GUNUNG · Chad

Tarso Voon

Tarso Voôn

Kaldera Tarso Voon dari antariksa — NASA / Tarso Voon caldera from space — NASA. Photo: source

Information

Elevation: 3.100 m
Country: Chad (TD)
Location / Range: Tibesti
Mountain type: Stratovolcano berkaldera / Stratovolcano with caldera
Volcanic?: Yes — volcano
Coordinates: 20.9167, 17.2833
Difficulty: Ekspedisi kawasan terpencil; grade puncak belum terverifikasi / Remote regional expedition; summit grade unverified
Best Season: Wagabundo mencantumkan September–April untuk program kawasan; bukan penetapan musim aman puncak / Wagabundo lists September–April for its regional programme, not a summit safety season
Permits & Rules: Program Wagabundo mencakup izin sesuai itinerari; pastikan persyaratan terkini dengan penyelenggara / Wagabundo includes itinerary-related permits; confirm current requirements with the organiser
Hazards: Medan terpencil dan berbatu; Soborom memiliki air panas, lumpur panas, dan lubang uap. Suhu yang dikutip Oregon State berasal dari 1956, bukan pemantauan langsung / Remote rocky terrain; Soborom has hot water, hot mud and steam vents. Temperatures cited by Oregon State date from 1956, not live monitoring. Laporan ORSTOM 1962 mendokumentasikan aliran yang naik cepat setelah hujan di tenggara kaldera. / The 1962 ORSTOM report documents rapidly rising runoff after rain in the southeastern caldera.

Description

Tarso Voon is a stratovolcano in Chad’s Tibesti with a shallow caldera about 14 × 18 km across. The 3,100 m elevation follows Oregon State and Wikipedia; Wikidata Q1281341 records 2,859 m, so the sources disagree. Soborom, roughly 5 km west of the caldera rim, has fumaroles, active mud pots and hot water. Wikipedia lists the last eruption as unknown; it does not establish that the volcano is extinct. T. E. St. Aubyn’s memoir in the 1957 KRRC Chronicle reports climbing to the top of Tarso Voon after reaching Soborom. This historical account adds direct ascent testimony but provides neither a surveyed summit route nor confirmation of present access. Oregon State summarizes 1956 observations at Soborom, including hot pools around 70 °C and steam blasts up to 90 °C; these are historical observations, not measurements today. In the 1957 memoir, the following day’s Ehi Mousgou climb is separate from Tarso Voon. Kumakonda places views of Tarso Voon within a 4x4 expedition requiring supplies and camping. Kel12’s Yebbi Bou–Zumri–Bardaï stage adds walks among sandstone labyrinths around Zumri. These activities provide walking context within a regional journey; the sources supply neither a Tarso Voon summit route nor evidence of current access. ORSTOM’s 1962 field campaign recorded rain during a camel-supported traverse of Tarso Voon on 23 July. A seasonal channel in the southeastern caldera started flowing at 11:50, spread into its main bed at 12:10 and peaked around 12:25. This observation shows that such desert travel can also encounter rapidly rising runoff; it records one historical event, not a forecast or present-day flood frequency.

Gallery

Foto bersumber dari Wikimedia Commons — klik untuk memperbesar & lihat sumbernya.

Routes

Lintasan ekspedisi 4x4 Yebbi Bou–Tarso Voon–Bardaï (bagian dari traverse Tibesti)

Pendekatan kawasan dengan kendaraan; bukan grade pendakian / Vehicle-based regional approach, not a climbing grade

2 hari menurut etape 11–12 operator / 2 days in the operator’s days 11–12 stage

Kel12’s days 11–12 connect Yebbi Bou, Zumri and Bardaï through the Yebbigué gorges and wadis, skirting Tarso Voon and Tarso Toon. The operator describes walks among sandstone labyrinths near Zumri between vehicle stages. Two days refers to this regional travel stage, not two days of summit climbing. The PDF supplies no GPX or Tarso Voon ascent segments; the schedule and access need reconfirmation.

Source

Lintasan historis 1957 Bardaï–Soborom–Tarso Voon

Rute historis; grade teknis dan jejak navigasi tidak tersedia / Historical route; no technical grade or navigation track supplied

13–20 Agustus 1957 untuk rangkaian perjalanan / 13–20 August 1957 for the overall excursion

St. Aubyn’s memoir records departure from Bardaï on 13 August, a sustained uphill approach with camel support to Soborom on 16 August, and a subsequent climb to the top of Tarso Voon. The group returned to Bardaï on 20 August. These dates cover other visits and climbs within the excursion rather than a Tarso Voon summit-only duration. This historical corridor does not establish current access or trail conditions. The segments below follow the narrative on printed pages 142–143, not navigation waypoints. The Ehi Mousgou climb and its 12:30 return are excluded from the Tarso Voon segments.

Route Segments

1

Bardaï → Soborom

Berangkat 13 Agustus, tiba 16 Agustus 1957 setelah perjalanan menanjak dengan dukungan unta. / Departed 13 August, arrived 16 August 1957 after an uphill journey with camel support.
2

Soborom → bagian atas Tarso Voon / upper Tarso Voon

Penulis menyebut pendakian dan panorama pegunungan; tanggal, durasi, grade, serta titik tertinggi terukur tidak diberikan. / The writer describes a climb and mountain panorama; the date, duration, grade and surveyed highest point are not supplied.
3

Kawasan Tarso Voon → Bardaï / Tarso Voon area → Bardaï

Kelompok kembali 20 Agustus setelah kegiatan lain di kawasan. Tidak ada uraian lengkap jalur pulang. / The party returned on 20 August after other activities in the area. The return route is not fully described.

Source

Trek jalan kaki ke ladang solfatara Soborom dari Bardaï

Pendekatan terpencil; grade teknis tidak disebut / Remote approach; technical grade unspecified

Sekitar 3 hari jalan kaki menurut sumber / About 3 days on foot according to the source

French Wikipedia places Soborom about 60 km south of Bardaï and describes a three-day walk. The destination is the geothermal field beside the caldera, not Tarso Voon’s summit. Remoteness and a shortage of permanent water points limit visits; the source provides no navigation track.

Source

Climbing Experiences

Seven sources cover 1957 ascent testimony, a 1958 scientific expedition, 1962 hydrological field observations and four regional operator programmes. St. Aubyn describes climbing to the top of Tarso Voon; the 12:30 return from Ehi Mousgou concerns a separate climb. ORSTOM adds direct evidence of rain and rapidly rising runoff during a caldera traverse. Operator sources describe 4x4 transfers, camping, volcano views and regional walks. None provides a Tarso Voon ascent GPX or establishes present summit access.

References

The summary above is compiled from the following sources. Click to explore them yourself.