Arch Hunting in Chad

By Peter Felix Schaefer
www.hike-wild.de

Since the first reports of the early Africa explorers of the 19th century it was known that the Sahara is really not the safest place on Earth. But it was always possible to visit at least some of the magic places in the central Sahara with limited risk. Unfortunately the situation has become a lot worse in the last couple of years. Nowadays you have not only to handle the “normal” criminals, kidnappers, smugglers and corrupt officials, but also the terrorists of Al-Qaeda and the so-called Islamic State. Chad has received the financial and military help of France to assist with such problems.

Chad Ennedi Gallery: Click on any image for slide show, ESC to return.

In 2011 and 2012 my wife and I visited Chad for three weeks each time. In 2011 the traverse of Emi Kousi attracted us (see SPAN Spring 2013). It is an extinct volcano and actually the highest elevation not only in the Tibesti Mountains but in the whole Sahara. In 2012 it was the Ennedi Plateau, a wonderland of rocks, outstanding rock art, and home of some of the very last desert crocodiles. Both trips had an expedition-like character which definitely needed good preparation and organization. This job was done perfectly by Spazi d’Avventura, an Italian family-based tour operator with decades of experience in Niger and Chad (www.spazidavventura.com).

Both trips started in N’Djanema, Chad’s capital, which can be reached by plane via Paris with Air France, or via Addis Abbaba with Ethiopian Airlines, which is also a pretty good and reliable carrier. Spazi picked us up directly at the airport and helped with the paperwork for entering the country. We soon found out that the people on the tour all came from different European countries with different languages, but fortunately everyone was happy with English. Our Toyota Land Cruisers (two for Tibesti and three for Ennedi) were soon loaded and off we went!

In many African countries the Chinese are building new roads and this is the case in Chad too. Nevertheless we reached the end of the pavement in a few hours. From there on it was off road driving, sometimes easy, sometimes difficult. It took us three full days to reach the Ennedi and two more to get to the border of the Tibesti.

This part of the trip was a bit boring because there is not much to see in the Sahel zone most of the time. The big excitement was whenever we reached a water reservoir or a well. It was absolutely fascinating to see the nomads come and go with all their different type of cattle, goats, sheep, horses and camels. But it was also very sad to find long stretches of land with almost no vegetation, the result of grazing too many cows here. The more north and east we came, the fewer people we saw. Then all of a sudden we found ourselves in the world’s biggest desert, the Sahara.

Safe driving in the Sahara needs some precautions: at least two cars, lots of spare parts, and someone who can fix a lot more than just a flat tire, and without a garage. If you can’t take enough fuel with you in canisters, then a private gas depot somewhere is necessary. Spazi had all of this.

Ennedi TruckThe importance of safety precautions became obvious to us when we met a group of people (men, women and children) right in the middle of nowhere, hundreds of miles from the next little village and water source. The previous day their truck had suddenly stopped and they were not able to repair it, and they had no satellite phone to call for help. It was just a lucky chance that we came along. It took our car mechanic about 20 minutes to find out that the injection pump was out of order and the battery was dead. We gave these unlucky fellows as much water as possible and then had to leave.

Water is of course rare in the desert. Whenever we came close to a well, we took the opportunity to fill up our stock of water. Normally lots of nomads were already there waiting to take their turn. In situations like this our local guide Muhammad was of inestimable value. This was not only the case in the Ennedi but in particular in the Tibesti which is even more wild and untouched.

Muhammad arranged for an additional guide for the drive through a field of land mines, and also for a couple of locals with pack camels for the traverse of Emi Koussi on the first trip. Muhammad was respected a lot because of his status as a “mustati”—a man who has finished the hajj (pilgrimage) to Mecca. In spite of the knife in his sleeve and the Kalashnikov assault rifle on his back, he was a nice guy.

Balanced RockHiking the Ennedi was most often nothing less than spectacular, at least for an inveterate desert lover like me. It was not too tough because we always had a long lunch break at a place with nice shade.

Ennedi Rock ArtWe reached the campsite normally in the late afternoon, erected Spazi’s excellent desert tents, had tea or explored alcoves close by for rock art (the Ennedi has ubiquitous rock art from the last five millennia).

Dinner was great Italian cuisine. When it was not too windy we slept outside the tent and enjoyed the night sky full of stars.

