Cachafeiro (with whom I travelled to Mauritania in 2004) and I organized a trip in January 2006 to drive across the country from N’djaména (the capital) to Zakouma National Park, then south-west into the Cameroon border. As with Mauritania, it wasn’t a strictly birding trip, although thanks to Javier’s patience I had a chance to see a good number of species, mainly in Zakouma (see Birdlist).

Lance riders near Béreguit

We flew with Air France Madrid-Paris-N’djaména (the capital of Chad), where we rented a Toyota Land Cruiser with driver through the agency Tchad Voyage (see address list below). From N’djaména we drove to Zakouma, then to Sarh and Moundou, and to Guibi where we crossed into Cameroon. There we visited the Mandara Mountains around Roumsiki, in the Extreme Northern province. After a few days we crossed the border back to Chad and flew back home from N’djaména.

A 4-wheel-drive vehicle is absolutely essential, since most of the roads are unpaved, and even in the dry season they can get very rough, especially in the south. It is also sensible to have an experience local driver to take care of the car should any problems arise, either mechanical or with the authorities (although this never happened; only in Cameroon were we harassed by the police on the road). Renting a car is expensive in Chad: we paid €150 per day, plus gas (€1 = 656 CFA francs). In order to circulate around the country, a Government permit is mandatory. It can be obtained at the N’djaména main police station, but is best done through an agency. French is the only widely spoken language throughout the country.

Javier practices his African patience

Although we were repeatedly warned by foreign residents about the many dangers of the country, we never had the slightest annoyance, either in the capital or on the road. Local authorities were friendly and easy-going, and we never even had to show our passports. At most road checkpoints we were simply waved through with a smile. We didn’t find any Western travellers in Chad, which probably explains why begging or chasing foreigners for a “cadeau” (gift) isn’t practiced anywhere, unlike in Cameroon, where we were followed by a permanent mob of noisy children and constantly harassed by the police. It is still possible to spend up to eleven hours driving along main roads in Chad without seeing a single vehicle. Apart from the capital, anywhere in the country the phrase “off the beaten track” is a big understatement.

The village of Béreguit