We are back from an absolutely superb three weeks in the Tibesti Mountains, taking the Point Afrique flight to Faya - a dream since 20 years fulfilled! Things went surprisingly smoothly, no hassles, no substantial issues, a very positive first encounter with the land and its people. Never had any concerns about safety/security, seems to be an island of calm in the Sahara for the present.

Some preliminary photos here: https://www.facebook.com/FJexpeditions

A trip account will be posted on my website when I can manage the time to do it, hopefully within a couple of weeks.

Good to hear, hope it stays calm for a few years!

Looking forward to looking through all the photos on the FB page - looks amazing.

Greets

Daniel

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4.5 years around Eurasia in a Toyota Hilux|http://eurasiaoverland.wordpress.com/
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Looks spectacular.

Prompted by several messages, a personal first-hand assessment of the present situation in Chad
APPLICABLE TO THE FAYA - BORKU - TIBESTI REGION ONLY

Overall safety / security

Never had any feelings of discomfort, attitude of both officialdom and locals very relaxed and friendly. Very clearly the Tibus are in complete control of the area, and are fully aware of what is going on. (A good example: we had some disagreement on camel prices to ascend Emi Koussi at one place, we moved on to make the ascent from another place at two days' driving distance, ~80km. The camel owners at the destination already knew about this without any means of communication other than walking from one place to another...) The terrain is very difficult to access with vehicles (average speed 20-30kph on 'roads', practically impassable elsewhere), there are minefields everywhere (some marked, some not) so without a knowledgeable local guide attempting to cross the area is like playing Russian roulette, and the Tibus long-standing reputation to being less than friendly to uninvited strangers pretty effectively prevents the 'troubles' elsewhere in the Sahara spilling over to the region. As long as one maintains a good relationship with the locals (and yes, this does come at a price, in fact there is an agreed price-list for maintaining good relations, payable in hard cash in every village to the local chief) the region may be considered reasonably safe for western visitors, provided the current truce between the Tibus in the North and the Government in the South holds.

Hassles / officialdom

Have experienced none. While we had to 'check-in' with military authorities at every larger village we passed, all these stops were quick, good spirited and hassle free. There are no formal check-points anywhere, but I got the impression that if one would 'forget' to check in at the local sous-prefecture, a couple of AK-47s would greet one on waking up the next morning...

The locals were reserved but friendly, like everywhere children were more curious but always in a polite way. Some like being photographed, some don't, so ALWAYS ask before taking photos of people, especially women.

Mines

They are literally EVERYWHERE near terrain passable with vehicles. Contrary to what most sources say, the majority do not date from the Libya - Chad war, but from the much more recent Tibesti rebellion times which only ended 4-5 years ago. There is a considerable marking / clearing operation on the way funded by the EU, currently work is focusing on the Zouar - Bardai track. Known roadside minefields are marked with a perimeter of stones painted white/red (white on the safe side, red on the danger zone side), but there may be mines anywhere off the tracks, as innumerable wrecked vehicles clearly indicate. There is little incentive to clear the mines and mark the known areas outside the currently used tracks, as most are anti-vehicle mines, posing relatively little threat to locals on foot and camels (and they know where they are anyway, as they have planted most of them during the rebellion). In fact locals see the threat of mines (both real and perceived) as a form of protection against infiltration of unwanted outsiders from both Libya and Niger.

One must never let one's guard down. After passing for two days through an area without any known mines, on our very last day in the vicinity of Faya (which was mostly cleared) we by-passed a very nasty stretch of track by climbing the hard sand arc of an encroaching barchan dune. The far slope led down straight into a marked-off area, with the near side covered by the dune and probably already under us as we stopped. We backed up the dune VERY carefully...

Interesting. Could mean that the region will never be demined.

I have completed the first installment of our Tibesti trip account:
http://www.fjexpeditions.com/frameset/tibesti14.htm

Thanks.
What differences with the algerian sahara ?, is algerian sahara always the best of the sahara ?

Much more wild, untamed. There is a strange paradox of a sense of ultimate remoteness combined with a 'living' desert. There are people and villages everywhere, but as if in a different dimension and era. A village marked on a map is perhaps ten houses built of twigs and mats. A town two-three dozen... Items that I would call archaeological artifacts elsewhere are in everyday use.

Hard to convey in words, pictures will better tell the story.

Il like this knd of wilderness, the ennedi plateau will be a future destination for me.
Do you know the immidir in Algeria ?, a very wild plateau with big canyons ( only accessible by foot and camels not pass everywhere), il felt the same remoteness when i was here.

I have never been to the Immidir, but I expect the Tadjelahine near Iherir would be quite similar based on pictures I saw.

The Tibesti is very different, unlike anything I have ever encountered before. Those huge volcanoes sitting on a base of sandstone have produced an incredibly varied landscape, almost every day we have passed an environment totally unlike the day before.

The Ennedi is dramatic, but more in line with the sandstone landscapes encountered elsewhere in the Sahara.

Here's a photo of some bombs in the desert 100km or so south of Faya, N.Chad. There is so much of this stuff about in N Chad.

Attached Thumbnails

 

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

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

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Nick Taylor, a Colorado Mack'em
blog | vehicles

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

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.