Niger

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Niamey

Parc W

Agadez

With it's wide sandy streets and Sudanese architecture, Agadez is one of the more interesting towns in Niger, and is one of those strange towns that ebb and flow on the tide of history. In medieval times it was a flourishing city at the edge of the desert, overflowing with camel trains, caravanserai, slave traders, and gold transporters. By the middle of the 19th century the flow had trickled to an ebb and Agadez looked all but doomed. In this century the population skyrocketed twice; once with the discovery of uranium; and once again when thousands of dispossessed West Africans swarmed into the city after the devastation of the 1970s Sahel droughts. Today the pulse of the city is dependant on the state, or disarray, of the newest peace accord between the government and Tuareg rebels hiding out in the nearby Aïr Mountains.

The Grande Mosquée was totally rebuilt in 1844 and, with its pyramid-like minarets and wooden scaffolding, is a perfect example of Sudanese architecture. Climbing to the top requires a bit of effort but gives great views of the Aïr Mountains. If you're not already totally shopped out, the Grand Marché is the most animated place in town. You can go just for the spectacle, the people, and the variety of artisan's goods on display. If the bustle of the market and the tireless attention of the never-say-no vendors and hustlers starts to get to you, head for the Vieux Quartier, the old quarter of the town. The pace is less electric, and you can wander the crooked streets, visit the tiny shops, and study the Sudanese houses with their Hausa-inspired designs, at a leisurely pace. The camel market is another 'must see', although it cranks up early and is pretty much over by mid-morning.

You can fly to Agadez by chartered plane, although this will set you back a penny or two. Buses and bush taxis run between Niamey and Agadez, but there's always the possibility that services will be suspended, due to Tuareg uprisings. Asking for a lift with trucks leaving the market may get you a big ten-four, but payment will be expected. Hitching is another way to go, but it's not thumb-in-the-air type hitching. You'll need to do your homework and do the rounds of the hotels, campsites and bars, to find western travellers with a car. By road, Agadez is 1023km (634mi) north of Niamey.

Zinder

Zinder, the one-time capital of Niger, and an important town in the mid-19th century because it was on the trade route between Agadez and Kano, is still the second largest town in Niger. In its heyday, Zinder was host to both the opulent splendour of the Sarkee of Zinder and his harem, and the brutality and savagery of the slave trade, the latter financing the former.

The city has two sections: the Zengou Quarter on the northern side of town which has lots of commercial buildings and mudbrick houses; and the picturesque Birnin Quarter to the southeast. In between these two areas is the commercial centre of the town. The Birnin Quarter is a maze of narrow streets, dotted with small gardens, and crowded with fine examples of Hausa architecture. The old banco houses are everywhere, identified by their geometrical designs in colourful relief. The Grande Mosquée is nearby, as is the Sultan's Palace, built in the mid-19th century. People still come to see the highly respected Muslim Sultan, a Kanouri, seeking his advice on marriage, divorce and the other messy bits of life in between.

Buses run twice a week between Niamey and Zinder, and bush taxis daily. The road between Niamey and Zinder is surfaced and stretches 909km (564mi).

The South

Stretching in an arc a little over 200km (124mi) long is a string of southern towns that are all worth visiting. Dosso (named for the Djerma spirit, Do-Do) is an important Islamic citadel. It is home to the Djermakoye, the most important Djerma religious leader, and his Sudanese-style compound can be only be visited with special permission. Today it's a crossroads town, with roads to Benin and western Nigeria. Dosso hosts the celebrations for Republic Day.

A short 100km (62mi) down the road is the town of Dogondoutchi, a sleepy little by-way with a laid back pace, and a pleasant walk up a nearby hill that will give you great views of an impressive nearby escarpment. Another 200km (124mi) further on is Tahoua, the fourth largest city in Niger and a major stop on the Niamey-Agadez road. The main attraction in Tahoua is the market on Sunday that attracts a large and bustling crowd. Maradi, closer to the Nigerian border than Tahoua, was destroyed in 1945 but has since been rebuilt on higher ground. Goods tend to be cheaper in Maradi than elsewhere, as a lot of them have been smuggled across the Nigerian border.

