Towering Rocks of Ennedi Desert in Chad, Africa
The Ennedi plateau or the Ennedi desert as it is sometimes
called is located in the north-eastern area of Chad in one of the most
inaccessible region in the middle of the Sahara. Travel to this area is
difficult and dangerous due to the country's poverty, lack of tourist
facilities, political unrest, and highway banditry. At one time only the
nomadic caravans could manage to cross it but now it is accessible by
4x4 vehicles though there are no regular roads in the area.
The
region is full of interesting sandstone formations - graceful fingers of
rock and many hundreds of natural arches, including the great Aloba
arch, which has a height of nearly 120 meters and is one of the most spectacular arches in the world.
Apart from the geological attractions, examples of petroglyphs or rock
paintings are abundant in the area. Many of the rock art represent all
kinds of animals that the first inhabitants of the desert had.
In
the southern area of the Ennedi are present some gueltas (desert ponds)
of which the Guelta d’Archei, near the town of Fada, is a popular one.
The lake is a major source of water in the desert often visited by many
people and endless camel trails. The lake also has the endemic Sahara
desert crocodiles that feed on fish and poo left by the visiting camels!
In 2010, a team of climbers lead by veteran Mark Synnott and young climbing stars Alex Honnold Briton James Pearson, Tim Kepler, and Renan Ozturk, became the first mountaineers to scale Ennedi’s biggest arches.
