If you stumbled across this sight after staggering through the desert for days, you’d assume you were seeing a mirage or a vision of dehydrated delirium. Rest assured, this surreal spectacle is very much real (and not AI-generated either).

The Guelta d'Archei is an ancient watering hole located in the depths of the Sahara in the Ennedi Region of northeastern Chad.

It consists of a narrow valley filled with shallow freshwater, lined with towering rock walls. As one of the few pockets of water in the hyper-arid region, it serves as a much-needed haven for nomadic tribes to bring their camels to rehydrate.

The camels can’t relax too much, though. The Guelta d'Archei is also home to a small population of Nile crocodiles that have managed to survive since the era of the “Green Sahara” between 15,000 and 5,000 years ago.

“In this oasis exists a relict fauna and flora, concentrated for the most part in the gorges with water sources. One of the most iconic examples is the presence of crocodiles in the Guelta d’Archeï. These crocodiles have survived since the end of the river connections, thousands of years ago. They are the last survivors in the Sahara, other than populations in the Nile River Valley in Egypt and in Mauritania,” explained a brochure published by UNESCO in 2016.

While humans are scarcely seen here today, prolific rock art in the region shows a faint glimmer of their presence from thousands upon thousands of years ago.

The wider Ennedi region hosts thousands of rock engravings and paintings dating to between 5000 BCE and 1700 CE. The artworks depict wild animals, cattle, humans, and – of course – camels, illustrated in a variety of local styles. 

"These paintings help us to reconnect with our identity, our culture and where we come from. Ennedi is an open book to the history of our ancestors," Angèle Aloumbe, who works for African Parks based in the capital of Chad, N'Djamena, told BBC Travel.

"I'm always crying when I go to Ennedi. It's such a beautiful landscape with very untouched people. No one can go there without feeling a connection. It has something really special," explained Aloumbe.

As tempting as it may be to shoot a travel vlog here, we wouldn’t recommend visiting the Guelta d'Archei. The US State Department suggests travelers “reconsider travel to Chad due to crime, terrorism, civil unrest, and kidnapping,” while the UK Foreign Office advises against all travel to the region. 

Even if the heated socio-political situation doesn’t put you off, the journey would deter even the most ardent traveler. According to the UNESCO brochure, it's a four-day journey across the desert via 4×4 to reach the vicinity of the Guelta d'Archei from N’Djamena.

[H/T: Jacob Shell]