Chad

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Quick Facts

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Local name

Tchad

Capital

N'Djamena

Government

Republic

Nationality

Chadian

Population

8,710,000

Languages

Standard Arabic, French

Religions

Islam, Christianity, Animism

Currency

Central African CFA Franc (XFA)

Calling Code

+235

Time Zone

UTC+1

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Introduction

Rejected by the French during colonial times and torn by civil war and a war with Libya since independence, Chad is about as troubled as a goldfish on dry land. Like a host of other African nations, the country's had a bloody hard time getting its political act together, with major ethnic groups all warring for power. For the past decade, power has been in the hands of Idris Déby, which marks relative stability compared to the previous thirty years. Areas of danger remain, but it's a shade brighter than the past.

Chadians are recognized as a friendly bunch, whose night life is as energetic and invigorating as they come. The three biggest cities, N'Djamena, Sarh and Moundou are the traveller's best bets for a peaceful, enjoyable holiday. Heading to other parts of the country can take a while, since Chad hasn't really had time to build up its tourist facilities.

Brief History

Geography

Regions

• Arid Midlands
• Chadian Sahara
• Lake Chad
• Southern Savanna

Cities

• N'Djamena - The capital
• Mao
• Moundou
• Sarh
• Abéché
• Aozou
• Faya-Largeau
• Kélo

Sights and Activities

Zakouma National Park

Zakouma National Park is located in the south of Chad, between the cities of Sarh and Am Timan. It is about 3000 square kilometers large and was the first national park in the country, established in 1963. Although it is a park known for its wildlife, numbers have reduced seriously during the last decades, especially regarding the elephant population. Nowadays, things are getting better as more and more poachers are getting caught, but it is still insufficient to prevent it by government totally. The park is known for its elephant and lion population and dozens of other mammals and birds can be observed here. It has been nominated recently to become a UNESCO World Heritage site, but things have to improve much more.

Lake Chad

Lake Chad once was one of the largest freshwater lakes in the world, but unfortunately it is slowly drying up and during some severe drought years it even was complete dry like in 1984. Normally though the lake can reach about 25,000 square kilometres during the rainy season. The disappearing of the lake will cause serious environmental and economic problems for the local people relying on the lake as a way to survive the harsh climate here. Near the village of Bol, where the lake never dries up you can out on the lake and see floating island as well as birds and a few hippos. Hire a boat with local fishermen at this town at the border with Nigeria.

Ennedi

The Ennedi desert is a good alternative to the Tibesti Mountains, which are still off limits. It is a fantastic desert area with prehistoric cave paintings, canyons, desert lakes and weird rock formations. Ancient sea arches are even weirder. Once Lake Chad reached this place. The sand dunes are particularly beautiful as well, especially at sunset. With some luck you might spot some animals like the Nile Crocodile, but unfortunately the Sahara lion is extinct now.

Other sights and activities

• National Museum - N'Djamena
• Sultan's Palace - Abéché
• Town of Sarh - central market and colonial museum
• Quara - remains of palace, mosque and sultan's tomb

Events and Festivals

Weather

Chad is a hot and relatively dry country. Much of the country receives little or no rain at all. The north is extremely dry with a virtual absence of rainfall. Temperatures are high to extremely hot year round. Temperatures average between 28 °C and 32 °C during the winter months of November to February, dropping to between 13 °C and 18 °C at night. Summers are hot with April to August seeing average highs of 40 °C to 44 °C, topping 50 °C sometimes. Nights are balmy with around 24 °C. In the south, temperatures are a bit lower, but still high. The capital N'Djamena for example has average daytime temperatures between 30 °C and 35 °C for most of the year, March to May above 40 °C. Nights are mostly between 20 °C and 25 °C, only November to February is cooler, around 17 °C. In this Sahel area there is a single relatively short rainy season from June to September, July and August being the wettest months by far.

