From Wikitravel

Niger is an arid, landlocked West African country with a population of 11,000,000. It is bordered by Algeria, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Nigeria, Chad and Libya. Niger is a former French colony which was granted independence in 1960. The land is mostly desert plains and dunes, with rolling savannah in the southeast.

Contents 1 Regions 2 Cities 3 Other destinations 4 Understand 4.1 History 4.2 Economy 5 Get in 5.1 By plane 5.2 By car 5.3 By bus 5.4 By boat 6 Get around 6.1 Rent a car 7 Talk 8 Buy 9 Eat 10 Drink 11 Sleep 12 Learn 13 Work 14 Stay safe 15 Stay healthy 16 Respect 17 Contact

Regions

Cities

• Niamey (pop 674,950 according to 2002 census) - capital and commercial center
• Agadez - stop on the traditional cross-Sahara route to Algeria
• Dosso
• Maradi
• Tahoua
• Tillabery
• Zinder

Other destinations

• W National Park

Understand

History

Not until 1993, 35 years after independence from France, did Niger hold its first free and open elections. A 1995 peace accord ended a five-year Tuareg insurgency in the north. Coups in 1996 and 1999 were followed by the creation of a National Reconciliation Council that effected a transition to civilian rule by December 1999.

Economy

Niger's economy centers on subsistence agriculture, animal husbandry, reexport trade, and increasingly less on uranium, because of declining world demand. The 50% devaluation of the West African franc in January 1994 boosted exports of livestock, cowpeas, onions, and the products of Niger's small cotton industry. The government relies on bilateral and multilateral aid - which was suspended following the April 1999 coup d'etat - for operating expenses and public investment. In 2000-01, the World Bank approved a structural adjustment loan of $105 million to help support fiscal reforms. However, reforms could prove difficult given the government's bleak financial situation. The IMF approved a $73 million poverty reduction and growth facility for Niger in 2000 and announced $115 million in debt relief under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) initiative.

Get in

By plane

Two international airports: in Niamey and Agadez.

• Niamey has regularly scheduled flights from Europe and West Africa.
• Air France is the only major carrier with direct flights from outside of Africa. but a regional airline, Point Air Niger flies weekly between France and Niamey.
• Charter flights from Paris and Marseille to Niamey and Agadez (Point Afrique airlines, see vols charters)
• Royal Air Maroc has good connections via Casablanca.
• Afriqiyah flies via Tripoli.

There are a few private companies and one mission aviation group (SIMAir) that do charter flights from Niamey in small planes.

By car

Travelers can get to Niger overland by roads from Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin and Nigeria. Some adventurous souls still cross the Sahara from the north (Algeria), but that area is not secure.

By bus

By boat

Get around

There are no railways in Niger.

Of the 10,000 km of highways over 2000 km is paved and efforts are being made to improve some of the sections that have previously been in repair. One can travel from Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso all the way to Diffa, near Lake Chad on roads in decent to tolerable condition. The road from Niamey to "Park W" in the south is paved. The Zinder-Agadez route is being repaved after being in severe disrepair for years. The Birni Nkonni-Agadez-Arlit road is in poor shape.

The country has 27 airports/landing strips, 9 of which with paved runways.

From mid-December to March the Niger River is navigable for about 300 km, from Niamey to Gaya on the Benin border.

Rent a car

There is almost no possibility to rent a car in usual sense, although in 2005 a Hertz franchise came to Niamey and rents Toyota RAV4s. Also you can rent full-size cat-cat (4x4 SUV from French: quatre-quatre) with a driver/guide, but in most cases you will have to arrange with companies that organise expeditions.

• Tidene Expeditions, BP 270 Agadez, +227 440568, fax: +227 440 578

Talk

The official language in Niger is French, though very few people speak it outside Niamey, and even there do not expect a high level conversation with the traders at the markets. The local languages include Djerma (spoken mainly in Niamey), Hausa, Fulfulde and Tamashek (spoken by Tuaregs in north), and Kanuri (spoken by Beri Beri). English is of no use outside American cultural center and few big hotels of Niamey. However, you will find English-speakers in border towns along the Nigerian border, such as Birni N Konni and Maradi.

Buy

The "Petit Marche" in Niamey is a good place to buy fabric, baskets, jewelry and other crafts.

