Chad country tour

Planet

CARBON REDUCTION

The majority of itineraries that visit such remote areas fly between them - we choose to drive all legs of this tour with the exception of the initial flight from N'Djamena to Ennedi. This adds a fair amount of time and discomfort to the itinerary, but is more environmentally responsible and allows for a better sense of the country.

Our accommodation throughout our stay in Ennedi and Ouadi-Rime, and on transfers, is very basic, consisting only of small dome tents. Everything we bring with us, we take out, meaning we have negligible impact on the local environment. Our accommodation in Zakouma is fixed, but operates using solar power and is designed to have minimal environmental impact.

Shared local transport and human-powered transport is not used during this tour, and no vehicles used are electric. However, we do advise all clients to look into available options for reducing the impact of their international flights on the climate.

All food throughout this tour is sourced from local markets, with the exception of food served in N'Djamena. Vegetarian and vegan options are available throughout the tour.

ENVIRONMENT AND WILDLIFE

The accommodation used for most of this tour is a basic fly-camp, meaning that associated pollution and environmental impact is essentially nil. Our accommodation in Zakouma sits deep within the national park and is very much part of the ecosystem - it uses solar power and all refuse produced is taken out of the park for disposal. Structures within the camp are built using local materials and no plastic.

The cost of this trip includes all park fees, entrance fees, conservation levies and taxes. These fees go directly to African Parks in the case of Ennedi and Zakouma, and are used to fund anti-poaching activities, re-introduction programmes, road-building plans and community engagement initiatives. In Ouadi-Rime, we make payment to Sahara Conservation Fund to support their ongoing community engagement and re-introduction initiatives. In particular, these fees support the monitoring of re-introduced addax and scimitar-horned oryx populations.

Clients are reminded of the importance of protecting nature throughout this tour. We do not permit any activities that may be detrimental to nature or the environment. We do not pursue any animals that have chosen to move away from us, nor do we remain with animals that are vulnerable or injured. At night, we never spotlight young or otherwise vulnerable animals, and flash photography is prohibited.

Throughout this tour, clients are escorted by an experienced tour leader, as well as local guides in each area.

People

LOCAL ECONOMY

All accommodation outside of N'Djamena is operated and managed by Chadian people. The owner of our accommodation in Zakouma is the South African NGO African Parks, in partnership with the Chadian government. We employ local people throughout this tour - our drivers, guides and cooks are all Chadian. In Ouadi-Rime, Oryx Base Camp is staffed primarily by people from the local community, and this is also the case in Zakouma's Tinga Camp. We encourage clients to visit local markets, particularly in communities around Zakouma National Park, to maximise the economic benefits of our visit to local communities.

EMPLOYMENT, INCLUSIVITY AND DIVERSITY

Over 90% of all staff employed over the course of this tour are Chadian. In each reserve, some of the staff involved in the day-to-day running of each protected area are from the west or South Africa. The majority of Chadian staff employed as drivers and cooks are from N'Djamena, but staff employed as guides and researchers in each protected area are from the local community.

We encourage the employment of women throughout this tour, which is at odds with cultural norms in much of Chad. We are making progress, albeit slowly, in this department, and clients should expect an increasing number of staff employed by African Parks in particular to be women. All staff employed during the course of this tour receive at least minimum wage.

We are deeply committed to diversity and inclusion in our own workplace. However, Chad is a deeply conservation country and, whilst we work hard to ensure LGBTQ+ customers feel safe in such areas, we regret that it is likely that most LGBTQ+ clients are likely to be made to feel uncomfortable in much of Chad.

We regret that, due to the extremely remote and inhospitable nature of the areas visited, this tour is not suitable for those with limited mobility or cognitive issues.