Getaway May_2019

EscapE

THE FIRST STEP TO YOUR NEXT ADVENTURE

WishyouWerehere

Gueltad’archei,

ennedi Plateau,chad

It’s Africa Month in May (commemorating the founding of the

Organisation of African Unity, in 1963, later replaced by the African

Union in 2002) and a good time to celebrate the fascinating corners

of our continent. One such place is Guelta d’Archei, where every day

hundreds of camels come to drink and bathe in the waters of the canyon

• an oasis in the middle of the Sahara Desert. Over the centuries, the
  cameldunghasturnedthewaterblack.Lurkinginthisdarkwateris a
  smallrelicpopulationofWestAfricancrocodiles.SmallerthantheirNile
  counterparts,they feed on fish that surviveon the algae formedby the
  cameldroppings.Thisuniqueecosystemowesitsexistencetotheoasis,
  whichspringsfromundergroundwaterandis foundbetweentowering
  sandstonecliffs and archesin a wind-sculptedcanyon.Currentlyoff the
  radarfortravellersduetoterroristactivity,Gueltad’Archeiwillneedto
  stayonourwishlistfora littlebitlonger.

Gallo Images/Getty Images/Nigel Pavitt

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