Chad - Ennedi, Ounianga - looking for travel mates
 

Hi, April 2023 we (three of us) rent two vehicles from Ndjamena for 16 days Ennedi-Ounianga trip. I am driving one car, the other is with a driver (can be changed to self-driven too). I am looking for 1-3 travel companions to join us on shared-cost basis. This is not commercial offer, we share all costs.

If interested please write me a PM.

The vehicles are booked and partly prepaid by me already.

Cheers!

How are you handling the required permits? Do you speak Arabic, or at least French?

Hi, permits are arranged by the local agency, from which we rent vehicles. On their side is also compulsory guide, visa invitations, registration in N'Djamena and tourist fees. On our side are visas, fuel, food, accommodation in N'Djamena and flights.
Cars rented: Land Cruisers 76, equipped with camping equipment (excluding sleeping bags), kitchen utensils, table and chairs, water tanks.

price
 

What would be the approximate price per person?

Hi,

For 5 persons we pay 2500 € each (cars, guide, permits & paperwork, visa invitation). Plus food, hotel in Ndjamena, fuel and visa - I have estimated 680 € each. Add to this flights In/Out of N'Djamena - I bought my ticket for 780 €.
It can be cheaper with more then 5 persons, especially when you squeeze 3 in the back, which I do not want.

Hi,

I have just come back from this exact itinerary arriving in N'Djamena today. Understand that you have a number of months to go but things to note currently are:

Don't go near the village at Ounianga Serir just view it from a distance. The locals are not happy at all with foreigners ( chased away with knives ...). Think it is something to do with the new UNESCO status not benefiting them.

Ounianga Kebir, got poor fuel quality there that caused injector issues, likely just a one off but think about stocking up in Fada instead.

Thank you for the hints and info. If you have anything more to share I appreciate it. Where did you stay in N'Djamena?

Hôtel Irrisor (former Ibis hotel), it is in a gated compound with plenty of secure parking.

Unfortunately the lake i mentioned previously with the unfriendly villagers is the only lake that is not salty and you can wash in. Hopefully the situation is improved by April (the local Tubu guide lodged the issue with the local authorities but mentioned they don't have much leverage over the village)

Great website you have by the way ydv!

I"ve stayed at both Hotel Irrisor and La Residence. Irrisor is ok, but is slowly going down hill since Ibis cut ties with them. They also don't always honor their bookings, with a variety of ridiculous excuses.

La Residence is much nicer (better rooms, better staff, better food). Also much closer to the airport.

This is a common issue with fuel sourced from Libya dispensed from drums in N. Chad (Fada, Kalait, Kouba Olanga, even Faya) and N. Sudan (Dongola & further North along the W bank.). There is only one solution: don't go to the deep desert with an injector equipped car. There is a good reason the HZ engined Landcruiser reigns supreme. There is one fail-safe test to see if a car is desert-worthy: start the engine, then disconnect the battery. If it keeps running, it is good to go.

:thumbup1:

Reads like an nice trip!

Surfy

Re: safety around Ounianga Kebir I shall have an update coming weeks as I will get a report from people departing in that direction from N'Djamenda today.

For planning the route I use OpenStreetMap, Tracks4Africa, Google Earth, Wikiloc combination. Of course we will also rely on the local guide.
If any of you can share waypoints with points of interest or nice places to camp I would appreciate it.

Safe travels in 2023!

Andrasz, I know you’ve got a lot of experience in traveling. But all diesels have injectors! My old 79 BJ40 would turn off with disconnect of battery because it too power to actuate the solenoid that pulled or pushed the on-off lever on the Bosch pump. Until that failed, then I installed a push-pull cable.
I think you meant avoid modern ultra high pressure electronically controlled diesels.
My opinion is: a pre filter with water trap that’s easily accessible and drained. And no AdBlue, DPF. And no EGR.
My U500 (2005, EGR deleted) runs fine on 3rd world fuel.
What’s really bad are modern clean diesel emission systems and insufficient fuel filters.

here's the route that I took last month:

https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/1/ed...6A&usp=sharing

Thank you :thumbup1:
Will take a look at it closely after short break - I am leaving for Beirut tomorrow :)

One query for those who was there recently:

Did you "have to" use a agency/guide when you do rent a local car?

Or was it just recommendet?

Surfy

I've also been trying to get to the bottom of this. kkdoo_pl on instagram told me they would report more details once they are out of Chad. From their posts they said they were required to use an agency, but recently they are clearly alone...so...unclear.

I`m in contact too since sudan. They told me that they are currently on their own on Chad, but did reportet first that they need an agency. Not clear yet.

I did ask here in this thread, to get the requirements when you use a local rental. Often the travel life by rental inside a country is much easier.

Surfy

I was in contact with SVS T'Chad a while back, which organizes in Chad. They were very responsive, but were not interested in organizing anything without a guide, stating "Guide and Authorization are required to travel in Chad" Their rentals all come with a driver, and I suspect all others do as well.

One or two reports of no guide can be found, so I wondered if perhaps authorization is required (for sure) but that it is more easily granted with a guide?

I have read Chris's "Sahara Guidebook" thoroughly and along with reading up on other reports it sounds like visiting Zakouma without a guide wouldn't be unreasonable, but I doubt going to Ennedi without a guide is practical.

SVS did say the border with Sudan is "usually open"

Asking an Tour Operator probably doesnt really help for that purpose.

In my prefered International Car Rental Provider:

https://www.billiger-mietwagen.de/

There are cars between 30 and 130$ a day. No driver. But no overlanding equipement too.

Guess if you walk through Ndjamena you would find more options.

How I usually do overlanding by rental, you can read here by Chrome Browser and translation from german.

This way I did overlanding in Laos, at 2010, where you was able to read anywhere that you need a driver. I was able to do selfdrive that way.

So for those who wants to go soon, it may be worth to call the local Avis rental, and ask for the requrired paperwork. Please give us an update here!

Surfy