National Geographic Traveler - USA (2019-12 & 2020-01)

78 NATGEOTRAVEL.COM

IF YOU LIKE

WHY GO NOW

Support an

African elephant

haven

HOW TO GO

Stay at the eight-tent Camp

Nomade, open mid-December to

mid-April, or the more affordable

Camp Tinga, a 20-rondavel (round

hut) camp open mid-November to

May. africanparks.org

Home to a rapidly growing African elephant

population—some 559 in 2019 and a thousand

expected by 2024—Zakouma National Park is an

under-the-radar African safari destination. The

park’s location, in southeastern Chad, one of the

world’s least visited countries, makes Zakouma

a best-kept secret—one worth sharing to help

ensure its continued success.

Poaching previously had rendered the park

nearly a war zone, with 90 percent of the wild

elephants killed. Funding from the European

Union and the 2010 decision to transfer park

management to the public-private conserva-

tion organization African Parks has brought

back life to the region. In addition to its profu-

sion of pachyderms, Zakouma is a playground

for more than 10,000 buffalo and about 1,000

Kordofan giraffes. Among other wild things at

home here are nearly 400 species of birds, as

well as cheetahs, leopards, and servals.

WHEN TO GO

MAR-

APR

VISIT

CHAD

WILD THINGS

ZAKOUMA

NATIONAL PARK

ADVENTURE

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9.

82

15

°^ E

AFRICA

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