Niamey to Dosso is 140km (87mi); to Dogondoutchi, 277km (172mi); to Tahoua, 574km (356mi); and to Maradi, 657km (221mi). All these places can be reached by bush taxis, buses and minibuses.

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Ténéré Desert

The Ténéré Desert, 500km (310mi) as the crow flies northeast of Agadez, is an enormous emptiness that extends over 700km (434mi) of space. It is often known as the desert of deserts, and reputedly has some of the most beautiful sand dunes in the entire Sahara. If you head east toward Bilma, you'll pass close to the dinosaur cemetery, full of fossils spread out over 150km (65mi) of constantly shifting sand dunes. Further into the desert is the Djado Plateau, with its ruined villages, rock engravings and glorious landscapes, and after that the oases of the Kaouar Plateau, where you'll find Bilma and Fachi, places that truly look, and feel, like the end of the earth.

Most travellers are better off looking for a reliable organised tour that will take in both the Aïr Mountains and the Ténéré Desert. You can rent a car and a guide if you can't find a good tour group, but make sure that the terms of the hiring are clearly spelled out. Attempting the crossing on your own is not recommended. Government authorisation is required for all such trips. The distance from Niamey to the edge of the Ténéré Desert is over 1500km (930mi).

Aïr Mountains

Just south of the Ténéré Desert are the Aïr Mountains, home to the Tuareg, and the beginning of the long desert camel treks in search of salt. It is the last hospitable stop before the harshness of the Ténéré Desert. The Aïr Massif is one of the most spectacular sights in West Africa. It covers an area the size of Switzerland, and has black rocks capped by unusually sharp peaks. Hidden in the interior are the hot thermal springs at Tafadek, the green oases of Timia and Iferouâne, and the spectacular waterfalls just outside of Timia.

Tour operators in this part of the globe only operate between Tuareg uprisings, so the availability of guides needs to be sussed out beforehand. You can fly, bus or catch a bush taxi from Niamey to Agadez, and from Agadez, either a hire a car with guide, or organised tour, to the mountains. The highest peak in the Aïr Mountains is 1163km (721mi) from Niamey.

Arlit

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The first recognisable empire in the region was the Kanem-Bornu Empire that flourished between the 10th and 13th century, and again briefly in the 16th. This was about the same time that the Hausa clans were moving from Nigeria into Niger, followed quickly by the Djerma, descendants of the Songhaï. Sultans from these clans carved out empires for themselves, making a killing on the lucrative trade routes, with gold and by providing an endless supply of subjects for the slave trade. Niger remained the exclusive province of the sultans until 1898, when the French stormed the country with all the subtlety and finesse of a sledgehammer, and added yet another name to their list of colonised countries. A strange economic turnabout occurred at the end of the 19th century when drought caused a bullish market for salt and the seasoning became, quite literally, worth its weight in gold.

By the end of the 1950s, when colonisation started to get a bit whiffy on the ideological nose, de Gaulle offered a sop to the West African colonies in the form of self-government in a French Union, or independence, knowing full well that independence would spell economic disaster for countries propped up by French-owned infrastructures. Although the original vote was for self-government, the next two years saw a lot of political argument between the government and a number of disenchanted parties agitating for full independence. When Niger finally gained full independence in 1960, Hamani Diori was elected president unopposed, and, with help from a sympathetic French administration, remained in political power until the droughts of '73 and '74. The droughts that affected most of the sub-Sahel countries knocked Niger for six years and, even today, the country has not fully recovered from its effects. When food stockpiles were found in the homes of Diori's ministers during the drought, it marked the end of Diori's rule. A bloody coup ensued and Senyi Kountché, a military officer, was put in the driver's seat.