Eat

• "Le Poulet du Milliardaire"

This is simply a guy selling fried chicken and fried guinea fowl in the street. But this terribly good. Don't forget to order it with sauce and bread. You can go and wait to be served in the pub in front of him (even if they sell their own fried chicken.) In April 2006, a chicken dish cost CFA 2000 and a fowl for CFA 2500. It's called "poulet du miliardaire" (even if it is not written anywhere) because the guy multiplies all his prices by 1000, just for the fun of it!

Arobanda, in front of the "Maquis des Arènes", Niamey

Drink

Sleep

• Grand Hotel du Niger. (+227) 20 73 26 41. Fully renovated, magnificent view over the Niger River and Niamey. http://www.grandhotelniger.com/ Really the perfect place if you want to be perched on top of Niamey, quietly installed out of the real life. Perfect for a 100% touristic view.

Learn

Work

Stay safe

Niger is one of the safest countries in West Africa. The only annoyances you are likely to meet are young boys shouting "America" (even if you weren't American) and "Osama bin Laden".

In Niamey, walking across the only bridge over the Niger river is considered risky even by the locals, and therefore should be avoided. (This is the opinion of one traveler. An American who lived south of the bridge for more than two years never heard this, and crossed the bridge nearly every day with no problem). Elsewhere you should feel safe, even after dark, no matter what US Department of State says. In markets there is risk of pickpockets.

Carrying a backpack and camera, looking like a tourist, and especially being a white, will definitely draw some unwanted attention. Most of the attention is from people who try to get your money legally, either by selling you a toothbrush or by begging, but there are always few less honest people.

In the region north of Agadez, there have been many car-jackings, kidnappings and robberies in the past sixteen or so years. The problem continues to this day (most recently, 2 Italians were kidnapped by Tuareg rebels in September 2006), and tourists should consider the area essentially lawless.

Avoid driving late at night in a private vehicle. Ocassionally armed robbers will operate near the town of Galmi (central Niger) and around Dosso-Doutchi (in western Niger), as well as on the road to Gao, Mali in the Tillabery region. Normally, there are police check-points on the main highways which limit criminal activities during the day.

Stay healthy

The Centers for Disease Control is an excellent resource for authoritative advice on health issues for travelers to Niger.

Drink lots and lots of water while in Niger because the dry heat will dehydrate you and you won't realize it. It is the best preventative step you can take. Bottled water is available in most of the cities but in a pinch, city tap water is well-chlorinated (this is according to one traveler; another American who lived in Niger for two years says never drink unfiltered water anywhere! - that includes ice!).

Wear loose clothes, big hats, and lots of sunscreen.

Malaria, including encephaletic malaria, is a problem, and is chloroquine resistant in Niger.[1] Take your prophylaxes, use heavy-duty insect repellent (DEET is best, though nasty), and consider carrying a mosquito net (although they are horribly hot). If you are in a well-screen room,simply spray the room with readily-available insecticide 15 minutes before entering (like when you leave for a meal)and all your existing mosquitos and other critters should be dead.

Giardia, and much worse -- dysentery -- is also a problem. Be wary of any roadside food, unless you buy it hot off the grill. Even items fried in oil could make you sick if the oil has been heavily used and is old. If ordering a salad, asked if it was washed in eau de javel (household bleach) as that will kill anything nasty. Also, never drink unfiltered water (and no ice!).

Schistosomiasis is present in most water bodies in Niger, so travelers should avoid going in the water everywhere -- except chlorinated swimming pools.[2]

In case you were unable to stay healthy, the Clinique Pasteur (situated in front of the Lycée Fontaine) has clean facilities, sterile needles, and competent, sympathetic doctors. The Clinique Gamkalley is sometimes cited in guides, but can provide a nasty experience (aggressive doctor, unnecessarily brutal examinations).

Respect

Visitors are treated as gods in Niger (actually the Hausas have a proverb to that effect), so be careful not to abuse the hospitality you will be shown. For the most part, try to accept all the small tokens and gestes (cokes, tea, small gifts, etc) that are offered to you during your time in Niger. It really isn't good to refuse too much and don't think "these people are too poor to give me these things". That is offensive as taking good care of guests is a point of honor and gives people great pleasure. Don't comment out loud when you see poverty or things in disrepair and please don't remind Nigeriens about how poor their country is.

Also, remember Niger is a predominantly Muslim country. Covering up knees (especially women, but men too) is typically very appropriate and appreciated anywhere you go in Niger.

Contact

See the Friends of Niger website for discussion boards where you can ask questions before you go to Niger and maybe get some Nigeriens or others to fill you in.

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