Lake Chad is a legendary place in Central Africa. It is one of the continent’s great symbols, like Kilimanjaro or the Sahara Desert. Divided among Chad, Nigeria, Niger, and Cameroon since 1880, it was for a long time a vast inland sea that sustained life in the Sahel. Since our first expeditions to the region, we have returned on several occasions to navigate its waters, visit markets and communities, and get to know peoples such as the Buduma (also known as Yedina), and the Kanembou. In this article, we explore some of the landscapes and experiences that help us understand why Lake Chad is much more than just a lake.
Lake Chad: History and Evolution of a Changing Landscape
What is Lake Chad? Where does it come from, and where is it going? These are the typical questions one asks when starting to read about—or, better yet, thinking about—taking a trip there.
During our February 2022 expedition, we were told of an oral tradition according to which the European explorers Dixon Denham and Hugh Clapperton asked the region’s inhabitants what they called that vast body of water when they approached it in 1823. The answer is said to have been “Chad.”
As is the case with many stories passed down orally in this region, it is best to view this one as part of local folklore rather than as a definitive historical explanation of the origin of the place name.
Lake Chad is part of an endorheic basin: its waters have no surface outlet to the sea. It is fed primarily by the Chari and Logone rivers, while water loss occurs mainly through evaporation and also through infiltration.
Understanding Lake Chad’s Changing Water Levels
During the severe droughts of the 1970s and 1980s, Lake Chad underwent a dramatic transformation. The area of open water, which had reached about 25,000 km² in the 1960s, fell below 2,000 km² during the 1980s.
For a long time, this decline fueled the perception that the lake was doomed to disappear. However, the situation is considerably more complex. Since the 1990s, there have been periods of recovery in surface water levels, linked, among other factors, to increased rainfall in the western Sahel.
In addition, Lake Chad is exceptionally shallow—about three meters on average—so even small fluctuations in water level can result in enormous changes in surface area. Islands, channels, flooded areas, reed beds, and grasslands appear and disappear with the seasonal cycles.
That does not mean the ecosystem is free from threats. Droughts, erratic rainfall, population growth, agricultural water use, and climate change are putting the entire basin under enormous pressure. But today it is more accurate to speak of an extremely variable and vulnerable ecosystem than of a lake that is simply drying up until it disappears.
It is estimated that about 30 million people live in the Lake Chad region, where agriculture, livestock raising, fishing, and the trade associated with these activities remain vital to the local economy.
However, it’s clear that taking a trip to Lake Chad today means venturing into a very special place. We find ourselves in a region made up of thousands of islands and channels that form an unfathomable labyrinth—a refuge not only for terrorists but also for nomadic and semi-nomadic tribes for centuries. There are safe areas, specifically in Chad, so it is possible to go there. And it’s well worth the trip.
Let’s take a closer look at what you can see at Lake Chad.
To learn more about Lake Chad (in French), we recommend the *Atlas du Lac Tchad*.
What to See at Lake Chad: Unique Places and Experiences
Visiting Lake Chad means discovering a region in constant flux, where the landscapes and ways of life are deeply intertwined with water. From rural markets and nomadic villages to navigating among islands and reed beds, these are some of the experiences we’ve had during our expeditions to the region.
Isseirom and the Markets of Lake Chad
Isseirom is a village of adobe houses located a few dozen kilometers from the shores of Lake Chad—at least during the dry season. It was probably on the lake’s shore a few years ago, but as we’ve seen, things have changed a great deal in this ecosystem.
There we met Mustafa, who turned out to be an excellent conversationalist on the history of the region. He was one of those African “libraries,” if we go by the saying of the Malian Amadou Hampate Ba: “In Africa, when an elder dies, a library burns down.”
It also happened to be Friday. Weekly market day. Mustafa invited us to go with him since he had to run some errands (basically to buy food to treat us), and of course we didn’t hesitate to accept the offer.
It was a day with a harmattan wind, which didn’t exactly make it feel like we were “close” to Lake Chad. The air was thick with dust or sand, giving it the feel of an old sepia-toned film. As if we were immersed in a strange dream, we made our way through the quiet streets to the large square where the market was set up.
Mustafa, dressed in an elegant traditional white suit with a matching turban, was walking a few steps ahead of us. He cut an imposing figure. People greeted him with great respect, and we immediately realized that we were walking in the company of a true authority figure.