With the exception of the huge Aloba Arch we never looked for arches on purpose, but ran into them more or less accidentally. In the Tibesti we found just a handful of them, but in the Ennedi on every hike we saw several really big, beautiful and most remarkable arches. Some of them have been known to us for years from the pioneering work of my friend Gunter Welz (www.archhunter.de), others were known only from aerial photos, and many were completely new.

On both trips we just had one night in a hotel, the last night. On the Tibesti trip it was a hotel a bit outside the capital city situated very nicely along a river that flows into Lake Chad. It was run by a French guy at that time. Having the first cold beer after many days and looking out onto the river was great. On the Ennedi trip we had a really good hotel in town and were invited by Spazi for dinner in a nice restaurant. The next day they brought us to the airport and waited until we all went through security. Very good and conscientious work on the part of Spazi.

As you know, there are arches spread out all over the world. But they are not equally distributed over the Earth’s surface; some places have large clusters of them. The best places for arch-hunting I have seen so far are Arches National Park in the U.S., Kukenan Tepui in Venezuela, Tassili n’Ajjer in Algeria and…you guessed it, the Ennedi Plateau in Chad!

If you are interested in more photos, please visit my website www.hike-wild.de. If you have questions, don’t hesitate to email me (Peter-Felix-Schaefer@t-online.de).

Organization of a tailor-made trip for arch hunters to the Ennedi is easy, but to get a good price at least five to six people are necessary. The best time of the year for a trip is from November to February, with the very best month being November. It might become one of the most memorable trips of your life!

Travel Warnings (added by editor): Although NABS members have traveled in Chad without incident, readers need to be aware of travel warnings issued:

This Blog is Dedicated to Norm Self

Norm Self
Norm Self, courtesy Imperial Printers

Norman L. Self, 80, formerly of El Centro, CA, passed away in Tucson, AZ, on Sunday, April 19, 2015, from complications of cancer.

Norm was born in Salinas, CA, on October 23, 1934. He moved to El Centro with his mother, Laura, at the age of three. He attended Harding and McKinley Elementary Schools, Wilson Junior High and Central Union High. He continued to live in El Centro until he and his wife, Linda, moved to Tucson in 2011 to enjoy their retirement years together.

He was a printer by trade. Beginning in 1953 he advanced from apprentice to journeyman printer with the Imperial Valley Press eventually becoming composing room foreman of the Brawley News, also owned by the IV Press, and later, foreman of the El Centro plant.

Norm Self at 18
Norm at 18

In 1963, Norm took a position as typesetter operating a Linotype machine at Imperial Printers in El Centro. In 1977 the owner, long-time Valley master printer Marvin (Barney) Wieben, Sr., retired and the company’s ownership was reorganized with Norm assuming the presidency of the corporation.

Norm was a member of the El Centro Rotary Club and an avid supporter of the El Centro Chamber of Commerce. He served about 13 years on the Chamber board of directors and was instrumental in computerizing the chamber office.

In addition to his love of music, he enjoyed sharing his knowledge of the night sky whenever he camped out under the stars. He was passionate about the marvels of the southwest desert areas and loved nothing more than introducing others to the history and natural wonders of that environment.

Norm on the trail
Norm on the trail

Through his interest in photography combined with his appreciation of beautiful natural areas, he became an avid hiker and joined the Natural Arch and Bridge Society (NABS). Soon thereafter he volunteered to publish SPAN, the newsletter of NABS. Norm cherished the many friends he made through NABS and encouraged others to learn about and join this group.

His first wife Patsy preceded Norman in death. He is survived by his loving wife Linda of Tucson, AZ; son John of San Diego, CA; stepdaughter, Jennifer and her husband, Kevin Murphy, of Amsterdam, NL.

Should anyone wish to honor Norm’s memory, the family suggests the following: Peppi’s House, TMC Hospice, Tucson, AZ; Pioneers’ Park Museum, Imperial, CA; Imperial Valley Desert Museum, Ocotillo, CA.

Norm used professional publishing software to transform NABS’ original xeroxed newsletter into a thing of beauty for 54 issues over a period of 13.5 years.

To honor and express appreciation to Norm, NABS made a three-foot-wide tribute photo/plaque, shown below, featuring Craig Shelley’s panoramic photo of Stevens Arch, which was Norm’s favorite arch hike.

Award for Norm Self

Natural Arch and Bridge Society