Accommodation
There is tourist accommodation at Tinga for the Zakouma National Park. A tourist lodge was opened at Tinga in 2003.

There are international chain hotels in N’Djamena and reasonable accommodation in Sahr.

Visas
As visa regulations and local laws change frequently and often without notice, dmAFRICA can accept no responsibility regarding the need for or availability of visas, and suggests that the agent and the client check with the embassy of the countries to be visited in the issuing country of their own passports. The information below is therefore only a guide:

All tourists require an entry visa which costs €100 for a single entry. There is no reliable way to get a visa on arrival. The different websites of the Chad Embassies and Consulates have all the pertinent information and application forms required for your visa request. If there is no Chad Embassy or Consulate available you should apply to the most convenient French authority. The expiration date of your passport must be at least 6 months from your date of entry. You will usually require an invitation letter and a record of your hotel bookings. These documents and the appropriate application forms can be provided by the dmAFRICA office in Douala, Cameroon, providing we have at least 28 days notice.

Language
French and Arabic are the official languages.

Money
The local currency is the West African CFA franc (US$1= 450 CFA; €1= 655 CFA). Our tour leaders will help you with currency exchange. The use of credit cards is very limited and ATM cash machines are only available in main cities and generally will accept only Visa cards.

Visa Credit Cards can usually be used in the international hotels and the more internationally inclined restaurants of the main cities. However, it is always advisable to have cash because frequently these credit card machines do not work or are down without connection. You will not be able to use Travellers Cheques.

Health
Malaria is endemic. You must consult your doctor before you travel to ensure that you are prescribed the correct type of protection.

Yellow fever inoculation is obligatory for entry into Chad.

Immunization against hepatitis, cholera and meningitis is recommended. Please check the latest information with your medical practioner.

There are privately owned pharmacies which can prescribe most medication should you become sick.

Water
We recommend drinking only bottled water throughout your stay.

Time Difference
Chad is on GMT +1

Electricity
220v with 2 pin French style sockets.

Here are a few things we recommend you include on any visit to Chad:

• In Moundou there are riverside bars and Gala beer direct from the local brewery.


• Try nachif as a local dish comprising finely minced beef with a piquant sauce


• See the film “Abouna“ (Our Father) recently acclaimed at the Venice Film Festival. A heart-rending feature film of two boys searching for their father.


• Take in the local music which often includes some very sophisticated jazz. How jazz can be so fashionable in Chad still remains a mystery.


• Take time to chat to the friendly locals. Remember most of them will never have seen the sea. Television also is restricted to the local channel, so they remain very isolated and hence the epithet:-Chad; the Dead Heart of Africa! They love to talk to those who have seen the “World Outside”!

Suggested Reading:-
“Chad: A Nation in Search of its Future” an economic, social and political view of this struggling nation. It is by Mario Azevedo and Emmanuel Nnadozie.

There are regular flights from Paris to N’Djamena with Air France and pan African flights with Ethiopian Airlines. The Zakouma National Park is reached by a road journey of some 500 km (310 miles) from N’Djamena. It is also possible to access the area from Cameroon.

Our dmAFRICA office in Douala, Cameroon is responsible for arrangements in Chad