2020 GeoEx Catalog

Chad Explorer  WILDLIFE, CULTURE, AND CONSERVATION SAFARI | 9 DAYS · GROUP H ow rare to be among the first visitors in a generation to explore Zakouma National Park in Chad. This 1,179-square-mile reserve fea- tures phenomenally varied savannah environments with a plethora of exu- berant flora and fauna, and GeoEx is one of the few tour operators leading private, weeklong trips there. Sheltering a massive herd of 500-plus rehabili- tated elephants, Zakouma is a noteworthy conservation success story. During our visit, we learn from park rangers about the cooperative anti-poaching initiative between the government and the nonprofit African Parks. Of course, we also revel in fantastic safari outings and cultural encounters. Leading our small group of intrepid travelers (no more than eight per departure) is a dynamic duo: Kingsley Holgate, an adventurer, author, philanthropist, and fellow of the Royal Geographical Society who’s been dubbed the “most traveled man in Africa” and a “modern-day David Liv- ingstone,” and Brad Hansen, one of the most sought-after guides in Africa. Together, we take bush walks and game drives amid great congrega- tions of pachyderms, water buffalo, red-fronted gazelles, Kordofan giraffes, and sensational birds (flocks of 5,000-plus northern crowned cranes are often seen). We keep our eyes out for West African lion prides, nocturnal honey badgers, swooping waves of red-billed queleas, and patrolling Abyssinian ground hornbills, then adjourn each night to a comfortable mobile camp for fresh and innovative cuisine. We also visit with the nomads of the Sahelian belt, people of Arab descent whose families move in colorful trains, their camels, oxen, and horses adorned with leather tassels, brass bells, and cowrie shells. Saturday’s vibrant Kach-Kacha market gives us another opportunity to rub elbows with nomads and residents from local villages, sending us home with more pieces of the fascinating, multifaceted Chadian puzzle.

call for dates and prices

Day 1  arrive in N’Djamena ✦  2  fly to Zakouma National Park ✦  3–8  wildlife viewing and cultural activities in Zakouma ✦  9  fly to N’Djamena, depart.

BELOW  Elephants in Zakouma National Park. All our lives we’ve been seeing pictures of these (and so many other) beasts. And when we see them in the flesh, in their neighborhood, we gawk, astonished, at their utter unexpected novelty.

ART WOLFE / WWW.ARTWOLFE.COM