It was good timing for Kountché. Shortly after coming to power Niger discovered uranium, becoming the fifth largest uranium producer in the non-socialist world. This unexpected windfall brought with it a heady illusion of wealth, and it was champagne, caviar, big dreams, and new buildings all round, although generally this was true only for the entrepreneurs and go-getters. The poor remained poor. The dream came crashing down in the early '80s when global opposition to uranium mining caused a collapse in world demand, and the uranium-fueled boom went bust. The ex-pats with money were branded illegal aliens and sent home, and the streets began to fill with ex-entrepreneurs fallen on hard times, and one-time businessmen begging for small change.

Kountché's honesty saw him avoid the bloody coups of former times and he continued on for another five years or so before dying in the saddle. Colonel Ali Saibou took over the reins with promises of democracy and reform, but it soon became obvious that this was just empty rhetoric, and little was had in the way of genuine reform. In the late '80s and '90s the cities were crippled by mass student demonstrations and workers' strikes, but even more debilitating for the government was the rebel Tuareg movement in the countryside, centred around Agadez. In 1990 the Tuareg launched an all out assault on the government over a string of empty promises and an even emptier cookie jar. Drought, desertification, modernisation, and urban change had all combined to threaten the traditional Tuareg way of life and, after many years of negotiation, the government had promised financial aid and assistance to preserve the Tuareg culture, but the aid was never forthcoming and the money earmarked for the Tuaregs disappeared. Rebel warfare, banditry, violent clashes, and general lawlessness continued unabated for over a year.

In 1991, at a specially convened conference, Saibou was stripped of his power, a new constitution was drafted, and an interim government was elected to run the country until the multiparty elections of 1992. Mohamane Ousmane, the winner of this election, set about restoring good relations with the Tuareg, but the Tuareg remained understandably suspicious and intransigent after so many false promises. Finally, in 1993 a kind of peace was brokered between the two sides, but the peace remained highly-strung. In 1996 Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara took over as president, and the country reverted to its pre-treaty shambolic state, with workers' strikes, threatened military actions, political unrest, banditry, widespread poverty, and Tuareg rebellions breaking out all over the place.

In April 1999, Nigerien politics reached Machiavellian heights when President Ibrahim Baré Maïnassara was gunned down by his own body guard, Daouda Malam Wanke, an event that the Prime Minister was to optimistically label an 'unfortunate accident'. Shortly after the 'unfortunate accident' an interim government was formed, headed by the very same Daouda Malam Wanke. This brutal act of political expediency alienated the French who threatened to withdraw aid unless Niger rethought its position on 'election procedures' and 'unfortunate accidents' and tried using ballot boxes rather than bullets. Wanke quickly set about a return to democratic rule with peaceful elections in October and November 1999, at which Tandja Mamadou was elected with over 59% of the vote. In the 83-seat National Assembly (only one of whose MPs is a woman), Mamadou forged a coalition majority with supporters of former President Ousmane.

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The Hausa people are not so much a culturally distinct group as a linguistic certainty. Over 20 million West Africans say 'good morning' in Hausa as a matter of course, and just as many speak it as a second language, making it one of the most widespread languages in sub-Saharan Africa. The ancient Hausa culture originated in the heartland of northern Niger, spreading out across the land in successive waves. Other distinctively Nigerien (as opposed to Nigerian) ethnic groups are the nomadic tribes of the Fulani, and the Tuareg. The Bororo Fulani, or Wodaabé, are 'people of the taboo', so known for their intricate and exhaustive set of taboos and moral codes, which emphasise reserve and modesty, patience and fortitude, care and forethought, and hospitality. Time and tide have not been so fortunate to the Tuareg. Once proud lords of the desert, they can now be found lumping bricks on building sites, or working at the mines, while rebel Tuaregs in the mountains carry on an armed struggle for survival.

