Nomade Sahara Expedition

Aïr-Ténéré-Djado in 15 days

Agenda

• Day 1: Arrival in Niamey, transfer from the Niamey international airport to a hotel in town.
• Day 2: Early departure from Niamey by jeep, arrival in Agadez at the end of the evening, over night in a hotel in town.
• Day 3: Departing from Agadez we will head towards Elmecki and spend the night at the oasis of Timia.
• Day 4: Departing from Timia we will visit the ruins in Assodé, the village of Tchintoulouss where the explorer Henri Barth stayed during his expedition in Sahara; over night in Arakao.
• Day 5: Departing from Arakao toward Illakane, we will pass by Izane; over night in Adrar Chiriet.
• Day 6: Departing from Adrar Chiriet toward Tezirzeït, then onto Temet (the highest dune in the Ténéré); over night in Adrar Bouss.
• Day 7: Departing from Adrar Bouss toward the oases of Chirfa, Orida, Djado and Séguidine, where we will spend the night.
• Day 8: Departing from Séguidine toward Bilma and Fachi; over night in Fachi.
• Day 9: Departing from Fachi toward the Tree of the Ténéré and the cliffs at Tiguidit; over night in Tiguidit.
• Day 10: Departing from Tiguidit toward Agadez; over night in a hotel in town.
• Day 11: Visit to the Sultan of Agadez's palace where we will meet the Sultan himself (if he is available); visit to the livestock market and the artisans' village where Touareg artists work with leather, silver and gold.
• Day 12: Early departure from Agadez, arrival in Niamey late in the evening; over night in a hotel in town.
• Day 13: Free day to rest after a long journey; cocktails at 6 pm on the terrace of the Grand Hôtel at sunset with a magnificent view of the Niger river.
• Day 14: Visit to the Grand Marché in Niamey, the National Museum, zoo and artisanal village of Wadata.
• Day 15: River trip by canoe on the Niger in the afternoon; evening departing from the airport in Niamey after dinner.

Upon leaving the walled city of Agadez in four-wheel drive jeeps, just outside this historical city on the trans-Saharan trade route, we will enter the Aïr Mountains which are made up of a succession of ancient volcanic craters-it's a country unto itself (300 miles north-to-south and 125 miles east-to-west, roughly the size of Switerland)-which hides so many marvels. The region's inhabitants both Tuareg pastoralists as well as an impressive range of fauna have adapted to the environs over millenia. We will encounter nonchalant Tuaregs who appear meager but manage to exist on fairly abundant gardens that rival many found along Africa's rivers. One cannot help but admire the courage of these Tuareg farmers who are able to grow grapes and other delicious fruits in such an apparently forbidding environment. The spectacular countryside is punctuated with rocky plateaux and verdant river valleys that zigzag between volcanic mountain peaks. The greenery of these gardens and the abundant palms in the oasis of Timia offer a striking contrast with the granite mountain which encircles the settlement. A natural river spring has carved giant pools in the rocks from which water flows year round. In the middle of this otherwise arid landscape the presence of waterfalls is as astonishing as it is soothing. We'll camp here for the night.

Assodé was the former capital city of the Aïr region and an important commercial center on the caravan route linking sub-Saharan Africa to the north African coast. There remains of this historical city only a cluster of ruins. Passing by Tchinteloust, the last village at the threshold of the desert, we will enter the valley of Zagado which leads to Kogo and then on to Arakao. En route, we cross a string of dunes that meet part of the Aïr mountain range offering a stunning contrast of textures and colors. A photographer's paradise! This area known as the famous "crab claw" opens onto the spectacular Ténéré desert in all of its splendor. A dreamy place and ideal camp site for the second night in the desert.

Pink, white and beige dunes as well as mountains of blue and white marble intercut with verdant river valleys, where gazelles and fennecs run wild, offer the traveler one of the most beautiful sights to be seen in the Sahara desert. Chiriet is certainly one of the most stunning sites on our journey, where powdery dunes of various colors embrace islands of volcanic rock. Adrar Chiriet will be our camp site where the starlit nights are unsurpassed in such an exceedingly tranquil setting.

We will visit rock engravings at the well of Tezirezeït that testify to an ancient past when the Sahara was lush, green and more populated. Among the dunes that neighbor the verdant river valley of Temet, we will see the world's tallest dunes. In Adrar Bouss, one finds arrowheads, ossified clam shells, and fish bones-all signs of a different climate than the one found in the Sahara today. Over night in Adrar Bouss.

The Aïr Mountain range ends as soon as one leaves Adrar Bouss toward the east. At this point, the true crossing of the Ténéré desert begins as we enter the "thousand star hotel," where one is astonished by the absolute silence, total emptiness, solitude, plenitude, immensity and purity of the atmosphere. Nothing obstructs one's gaze, there is nothing-no trace of life-except sand dunes as far as the eye can see. During hundreds of miles of desert, one discovers our smallness as human beings and a renewed sense of humility in the face of such an infinite landscape of breath-taking dunes. One is lead to a spiritual contemplation as a creative force beyond human control suggests itself. At last, the Djado plateau appears on the horizon. Sand buries the remaining ruins of the ancient fortified cities of Djado and Djaba whose mysterious origins persist. On the Djado plateau, one can observe prehistoric cave paintings of antelope, giraffe and rhino, silent witnesses to a by-gone era. There is one oasis after another along the Kawar cliff forming a chain of palm tree forests with the names of Chirfa, Séguidine, Aney, Dirkou. The oasis of Séguidine will be our camp site this evening.

In the heart of an ocean of sand emerge the impressive oases of Bilma and Fachi that remain the last centers of the extant caravan trade. These salt-producing oases, nearly 400 miles from Agadez, truly feel like the end of the earth. Here, one can observe the ancient process of salt production: first, salt is dug out of the earth and then purified through a process of washing and evaporation, ultimately producing solid loaf-like blocks that are loaded onto camels and transported across the desert. Over night in the oasis town of Fachi.

During the "winter" months from October to March, this trek offers the possibility of encountering one of the famous salt caravans en route to or from Bilma and/or Fachi. In years past, these salt caravans trekking between Agadez and Bilma used to comprise over 20,000 camels of which they are just a fraction today. The Ténéré Tree is an irreplacable point of reference for Tuaregs known for their astounding powers of navigation across hundreds of miles of uninterrupted desert. But this is for sentimental reasons as what was the Ténéré Tree was the last acacia--and the only tree for several hundred miles of desert-- of the once great Saharan forests. The Ténéré Tree was hit by a Lybian truck driver in 1973 and its remains are now in the National Museum in Niamey. One finds more rock engravings in Tiguidit to add to the impressive array of traces of millenia of existence in the endlessly fascinating Saharan desert. The rock formations at Tiguidit considered to be the remains of what was once an ocean wall testify to the presence of prehistoric bodies of water that date back well before the origins of mankind. Some of the world's most important dinosaur cemeteries are found in this region which are still the object of scientific study around the globe. Over night near the cliffs in Tiguidit.

Tour Prices

These prices include:

• Hotel accomodations and three meals a day
• Full lodging while during the desert expedition
• All entrance fees to museums, zoo, etc.
• Gratuities

These prices do not include:

• Airfare
• Airport taxes
• Travel or health insurance