Warda Camp is the Ennedi Massif’s first and only semi-permanent camp, with the region newly accessible following the introduction of caravan flights that connect capital N’Djamena to the airstrip at Fada.
Overview
Partly the brainchild of Rocco Ravà, an Italian expat whose parents were regional experts and who has been guiding here so long he is virtually a local himself, Camp Warda comprises a group of well-spaced canvas tents centred on a communal tented area. The feel and décor combine touches of luxury – proper tablecloths, comfortable seating, quality glass- and tableware – with the kind of stripped down aesthetic and local arts and crafts that are appropriate for the location.
Food and service
Camp Warda’s culinary offering is of a very good standard, offering a mix of the western and the local. Service is attentive and – above all – friendly and welcoming.
Rooms
Each of Camp Warda’s eight tents has a private shower and field toilet and offers a small pocket of hotel-like comfort in the midst of true desert wilderness. Beneath the canvas roof and within the roll-up sides of the tents is found western-style bedding and décor that combines the local and the colonial, combining rugs and reed mats with lamps and metal trunks.
Activities
Daytrips and overnight fly-camping expeditions take place across Ennedi. Guided one of Société de Voyages Sahariens’s guides, these will variously include trips to Terkey and its famous cave-paintings, the Oyo labyrinth, the Arche guelta, the towering Arch of Aloba, the Mourdi depression, and much else.
Impact
Société de Voyages Sahariens have been in operation here for more than three decades, and their knowledge and care for the area, its wildlife and its people are beyond doubt.
Do note that that Camp Warda also functions as base camp to a variety of fly-camping trips. On nights away, the amenities are fewer but the modern dome tents feature comfortable foam beds and the same standard of freshly prepared food is the norm. Substantial four-day fly-camping expeditions can be arranged to the Niola Doa rock-carvings or to the Ounianga Lakes.