Afrinkong
Nature & Landscapes
The Air Massif
Granite mountains standing two thousand metres out of the sand, with guelta pools in them.
West Africa · Afrinkong
Niger
The Air, the Tenere, and the last giraffes of West Africa.
The Tenere is the emptiest desert on earth, the Air massif rises out of it to two thousand metres, and the last West African giraffes live wild an hour from the capital.
Where it is
Africa · West Africa · Niger
The land in brief
- Spans
- 1,630 km E–W, 1,290 km N–S
- Latitude
- 24°N to 12°N
- Borders
- 7 countries
- Sea
- Landlocked
- Best time
- November to February. The Air and Tenere need current advice and local guides.
Also in West Africa
BeninWhere vodun comes from, and the palaces of DahomeyBurkina FasoThe best cinema and the best masks in West AfricaCôte d'IvoireLagoons, forest and the AtlanticThe GambiaA river with a country around itGhanaThe forts, the forest and the highlife
Compare Niger with another countryAll fifty-four, worked through the same twenty-seven categories.When to come
JFMAMJJASOND
November to February. The Air and Tenere need current advice and local guides.
01Highlights
What Niger is known for.
Six of the twenty-seven, and the ones most people come for. The rest are below — and none of them is filler.
Nature & Landscapes
The Last West African Giraffe
About six hundred of them at Kouré, the only wild population left in the whole of West Africa.
Mountains
Mont Idoukal-n-Taghes
2,022 metres in the Air, and the high point of a range full of rock art.
Beaches & Coast
Sandbars on the River
Landlocked, and the swimming is off the sandbanks at Niamey when the river is low.
Forests & Rainforest
The Doum Palm Valleys
Palm-filled wadis in the Air, green lines through absolutely bare rock.
Tuareg, Hausa, Zarma, Fulani
Tuareg and Toubou in the north, Hausa and Zarma in the south, Wodaabe in between.
02Experiences
25 ways to spend the time.
Every country we cover works through the same twenty-seven categories, so you can hold two of them side by side and compare like with like rather than one brochure against another. Compare Niger with another → The two not listed here are the hero picture and the case for going, which has a section of its own below.
Landscapes
- The Air MassifGranite mountains standing two thousand metres out of the sand, with guelta pools in them.
- Mont Idoukal-n-Taghes2,022 metres in the Air, and the high point of a range full of rock art.
- Guelta PoolsPermanent rock pools in the Air, the only standing water for hundreds of kilometres.
- The Niger at NiameyThe river runs 550 kilometres across the southwest and the whole country leans on it.
- Sandbars on the RiverLandlocked, and the swimming is off the sandbanks at Niamey when the river is low.
- The Doum Palm ValleysPalm-filled wadis in the Air, green lines through absolutely bare rock.
Wildlife
- The Last West African GiraffeAbout six hundred of them at Kouré, the only wild population left in the whole of West Africa.
- W National ParkShared with Benin and Burkina Faso — lion, elephant and buffalo on the Niger river.
- Giraffes Beside FarmsKouré's giraffes live among fields, and the community is paid to keep it that way.
- The Air on Foot and CamelWeeks of walking or riding between guelta and village, with Tuareg guides.
People and culture
- Tuareg, Hausa, Zarma, FulaniTuareg and Toubou in the north, Hausa and Zarma in the south, Wodaabe in between.
- The WodaabeThe Gerewol, where the men dress and dance and the women choose.
- The Cure SaleeTuareg and Wodaabe gather at In-Gall in September when the salt pastures come up.
- Tuareg Silver and LeatherThe Agadez cross in silver, and camel saddles and boxes in tooled leather.
- Millet, Djerma Rice and KilishiMillet paste with sauce, and kilishi — beef dried thin and spiced, the best in the region.
- Giraffes an Hour AwayKouré is a morning trip from Niamey, on foot, and children can do it.
- The Niamey Grand MarcheEverything from millet to motorcycle parts, and the noise that goes with it.
Places
- Niamey and AgadezA river capital with the best museum in the Sahel, and a caravan city at the desert edge.
- Mud and BeamsSahelian mud with projecting timber, and the Agadez minaret as its tallest expression.
- AgadezA mud minaret twenty-seven metres high, and the Sultanate that has stood behind it since 1449.
- Three SitesAgadez, the Air and Tenere reserves, and W National Park — desert, mountain and river.
Ways to travel
- Crossing the TenereThe Tree of Tenere marked the crossing until a truck hit it in 1973. The route is still run.
- Very LittleA few hotels in Niamey. Everything north is camps and hospitality.
- Dunes and NothingThe Tenere at either end of the day, where the only vertical thing is your own shadow.
- The Bilma Salt CaravansThe azalai still runs from Agadez to Bilma and back, a thousand kilometres by camel.
03Why go
The case for Niger.
Why Visit This Country
Why Niger
The emptiest desert on earth, and a giraffe population saved by the people farming next to it.
Hidden Gems
The Bilma Salt Caravans
The azalai still runs from Agadez to Bilma and back, a thousand kilometres by camel.
Eco Tourism
Giraffes Beside Farms
Kouré's giraffes live among fields, and the community is paid to keep it that way.
Heritage
Three Sites
Agadez, the Air and Tenere reserves, and W National Park — desert, mountain and river.
04Go deeper
All of Niger, four ways in.
Who would take youAfrinkong
The ground is ours right across Africa: your vehicle, your driver for the whole journey, and the days shaped around what you came for.
In Cameroon, Uganda and Namibia you travel with companies of our own as well.
Plan your journey →
Begin
Your Niger starts here.
Tell us the month, or simply the thing you want to see, and a guide who works there will answer.