Gauthiot Falls

The Mayo Kebbi drops over a rock step near Léré in southwestern Chad, and after the rains it comes down in a broad curtain with real force, which in a country that is mostly desert and savanna is worth the drive. By the end of the dry season it is reduced to threads across bare rock. The river here drains eventually into the Benue and the Niger rather than into Lake Chad, which makes it unusual for Chad.

Background

The falls form a chain of cascades about halfway along the Mayo Kébbi, with a combined drop of only about 17 metres (56 ft). Their interest lies in where they sit, between the river systems of the Logone and the Mayo Kébbi. Both rivers rise in lakes and marshes on a flat plain that fills with rain in the short wet season, draining partly to the Logone and Lake Chad and partly to the Mayo Kébbi. Debris in the water is wearing the rock away, so the falls are slowly moving upstream. Geologists speculate that, many thousands of years from now, they could take the entire flow of the Logone, and Lake Chad would then shrink drastically.

Source: Wikipedia, "Gauthiot Falls"

What you'll find

• The falls - the Mayo Kebbi dropping over the rock step.
• The seasonal contrast - a curtain after the rains, threads by the late dry season.
• The drainage - a river running to the Benue and the Niger rather than Lake Chad.
• The rock step - the ledge the water comes over.

When to go

September to December is when the falls carry real water after the rains. By March they can be almost dry. The rains themselves make the track difficult.

Things to know

Outside the months after the rains there may be almost nothing to see. The track in is rough. There are no facilities at the site.

Nearby

Lake Léré is nearby, and Sena Oura is south.

Key facts