The Isseirom market has been held since 1940, as Mustafa himself told us, and little seems to have changed since then.
Few things have changed, except for the small details that indicate we are in the 21st century: a booth with a generator where people can charge their cell phones, and the sale of small solar panels to provide a little electricity for homes.
As in so many markets in the Sahel, the stalls are set up under awnings supported by thick poles. The goods are piled on mats on the ground, but always neatly arranged. The whole scene is a labyrinth of alleys where people, camels, and carts move about in cheerful chaos.
The market is well organized. Onions, potatoes, dried fish, millet, dates, and other foods take up the most space. A little further on are the meat stalls and grills, where meat is cooked on the spot if customers so desire. Plastic knickknacks and kitchenware are piled up in another area.
Kanembou women are in charge of sales, except in the meat section. They attract customers by calling out what they’re selling—a practice as old as it is common today. Suddenly, we notice that one stall has packets of spirulina, the green algae considered a “superfood” in the West. This is a very clear sign that we are near Lake Chad, since it is harvested from its waters.
After walking up and down the market looking for ingredients for dinner, chatting with people, and marveling at the atmosphere, we head back the way we came and take refuge at Mustafa’s house, where we had arranged to spend the night to shelter from the harmattan.
Sitting in the guest room, furnished with cushions and mats, it’s time to talk.
Mustafa tells us in his excellent French that he is a fifth-generation descendant of the sultans of the region. That, we think, is why he is such a cultured man.
He tells us about his family’s history, the role of the sultanates, the origin of Lake Chad’s name, and how it has always been an untamed place because no sultanate ever ruled over its waters.
Unlike the rest of Chad, there was never a sultanate at “the Great Lake” because everyone feared the water.
Everyone except the Buduma, a nomadic people who have inhabited these waters since at least the 16th century.
The Landscape of Lake Chad: From Desert to Water
The next day, we drove our SUV through a desert that gave no hint of any lake. Dunes, sandy trails, dust, and the harmattan in the air; acacia trees crowned with thorns; a few goats; and the occasional nomad riding a dromedary. Until groups of palm trees, reeds, and vegetation more typical of a riverbank or lakeshore began to appear.
Some palm trees are on the verge of being swallowed up by the dunes, but others are growing strong around the beds of now-dry lakes. They’ve only recently dried up, as you can tell by the dark hues of the soil, which is still moist. Perhaps just a few weeks ago, everything was different.
I’ve always been fascinated by how the landscape changes depending on whether or not there is water. In just a few days, it can go from yellow, brown, or white to green and the colors of the flowers. It’s the miracle of life.
Suddenly, a large herd of cattle appears on the sandy track. It’s being herded by a couple of boys wearing turbans who glance at us out of the corner of their eyes. The cows are enormous and have arched horns that can reach a meter in length. Could these be the Kuri cows of Lake Chad?
Kuri or kauri cattle , also known as buduma, dongolé, or kuburi, are a breed of cattle native to and characteristic of the Lake Chad basin, extraordinarily well-adapted to their semi-aquatic environment. They are capable of swimming long distances to travel from island to island in search of food. And they are the most prized possession of their owners, the bouduma or buduma, who herd them from their canoes.
If you’d like to learn more about the herders who have made these islands their home, you can read our article about the Buduma or Yedina of Lake Chad, their life on the water, and their extraordinary relationship with the Kuri cattle.
As we approach Lake Chad, signs of life become increasingly evident. We spot some gazelles that scatter as we pass and small birds in bright reds and oranges. The harmattan unifies the atmosphere but doesn’t diminish the excitement—the excitement that begins to fill us, knowing that we’ll soon see Lake Chad.
Exploring the Lake by boat: Paradise in the Sahel
The expanse of blue water, dotted with islands teeming with vegetation and birds soaring through the skies, is incredible. Coming from the desert, there’s no better way to imagine Paradise.
One of the best experiences of this short expedition to Lake Chad was sailing with the Buduma to an island and seeing the kauri cows up close. Along the way, they told us that the lake isn’t very deep.
Lake Chad is exceptionally shallow, with an average depth of about three meters, although there are significant variations depending on the area and the season; it can reach depths of up to seven meters in its deepest parts and during the rainy season.
When the wind blows, waves rise. It’s just like the sea—no doubt about it.
