Name: Hello Handsome! | Gerewol Ceremony in Chad
Start: 2026-01-28T02:00:00+04:00
End: 2026-02-02T03:00:00+04:00
Location: Dubai International Airport

Hello Handsome! | Gerewol Ceremony in Chad

The Republic of Chad is located in the center of Africa and is a landlocked country – without an access to the sea. On its territory located is Lake Chad - the second largest lake of the Black Land. Due to the large meridional extent of the country, there are many climatic zones here.
From 2008, Chad has become an increasingly safer country. It is politically stable - in African way. It is ruled by President Idriss Déby, who has been in power continuously since 1990. An interesting fact about Chad is the democracy index, which for many years has characterized the country as the second most undemocratic country in the world - after North Korea!
Bororo tribe also known as Fulanie or Wodabe are obsessed with beauty and build their hierarchy of values on its basis. Gerewol is the culmination - a lesson in love, a beauty pageant for men where women choose their partners. Gerewol is a celebration of delicacy - with young men who smile showing (even grinning) bright teeth and flashing whites of their eyes, hoping to be chosen the most beautiful (Yake). Gerewol is also a dance-staging of a fight with the use of large swords. Young participants start dancing with spinning swords. They blink, smile while dancing to test their seductive skills. And the women with surreptitious gestures of their hands indicate the chosen one.
We will visit the village where the young Wodabé are getting ready for Gerevwol by painting their faces and making braids. Further on, we discover usage and importance of wax for the elderly and children lives. We will understand that in addition to being nomadic shepherds, the Wodabes are also farmers and lead a sedentary lifestyle for part of the year. However, in general, old people and children stay in the villages, while young people take care of the herds of cattle.
On this trip you will encounter the roots of African tradition, local life, animistic culture and traditional mud architecture, that hasn’t changed much for 2000 years. You will be in a direct contact with the tribes man, and visit local colorful markets. You will forget about watches and mobiles, while passing dusty settlements, the flat landscape covered with shrubs, spotting caravans of locals with their belongings on camels. There are rarely any tourists on this forgotten path. This is surely how Omo Valley looked like several decades ago.
Day 1 // Arrival
Quick look at city highlights, overnight in hotel.
Day 2 // N'djamena - Dourbali (or Guelenden)
Departure to Dourbali locality about 150 km south of the capital, meeting with our guide Wodaabe, preparation of the bivouac dinner at the camp.
Day 3 // Gerewol
Arrival at the meeting point with the Wodaabe people. At the end of the monsoon rainy season in Chad, Pastor stage one of the most singular festivals of Sub-Saharan Africa. These dancing parties are known by the definition of Gerewol. But the term Gerewol is not properly correct. Ceremony is called YAKE!
The Yake is a male beauty contest in which a partner is chosen by the woman, with the young males who smile to all teeth and eyes bulged, with the hope of being judged the most beautiful. Men of marriageable age are decorated with bright colors, feathers, fine hats and dresses with heavy ornaments It is a scene of great sweetness, to make a breach in the heart of a girl. The aspiring young Woodabe do not even hesitate to grind their teeth and abnormally bulge their eyes, evidently something much appreciated by girls.
DAY 4 // Return to N'djamena
Day 5 // Departure
Souvenir shopping before departure home.
Level:
Easy, however it is a journey to the heart of Africa, area with limited facilities.
Activities:
Tribe festival encounter, sightseeing.
Cost: 5800 AED until DEC 28th + flight (approx. 5000 AED by Ethiopian Airways).
Accommodation & meals:
Hotels and camping. Meals included except restaurant meals during transfers (in Djamena).
Specifically excluded:
Visas, restaurant meals on transfers, entry fees if any, insurance.
Visas:
E-visa for all passports. https://evisa.td/
Yellow Fever Certificate is required for entry to Chad.
See yah, handsome! x
Trekkup Crew
Whatsapp 0504848238 / [email protected]
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