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Wonders of Chad

A mushroom rock in Ennedi
A mushroom rock in Ennedi. / Valerian Guillot, Flickr / CC BY 2.0

WorldBlue  Highlights

The wonders of Chad are little known – most visitors are deterred by the prolonged warfare in this country. Country though has very interesting landmarks. Among the most amazing wonders of Chad are:

  • Prehistoric cliff art – in the past, when Sahara was more green, here developed indigenous cultures, which have left countless drawings and carvings on the cliffs of Tibesti and Ennedi mountains.
  • Geomorphological features. Water and winds in Ennedi mountains have created unique, phantasmagoric cliff figurines.

Map with the described wonders

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WorldViolet Top 22 wonders of Chad

Geological wonders

Aloba Arch

Ennedi

One of the most impressive natural arches in the world. The arch is 77 m wide and some 120 m tall.

Aloba Arch
Aloba Arch. / David Stanley, Flickr / CC BY 2.0
Trou au Natron

Tibesti

Volcano with grandiose caldera – 8 km wide and 1 km deep, with mostly vertical walls. On the base of the caldera, there is a visually interesting, symmetrical ash cone and crater lake. The dark ash cone is contrasting with nearly white carbonate salts around it.

Dentelles Arches

Ennedi

Group of intricate natural arches and hoodoos that form a unique landscape.

Djoula Oued Arch

Ennedi

A very delicate, seemingly impossible natural arch. 14 m wide and 32.6 m tall.

Five Arch Rock

Ennedi

Giant rock with five arches. The largest arch has a span of 20.4 m and a height – 13.7 m.

Five Arch Rock
Five Arch Rock. / David Stanley, Flickr / CC BY 2.0
Soborom geothermal field and Yerike hot spring

Tibesti

Large geothermal field with fumaroles, mud pots, and boiling water. Some reports about geysers.

Aorounga Crater

Borkou

Impressive meteorite impact crater with a diameter of 12.6 km. The meteorite fell in the Carboniferous age or more recently. It is visible only from the satellite.

Aorounga Crater from space, Chad
Aorounga Crater from space / , Wikimedia Commons / public domain
Gauthiot Falls

Mayo-Kebbi Est

Waterfall on Mayo-Kebbi stream. The total height is approximately 45 m, and the tallest cascade – 17 m.

Gweni-Fada crater

Ennedi

Large meteorite crater with a diameter of 14 km. Meteorite fell in the Carboniferous age or more recently, it is visible only from the satellite.

Gweni-Fada crater
Gweni-Fada crater. / Earth Science and Remote Sensing Unit, Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center, Wikimedia Commons / public domain

Biological wonders

Guelta d’Archei

Ennedi

Beautiful, up to 150 m deep canyon. Here lives an isolated population of dwarf Nile crocodiles (Crocodylus niloticus) as well as other species – relicts of a more wet climate in the Sahara. Guelta is adorned with prehistoric rock paintings.

Guelta d'Archei
Guelta d’Archei. / Valerian Guillot, Flickr / CC BY 2.0
Ounianga Lakes

Ennedi

Group of freshwater lakes in the middle of the desert – a unique phenomenon. Relict flora and fauna have been preserved in lakes and around them.

Lake Motro - one of Ounianga Lakes
Lake Motro – one of Ounianga Lakes. / David Stanley, Flickr / CC BY 2.0
Djourab (Djurab)

Borkou

Find of a very old hominin – Sahelanthropus tchadensis, who, possibly, lived 7 million years ago. It is possible that this is the oldest hominin after the split between the ancestors of chimpanzees and humans.

Skull of Sahelanthropus tchadensis, Djourab
Skull of Sahelanthropus tchadensis, Djourab. / James St. John, Flickr / CC BY 2.0

Archaeological wonders

Oura cattle drawings

Ennedi

Impressive life-sized engravings of cattle, located on an open cliff face to make it visible far away.

Tigui CocoĂŻna

Borkou

Spectacular cliff paintings, including magnificent scenes of giraffe hunting. An interesting feature is details that show how hunters are targeting the legs of giraffes.

Niola Doa

Ennedi

These rock carvings were created around 3000 BC. Drawings show five, up to 2.25 m tall figurines of women with voluptuous forms. Bodies seem to be adorned with abstract paintings or tattoos.

Gonoa Valley, including The Man of Gonoa

Tibesti

This valley is very rich with prehistoric paintings and petroglyphs – here have been counted 636 cliff paintings, including images of 44 elephants and 22 rhinos, 79 giraffes, and 346 cattle. Mysterious carving of a man.

Tigui

Borkou

Early petroglyphs of very high quality. Here are depicted elephants, giraffes, and cattle.

Kla Ouenama

Borkou

Mysterious prehistoric cliff painting that shows a 2 m tall fantastic creature with a smaller headless creature inside.

“Korossom myth”

Borkou

An unusual group of cliff paintings that shows disarticulated figures in a weird dance.

Architecture and contemporary culture wonders

Ennedi Tiger

Ennedi

People in the Ennedi mountains have interesting stories about a very strong, elusive tigerlike cat that is similar to extinct Machairodus cats. According to stories this purported sabertooth cat is living in caves. Locals even consider that there are two species – one in mountains (Hadjel, Gassingram) and one in water (Mourour N’gou).

Colored cliffs south of BardaĂŻ

Tibesti

In 1989 French artist Jean Verame colored several cliff formations in Tibesti in bright white, blue, violet, black, and red colors. These cliffs differ from the common brown-red colors of sandstone formations and create an eerie feel.

Ruins of Ouara

OuaddaĂŻ

The former capital city, abandoned in the 19th century due to drying wells. Here still are seen remains of a palace, mosque, and circular city walls.

Ruins of Ouara, Chad
Ruins of Ouara / , Wikimedia Commons / public domain

WorldYellow Recommended books

Chad: Including its History,The Emi Koussi Volcano, The Sahara Desert, and More


Discover Chad like you have never seen it before. Whether you are a first-time traveler or an avid visitor of this region of the world, this book is the perfect guide for you. Read about all the amazing surprises you could find and all the must-see places. Included in this book is the information about The Mbololo, The Chad National Museum, and everything in between.

Shadows Across the Sahara: Travels with Camels from Lake Chad to Tripoli


Riding Pasha, his beloved white camel, John Hare set out from the shrinking shores of Lake Chad with 25 camels, 4 Tuaregs, a Chinese professor, a white Kenyan rancher, and a young Englishman. His objective: to reach Tripoli, following an ancient camel route, notorious in the days of slavery as a road of extreme hardship and death and last crossed in its entirety by Hanns Vischer in 1906.


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