Above our heads and along the shores, we spotted numerous waterbirds. The wetlands of Lake Chad are one of the Sahel’s major bird sanctuaries, and some areas are home to internationally significant populations of waterfowl. Herons, cormorants, ibises, birds of prey, and numerous migratory species find food and shelter here.
The Elephants of the Lake Chad Region
There was a time when wildlife on this great lake was much more abundant than it is today. Just as we can see many species in the Okavango Delta today, that must have been the case not so long ago on Lake Chad.
Heinrich Oberjohann already described this in his book *Hunting Elephants on Lake Chad*, in which he recounts his experience tracking these large mammals, which he considered “water elephants.” Fortunately, it is still possible to see elephants on Lake Chad.
The survival of these elephants in such a heavily human-impacted area is extraordinary and also leads to conflicts with local communities, especially when the animals approach agricultural or populated areas. According to reports we’ve heard during various visits, solitary elephants have attacked villages and people. Authorities have had to authorize the culling of these animals to ensure the safety of the population. Damage to crops is also common, and when that happens, farmers face a very difficult year.
Alonso and the group of travelers who accompanied him on the December 2021 expedition encountered a herd of between 30 and 40 animals near the lake. They were roaming freely among the acacia woodlands and waterways. It was a breathtaking encounter, captured on camera. Don’t miss this video:
It is estimated that there are 44 species of large and medium-sized mammals in the Lake Chad basin, including a remnant population of elephants. This herd is the second-northernmost group of elephants in Africa, after the Hombori elephants in Mali. We might consider them an anachronism given the complex region in which they live, and needless to say, they are endangered.
The Nomadic Peoples of Lake Chad
The landscape of Lake Chad cannot be understood without the societies that have adapted over centuries to the movements of the water and the rhythms of the seasons. The Buduma or Yedina, the Kanembou, the Kanuri, and various groups of Fulani herders are part of an extraordinary cultural mosaic in which fishing, trade, and livestock herding continue to shape much of daily life.
If you’d like to learn more about their history and way of life, you can read our introduction to the peoples and nomads of Lake Chad.
Spirulina from Lake Chad and the Kanembou Women
In another part of Lake Chad, we meet the women who harvest spirulina. This algae, now a sought-after “superfood” in markets around the world, has become an opportunity for them. The FAO has provided funding to help them form a cooperative and implement an improved harvesting and packaging system.
During our visit in 2022, the cooperative comprised 145 women who harvested spirulina. Standing waist-deep in the water, with the sleeves of their colorful dresses rolled up, they harvested the algae, which they would then dry in the sun and later grind for sale.
They are Kanembou women who are open, curious, and approachable. They smile, joke around, and try to communicate with us through gestures. I think they are proud of the work they do and of the empowerment they’ve gained through the cooperative.
Through them, we learned that women have always been responsible for harvesting spirulina, and that they belong to the “blacksmiths” caste, one of the poorest in their society.
The day’s harvest begins after they’ve finished their household chores and taken care of their children. Besides, they don’t live right by the lake, so they have to travel some distance on foot or on the backs of their donkeys, loaded down with their pots and pans. But they don’t lose their sense of humor. Or at least not that day—maybe because we’re a nice distraction.
Dihé, the traditional spirulina product harvested and processed around Lake Chad, is used by local communities to prepare sauces and other dishes. It has a strong vegetal flavor and is rich in beta-carotene, iron, and protein.
Travel to Lake Chad with Kumakonda
Lake Chad remains one of those places where landscape and culture are inseparable. Sailing among its islands, visiting the Buduma camps, exploring markets, and following the movements of nomadic peoples allows you to discover a side of Chad that is completely different from that of the vast deserts of the north.
At Kumakonda, we keep returning to this region to get to know it better and document its cultures. If you’d like to take a trip with us to Lake Chad, you can email us at info@kumakonda.com, and we’ll let you know about the expeditions we’re planning. In the meantime, check out the wonders of Chad on our website.
We also invite you to watch this video featuring Alicia, the author of this article and a member of the February 2022 Lake Chad expedition with Kumakonda. In it, she recounts those days filled with excitement and adventure.
Autor:
Alicia Ortego
Content writer and author of the blog “Los Viajes de Ali”. A social anthropologist by training and passionate about Africa and deserts.
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