Ounianga is barely a town, just a scattering of buildings in the northeastern Sahara, but it sits at the edge of one of Chad's most extraordinary natural wonders. The Lakes of Ounianga, inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2012, are a chain of eighteen interconnected desert lakes with no business existing where they do.
The western group, Ounianga Kébir, holds water in lakes that range from brackish to intensely hypersaline, the most saline stained vivid red and orange by halophilic algae. The eastern lakes at Ounianga Sérir, about 40 km away, are shallower, their surfaces partially covered by floating mats of reeds that cut evaporation enough to keep the water from disappearing entirely. Both groups support fish and birdlife in the middle of the world's largest desert. The colours — deep blues, emerald greens, and burnt orange set against pale sand and ochre dunes — are surreal.
Ounianga is also the traditional entry point for travellers arriving overland from Libya via Kufra, one of the most remote border crossings on earth. The town has minimal facilities; bring everything you need. Getting here requires a multi-day 4WD expedition, typically as part of a longer circuit that includes the Ennedi Plateau. November to February is the only practical season.