The Inadan, extraordinarily gifted artisans, are more or less indentured vassals within the Tuareg family system. They are not paid a wage by the Tuareg, and can often take on the role of a servant, but are also highly respected for their silversmithing abilities and talents in making saddles, camel bags, tools, utensils, and talismans. Of particular note is the Croix d'Agadez, a silver filigree cross recognisable even to westerners; a powerful talisman that protects against the 'evil eye'. For these and other silver works the Tuareg noble makes reparation in the way of gifts and various indulgences, and failure to do so can bring bad juju down on him and his family. It's a prickly paradoxical kind of relationship, with both master and slave occupying the higher ground, but depending on each other for esteem, social worth, and survival. The Inadan have a puckish reputation, 'older than memory, proud as the crow, mischievous as the wind', and can reputedly cast spells,tezma or ettama, as acts of retribution against those who have crossed the invisible Inadan line of respect.

The food in Niger is unlikely to be the thing you most remember about the country. In the north most meals consist of some combination of yoghurt, mutton and rice, and in the south rice, sauce, couscous, and ragout, or stew, are common elements. You'll probably still enjoy the meals, though, because of the distinctively Nigerien ambience. Any food tastes better when you're eating it under the stars, and have your feet stuck in the warm sand.

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At over 650km (403mi) from the sea, Niger is severely landlocked. It has Algeria and Libya to the north, Chad to the east, Nigeria and Benin to the south, and Burkina Faso and Mali to the west. At nearly twice the size of France, Niger is one of the larger West African countries, but one of its least densely populated, with 90% of its people clustered in the greener areas down south, away from the searing deserts of the north. It's shaped like a wonky hot water bottle lying on its side, with nearly two thirds of it being desert, and the other third semi-desert, or Sahel. Only a small southern section, in the bottleneck of Niger, gets enough rain to support crops. The ratio of desert to semi-desert is ever increasing, and there is a danger that the country may, one day, disappear under a blanket of sand. Water supplies in Niger are limited, and the Niger River flows only through a small region down the very south of the country.

The rapid desertification of Niger is due to several factors, all piggybacking one on top of the other; the devastating droughts of the 1970s, overgrazing, the scavenging of trees for firewood, and the pure quartz sands of the region that make high yield crops (and subsequent anchoring of top soil) impossible. This situation is particularly noticeable in the north and middle regions, although Niger does get enough rain in the south to support a range of wildlife - hippos, giraffes, elephants, buffalo and leopard - in its national park.

Generally speaking, Niger is either hot or hotter than hell, with average temperatures around 30°C (86°F) but capable of reaching over 50°C (122°F) in the hot season between March and June. The air is so hot during these months that rain evaporates before it hits the ground. December through to February are cooler months and the temperature can actually drop to freezing in the night-time desert. The Harmattan winds usually arrive just before the rains, sometime between December and February, and can cut visibility down to almost nothing. The rainy season usually lasts from June to October, and can make travelling around difficult.

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Air France is the only European carrier that flies directly into Niger, and all flights go via Paris. A cheaper, albeit more complicated way, of getting to Niger is to travel overland from Marseilles, take a ferry to Algiers, and a flight from Algiers to Niger, although travel through Algiers is often not possible due to internal trouble and strife. A number of options are available if coming into Niger from other African countries. Flights from select cities within East, North and West Africa leave on a regular basis, but going overland by bus is also a viable option. Bush taxis can haul you long distances around Africa, but most have trouble crossing borders. A combination of buses and bush taxis is sometimes the best way to get to Niger from other Afrcian countries.

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In theory, both Nigeravia and Century Airlines each have at least one flight per week between Niamey and Agadez, but they run far less often in practice. You can charter your own flight which will take you anywhere with an airstrip but this can burn a big hole in your pocket. The large SNTN buses are the cheapest and most comfortable way to get around Niger and there's always the ubiquitous bush taxis that are even cheaper than the buses, but slower and less comfortable.

The roads in Niger are in good condition and petrol is cheaper than in surrounding countries so getting around by car is always a consideration. Before the peace agreement between the government and Tuareg in 1995, all cars had to travel in a convoy with military protection. The rules have relaxed since then but bandits are still active around the Agadez region.

The airport at Niamey is about 12km (7mi) from the city centre and getting a taxi will cost about US$7 depending on your bargaining powers.

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