US$

3,299/ pp

Gerewol Festival: The Heart of Africa

Chad

Dates:
1 - 8 October 2025

Duration:
8 days

Group:
12 ppl

US$3,299 / pp

Gerewol Festival Holiday in Chad

Few Western travellers will ever get to experience the Gerewol festival – one of the most spectacular in Africa, yet one that has barely been changed over centuries. This week-long festival occurs when the semi-nomadic Wodaabe people travel across the Sahel on foot, camel or donkey, and come together to feast, dance, race and – ultimately – to find a lover or a partner. The classic image from the Gerewol festival is one of the young men with elaborately made-up faces, ‘displaying’ to young women in order to attract them. Not only does this Gerewol festival holiday allow you to experience these rituals, but having worked in this area for several years, we have built up plenty of local contacts and friends, meaning we are welcomed as guests and are able to camp beside them in this incredibly remote region. You’ll be immersed in life far from the mainstream, combined with centuries-old traditions and rituals; this is a highly unique opportunity to see the world from a completely different perspective and experience the deep traditions of Africa.

Itinerary

N’Djamena → Durbali → Gerewol festival → N’Djamena

Day 1: N’Djamena

Arrive in the capital of Chad today, and transfer to your hotel (Le Meridien Chari or similar). You can choose to stay here and rest up for the adventure ahead, or to head out and explore.

Day 2: Durbali

Drive across the Sahel to the Durbali region where the Gerewol festival is celebrated by the Wodaabe people. We’ll camp here overnight.

Day 3-7: Gerewol festival

We have five full days to experience the Gerewol festival – a celebration which has barely changed for centuries. The Wodaabe from across the Sahel region congregate in the area with their cattle for what could be described as a mass courtship ritual. Unusually, it is male beauty that is prized by the Wodaabe, and the young men wear traditional jewellery, feathers and make up before performing in front of the young women – a fascinating spectacle. There will be plenty of dancing and singing, and perhaps some camel racing, as well as plenty of time to meet local people and share stories with them about the culture and rituals. You can also head to one of the Sahel’s most important markets, in Durbali.

Day 8: N’Djamena

We return back to N’Djamena, where day use rooms are available to freshen up. After heading out to a restaurant for a final farewell dinner, transfer to the airport for your onward flight home.

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What's included

Accommodation

1 night at the hotel (Le Meridien Chari or similar)

6 night at the camp

Meals

Day 2-7: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 8: Breakfast and Lunch

Guided tours

Five full days of Gerewol festival experience

Transport

Transfers as per itinerary

Support

24/7 phone/WhatsApp support line

English-speaking guide

ABTA and ATOL bonded

Not Included

International flights

Meals not mentioned

Optional tours and activities

Personal expenses

Why Us

Watching camel racing, singing, dancing and male beauty contests

Camping in the Sahel

Meeting the Wodaabe tribespeople

Durbali market

Drive across the Sahel to the Durbali

Witnessing the Gerewol festival

Our reviews

Willam Watt

Australia

I am a Sydney-based journalist who travelled to the 2018 World Cup with World of Discoveries. Following is my review of that fabulous experience ... What a trip ... the World Cup, five cities, amazing camaraderie, and great tour leadership against the background of one of the globe’s most amazing countries ... Russia. My World Cup tour with World of Discoveries was one of the great experiences of my travel life. The World of Discoveries team provided a wonderful platform with an itinerary both practical and flexible. The local tours in each of the venue cities - Moscow, Kazan, Samara, Sochi and St Petersburg were informative and, importantly, fun. Considering the accommodation pressures created by the huge influx of Cup tourists, the hotels selected by World of Discoveries were more than adequate. Special mention goes to the Grand Hotel Tchaikovsky In St Petersburg. The tour leadership provided by the company was both expert and considerate. Importantly each traveller’s individual enjoyment and safety appeared to be the paramount consideration. This World Cup holiday was meant to be a “once-in-a-lifetime” experience for me but I am now planning for the next Cup. Bring on 2022 in Qatar

Sayeed Kabir

Australia

A huge thank you to Varya and the team for making our World Of Discoveries Tour for 2018 World Cup amazing! They made every moment count with organised tours, accommodation and socialising. A great bunch of people to travel with. Even went extra mile and managed to secure a ticket we were missing for one game. Was wonderfully a little surprised at the detail the tour operators covered in making our trip incredible! I would highly recommend this company!

Sober Virkens

Sweden

Great F1 experience in Qatar! Wofdi are the best for sporting events!

Tillie Stephen

Australia

Not only the Euro 2024 final game but the whole trip was amazing, the team at World of Discoveries did an amazing job looking after every detail making it 100% trouble free, they were totally committed to making it the best experience possible Thanking you from the bottom of my heart. Many thanks again Lina and Barbara you have been very professional to deal with and 100% will be hoping to work with you again.

Juan Ramirez

USA

Do not hesitate to book, World of Discoveries comes through! This was my very first time using a travel agency to book any sort of trip. And this being not just any ordinary trip, but a World Cup experience, I was a bit hesitant. Many doubts on my mind. Would they come through with the match tickets, airline tickets, transfers, booking of hotels, will there someone there available for the hotel transfers or just to answer a question I have at anytime during the trip? World of Discoveries came through like CHAMPS! All my airline tickets, match tickets and hotel reservations were taken care of. There was always someone at the airport or hotel ready to greet me for transfers. There was always more than one person available via telephone or a text message away. They really did an excellent job at organizing everything. It was a worry-free experience with them. Special shout-out to Irena who was our manager based in Dubai. She always made sure we were taken care of and even hosted special events for us. I am glad I chose them for my World Cup experience and would not hesitate to use them again. Excellent service!

Bruce McDougall

Australia

I recently toured Qatar during the World Cup with Varya and Mike’s team at World of Discoveries. The experience over three weeks was first class. Varya and her team nailed the detail for every aspect of the trip from planning and booking through to the actual travel, tours, sightseeing, transport, accommodation and ticketing to games. They were always accessible to deal with any issues that arose and went the extra mile to ensure the travelling group was happy, organised and safe. And they throw a mean party. I would not hesitate to recommend World of Discoveries for trips of a lifetime.