Start off with flying to the capital, Ndamena in Chad before flying into the Sahara desert where your exclusive camp is beautifully located. This must be one of the most exceptional and beautiful areas on this planet. One looks up to see a mirage of nomadic Bedouins appearing on the horizon before sweeping off over the brow of the dunes, complete with their camel trains and with no interest in western life.
The days are spent exploring the tasillian area and the Ennedi massifs dating back 500 million years, renowned for its rock art and petroglyphs, and immersing oneself into the culture of this extraordinary land.
You will then fly by private charter to Zakouma National Park, the largest, intact protected area in the Sudano Sahelian region. Here you will have exclusive use of the unashamedly romantic Bedouin styled Camp Nomade.
This is one of the few areas where one is lulled to sleep each night by the terrestrial cry of lions. Just perfect and the most concentrated birdlife imaginable. This park without a shadow of a doubt remains as the finest, pristine wildlife experience on the African continent.
The entire Zakouma experience – for that is just what it is – is a sensory overload, leaving one awe struck with the beauty, the magnetism that gently filters beneath your skin; the sort of place you are always pleased to arrive at, yet never want to leave. And this is Zakouma. A place of superlatives, where the wildlife is rivalled by the birdlife, which blends well with the entirely unique and captivating culture – both of the Chadians themselves who have the most wonderful demeanour, and who will go the extra mile and are so friendly, to the markets where your presence may be the only tourist, Game drives and walks are conducted here daily.
From here, you will be flown to Ndjamena and on to Rwanda in order to see mountain gorilla at the five star Singita Kwitondo lodge. This is one of the most privileged experienced one can possibly hope to have; witnessing these gentle beasts close to you and marvelling at the relationships they hold with each other before flying by helicopter to Nyungwe.
Nyungwe is where the most magnificent chimp experiences exist. Explore the beautiful forests and spend an hour with the chimps. Walk through the tea plantations, perhaps have some yoga or painting or go on a canopy walk through this pristine forest. The One and Only Nyungwe Forest Lodge again is stunning with fabulous views. You then fly back home.
The alternative would be to end up in the Republic of Congo to see the western lowlands gorillas and so some wonderful walking.
What’s Included?
- Private guide in Chad (Warda and Camp Nomade)
- Private charter flight from N’Djamena / Ennedi / Zakouma / N’Djamena (in Caravans)
- Private jet flight from N’djamena / Kigali in a Hawker 800XP
- Private 6 seater helicopter flight in Agusta 109 within Kigali
Special Access to Signature Experiences
This journey combines unique lodges and reserves across Africa with a selection of unmissable destinations & experiences within the areas in which we operate. We will not only expose you to some of the best wildlife experiences in the world but also offer authentic cultural introductions and first-hand insight into our ground-breaking conservation initiatives.
Private Guides – In Our Hands from Beginning to End
From the moment you board your private jet and touch down in Africa to the moment you leave, you will be escorted throughout your journey. No airport queues, VIP assistance to private terminals, customs and baggage claims. Additionally, our wealth of expertise found in our private and specialist guides and ground logistics teams, means that you’ll experience a journey unlike any other!
Exclusive Transportation
Your private jet is ideally configured to accommodate small groups and families and will be used for all international routes. Where this is not possible for internal flights, a Private Charter Flight will be used. Turbo-prop fixed wing aircraft and private vehicle transfers will be used internally, to connect with bush landing strips.
How will my visit positively help support these regions?
In addition, this itinerary is unique, as it includes conservation safari elements.
So it is travelling with a heart and a conscience and ensuring that one’s money goes into the correct places.
Singita Grumeti consists of two lodges and a camp on a vast 350,000 acre concession adjacent to the Serengeti National Park in Tanzania. Singita have always operated in an environmentally conscious way, alongside conserving and maintaining the fragile ecosystems of their reserves, and working with local communities to ensure they benefit from the lodges. In Grumeti, these elements are implemented by Singita’s non-profit partner, the Grumeti Fund, as well as collaborating closely with local authorities and non-governmental organisations. The Grumeti Fund is committed to ecosystem management, which entails the removal of invasive plant species, managing controlled fire burns and arson fires, and ensuring the general well-being of wildlife, including animals found injured as a result of human interference, such as snares. The Fund also develop programs that support the translocation and reintroduction of species, such as the black rhino and greater kudu, and continues to fight the ongoing bush meat and ivory poaching epidemic through law enforcement and anti-poaching initiatives, such as the establishment of permanent scout patrol camps. Furthermore, local communities are also supported through education, environmental awareness and small enterprises. Students are awarded scholarships, are engaged with school environmental clubs, and over 2,000 students and teachers have studied at the environmental education centre set-up by Singita.
• The recovery of wildlife in Zakouma National Park in Chad is an extraordinary success story. Between 2002 and 2010, more than 4,000 elephants were poached, 95 per cent of the Parks’ elephant population. In 2010, in recognition of the destruction, not only on elephant populations but other species, the Chadian Government signed a long-term agreement with a non-governmental organisation, African Parks. Their first step was to overhaul law enforcement, and the effects were almost immediate, with no more than 11 elephants lost in 2011. Today the elephant population is on the rise, from just one calve recorded under the age of three years in the same year, to 103 calfs documented seven years later. Other species are also increasing, such as the Kordofan giraffe, roan antelope, Lelwel’s hartebeest, and the park’s buffalo. In 2018, a partnership with governments also enabled the translocation of six black rhinos, the first for the Park after an absence of 50 years. In addition, by extending the Park’s communication network to villages, the flow of information has been improved so that communities can notify park authorities of any suspicious activity, and many community outreach activities are carried out, as well as a number of schools, called Elephant Schools, have been built in areas within the elephant migration zone. Zakouma is one of the biggest employers in the regions of Salamat and Guera and provides additional opportunities for local income generation through the local procurement of park and tourist camp supplies.
• The community outreach visits arranged by the park ensured that about 3,500 Chadian children and villagers visited the park in 2017.
Fifteen nights on the ground cost from $55,590 pp subject to exchange rates (excluding international flights and based on six people travelling in three double/twin rooms). Price includes private charter flight with pilot guide, private guides and vehicles and exclusive camps.
Jet and aircraft images are for illustrative purposes only and are indicative of the types of aircraft used for these journeys which is dependent on the number of travellers in the party.