A byword for deepest Africa, Chad has a troubled past, an uncertain present and a landscape, wildlife and cultures that deserve far better.

Chad spans some of Africa’s most important geographic zones, from the Sahara in the north, through the central semiarid Sahel and the savannah lands of the south. The lake that gave Chad its name recedes further north each year – it may no longer be within Chad’s borders. The Chari and Logone rivers are more enduring, flowing deep into southern Chad.

Desert aficionados swear by the Tibesti Mountains, the ultimate moonscape of monoliths in the most incredible shapes rising form orange sand. Sculpted by wind and water, they were once surrounded by a vast inland sea and sheltered the great mammals of Africa that are now depicted on the mountain walls. They are considered the Sahara’s most inaccessible but greatest prize. The lesser-known but similarly beautiful Ennedi mountain range is easier to reach.