Getting There

By Plane

Toumaï Air Chad is the national airline of Chad and is based at N'Djamena International Airport (NDJ) near the capital N'Djamena. International destinations include Bangui, Brazzaville, Cotonou, Douala. Other airlines serving this airport are Tripoli, Paris (Air France), Johannesburg, Addis Ababa, Abidjan, Khartoum and Yaoundé.

By Car

Most overland travellers avoid Chad if they have their own car, but the southwestern corner of the country usually is safe enough to try your luck. Have your papers and insurance in order and expect tough persons at the border waiting for a bribe. The crossings to Niger and Cameroon are your best option if you want to avoid Nigeria which can be unsafe for overland travellers as well, especially in remote parts in the northern section of the country.

By Bus

Minibuses and motorcycle taxis run from N’Djamena out to the border town of Nguelé. From there you can catch a motorcycle taxi over the bridge into Kousséri where there are regular minibuses to Maroua. You can also enter Cameroon further south, via Léré or Bongor.
4wd vehicles and trucks travel between N'Djamena and Nguigmi in Niger, via Mao. In Niger, there is onward transport from Diffa to Zinder and twice a week from Nguigmi buses go via Zinder all the way to Niamey.
To Nigeria is fastest through Cameroon via Maroua, from where you can take a bush taxi straight to Maiduguri or a minibus to the border at Banki.
Borders with Sudan and Libya are either closed, unsafe, or a combination of both.

By Boat

You could take a boat across Lake Chad from Bol to Nigeria, but ask around first if it is running and safe.

Getting Around

By Plane

Toumaï Air Chad flies between Abeche and N'Djamena. Maundou, Sarh and Mao might have connections as well, but don't count on it.

By Car

Roads in Chad are in a bad shape and only a few roads near the capital are paved. Other roads are pistes or gravel and are often impassable during the rainy season. Renting a car is possible but not recommended as rates are high, as is petrol (if at all available) and the safety situation has not been good over the last years, especially towards areas in the north and east. You will need special permission as well to travel further beyond N'Djamena. Traffic drives on the right and you need an international driving permit as well as official authorisation.

By Bus

Buses travel between N'Djamena and Sarh in the dry season at least. Outside this season and to many other destinations, you will have to rely on pickups, trucks and the occasional minibus. Count on a long and uncomfortable trip. If you can fly, do that!

Red Tape

Citizens of the following countries do not require a visa:
Benin, Burkina-Faso, Cameroun, Central African Republic, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Gabon, Equatorial Guinea, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal.
All others need a visa and an invititation. It is advised to get a visa beforehand at one of the embassies or consulates of Chad.
Visas are usually valid for a month but can be extended once in the country. A valid passport, 3 application forms, 3 photos and a return ticket are required. The fee is about $100 for a single-entry and $150 (3 months) to $200 (6 months) for a multiple-entry visa.

Money

See also Money matters

Chad uses the CFA Franc as a currency. The CFA Franc is divided into 100 centimes. Coins come in denominations of 1, 2, 5, 10, 25, 50, 100, 500 francs while banknotes come in denominations of 500, 1000, 2000, 5000, 10,000 francs
The exchange range is fixed at aproximately 656 CFA Francs for one Euro.

In Chad the Central African CFA Franc (XAF) is used which has the same vallue as the West African CFA Franc (XOF), but it's not possible to use both currencies in the same country.

Fourteen countries in Africa use this currency, eight in West Africa and six in Central Africa. The West African CFA Franc can only be used in Benin, Burkina Faso, Cote d'Ivoire, Guinea Bissau, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Togo, while the Central African CFA Franc can only be used in Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.

Work

Study

Language

The official languages in Chad are Arabic and French. The African language Sara is spoken in the south of the country.

Eat

Sleep

Drink

Health

See also Travel Health

Safety

See also Travel Safety

Keep Connected

Internet

Phone

See also International Telephone Calls

The country calling code to Chad is: 235
To make an international call from , the code is: 15

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