A rich country does not always mean rich people. Today, we are going to give ten reasons why you should travel to Chad. Take a cup of tea or coffee and enjoy the blog. Before starting to mention destinations to visit in Chad, we should answer where is Chad. Chad is in north-central Africa and has borders with six other countries (Niger, Nigeria, Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya, and Cameroon). The capital and the largest city of Chad is N'Djamena. The total area is 1,284,000 square km, and the Chad population is nearly 16 million. Which colours are on the Chad flag? There are three colours on Chad Flag: blue, yellow, and red. Many people confused the Chad flag with the Romania flag because of its tones. What is the official languages of Chad? Chad has two official languages: French and Arabic.
1. Ethnic diversity
Ethnic diversity seems to be a problem in some parts of the world, but multiculturalism and diversity are among the most effective powers. We can observe the most fundamental effects of multiculturalism in architecture, cuisine, and traditions. Chad hosts 200 ethnic groups, and the major ethnic groups are Kanembu, Masalit, Gorani, and Bilala. As there are many minorities, the country has more than 120 languages of Chad. As we mentioned above, the official ones are French and Arabic. What is the religion of Chad? The majority of the Chad population is Muslim, and the second major religion is Christianity. We can say that the north part of the country is the majority Muslim, and the south mostly populated by Christians. There are plenty of various ethnic groups in Chad, so is it safe to travel to Chad? Unfortunately, when we ask somebody or search on the internet: is it safe to travel to Chad, we get negative opinions. The main risk in the region is terrorist attacks. We recommend travelling in the country with larger groups and under guidance.
2. Delicious Chadian cuisine
Tasting new savours are always fun. Chad has rich cuisine that mostly mixes traditional cuisine with French. Chad was a French colony that is why you can see the French influences in many areas. The main ingredients of Chadian cuisine are fish, milk, rice, peanut butter, and more. Some of the most popular meals are Daraba (sweet potato, tomato, and greens), Jarret de boeuf (beef and various vegetables), Kisser, La bouillie (rice, milk, peanut butter, and flour), Fungasso (fried cheese balls), and more. What about drinks? The most common beverages are different tea kinds (red, black, and green), and the most well-known among them is Karkanji. Karkanji is red tea that is made of dried hibiscus flowers with ginger, clove, and cinnamon. If you like, you can add sugar. What are the best restaurants to try Chadian cuisine? There are plenty of restaurants, and some of them that we can mention are Cote Jardin, Le Carnivore, Le Central, Restaurant Layalina, etc.
3. Lake Chad
If you decided to travel to Chad, one of the places you should visit is lake Chad. Lake Chad has outstanding economic and historical importance for the country. Furthermore, the lake is one of the most crucial freshwater resources in the region. More than 75 million people and four countries use the water of the lake. What is the origin of the lake's name? The name of the lake was given by mistake. When European people came here, locals say that this is chad. Chad means lake in the local language, but Europeans thought this the name of the lake. Today, the lake is the most attractive spot for marine activities, such as boating, fishing, and more. Unfortunately, the drying up process is going on in the lake, and many organizations try to find ways to stop it.
4. Chad National Museum
If you are one of those interested in Chad culture and traditions, you should go to Chad National Museum. The museum was established on October 6, 1962. Today the museum has four rooms: prehistory, protohistory, archives, folk arts, crafts, and traditions. You will find plenty of ancient and exciting artefacts in the prehistory room, such as Amgamma cliff, Paleolithic implements, axes, millstones, and arrowheads (quartz and obsidian), etc. Also, you will see human masks, bronze tools, bone items, baked bricks, etc. These artefacts are related to Bilala and Babalia people, and archaeologists found them in the Bouta-Kabira sanctuary. If you do not know French, you may need a guide, because nearly all the information is French. Where is Chad National Museum? It is in the capital of Chad, N'Djamena, next to Kempinski Hotel N'Djamena.
5. Tibesti Mountains
In the northern part of the state, hundreds of km away from the capital of Chad, you will find one of the essential places in the whole of Chad. The Tibesti Mountains are crucial because they can play an enormous role in discovering the Sahara's history and learn new facts about the first travel of people to Europe. Despite cultural and historical importance, very few scientists researched on the spot. In 2015 Stefan Kropelin and his team began to make detailed investigations in the Tibesti Mountains. Tibesti is a volcanic mountain, but volcanic activities have not been seen in that place for many years. The highest peak of the mound is Emi Koussi by 3445 meters. Other high tops are Pic Tousside (3315), Tarso Voon (3100), Tarso Toon (2575).
6. Ennedi Region
Another landscape wonder of Chad is The Ennedi Plateau. Ennedi Region is famous for unusual stone formations and cave paintings. Those cave paintings gave us information about ancient times. Also, the spot is very well-known among hikers, but finding a way without a guide can be so complicated in the Ennedi Region. The region is harsh for amateurs and people who visited the region for the first time. Besides cultural and historical areas, you can see plenty of wild animals. Probably, the most well-known among them is desert crocodiles. Where is Chad, the Ennedi region? Ennedi region is in the east part of the country next to the Sudan border, in the middle of the Sahara Desert. Are vaccinations for travel to Chad crucial? Such as in most parts of Africa, we recommend vaccinations for travel to Chad. You can find much about vaccination (vaccination for travel to Chad and other African countries) on the World Health Organization website.
7. Zakouma National Park
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Undoubtedly, we can say that Zakouma National Park faced one of the tremendous transformations in the whole of Africa. This transformation is related to the extinction of some animals. The significant danger was elephants. In 8 years, between 2002 and 2008, more than 4000 elephants were killed by poachers, and it caused a dramatic decrease in the elephant population. Another huge reduction was in the buffalo population. Fortunately, in recent years, there has been an increase in both of them. Even the buffalo population reached 12000 (in 1986, it was 220). You can see other animals here are antelope, hartebeest, Kordofan giraffe (50% of the global population lives here). The government made many attempts to make these achievements. In 2018 the government signed an agreement with African Parks to create a Greater Zakouma Ecosystem covering 30,693 square km. Furthermore, there are areas for camping. It will give you a chance to learn and live the wild life deeply.
8. N'Djamena
The capital of the country is such a unique city where you can experience two different cities together. In the western part of the town, you can see the domination of the western-style buildings. When you go to the eastern section, you will find more cultural, traditional houses. Furthermore, you can find many restaurants, cafes, hotels, and places to enjoy on both sides. N'Djamena is not only political but also the financial capital of Chad. Agriculture exploration and production play an essential role in Chad's economy. Moreover, Chad has the 10th largest oil reserves in Africa. Unfortunately, despite this, the majority of the population is poverty-stricken.
9. Abeche
If you like to visit historical places and desire to learn about Chad culture and ethnography, you can go to Chad's fourth-largest city, Abeche. Abeche has plenty of mosques, churches, tombs, fortresses, French-era buildings, and more. We can see that here in each street you can feel the history. Some of the holy places in the city are Mosquee d'Abeche, Mosquee cheikh algoni, Acyl Mansour, Mosquee de l'Aid. Before and after French-colonization, the town had great value. For example, the French used this city as a fortress and trade route for Arabian slaves.
10. Lakes of Ounianga
The last reason to travel to Chad that I want to mention in this blog is the lakes of Ounianga. Ounianga lakes are the only UNESCO World Heritage sites in Chad, and they were added to this list in 2012. Lakes are in an extremely dry area, 0.1mm rain falls to the desert per year. The lakes exhibit a variety of chemical compositions sizes, colouration depths, and depths. There is a total of 18 lakes in three groups.
