Niger – Guerewool Festival Tour

Itinerary

Day 1 – Niamey

• Arrive at your own convenience in Niamey.
• OR: arrival from our Chad Highlights Tour.
• 6PM, meet the group with a short introduction on travelling around Niger.
• Overnight stay in Niamey.

Day 2 – Niamey

• Highlight: In the morning we’ll head to the Niger River for a boat ride to nearby fishing villages. Along the way we might stop several hippos.
• Upon return to Niamey we’ll visit the National Museum. Collections may include artifacts, traditional crafts, archaeological finds, and items representing Niger’s diverse ethnic groups.
• Check out the Katako Market, a great place to experience the diversity of Niger. 
• Overnight stay in Niamey.

Day 3 – Niamey  

• Highlight: Close to Niamey, we’ll visit Kouré, an area were heds of giraffes are grazing in perfect harmony with nomadic groups.
• ⁠In the afternoon we’ll check out a Dance Gourmantché performance, a traditional dance from this region.
• Great Mosque of Niamey, the main mosque of Niamey.
• Check out a local art gallery and learn more about the Niger art scene.
• Overnight stay in Niamey.

Day 4 – Niamey – Agadez

• 6:00 AM transfer to the airport for our domestic flight to Agadez, in Central Niger. Agadez is a historical city with a very rich culture, whose ancestral tradition has been preserved for hundreds of years. The city is very cosmopolitan, with Hausa and Tuareg living side by side, but the various customs make this city an exceptional jewel in the Sahara.
• 9:30 AM arrival in Agadez, after check in to the hotel we head for a city tour.
• We’ll experience the local traditions of this region. We will visit a local women’s group dance and also witness an initiation of young people into the indigo turban under the supervision of Tambari, the supreme chief guardian of the culture and curator of the Bianou dances.
• Highlight: In the afternoon we’ll explore the historical downtown (a UNESCO Heritage Site) of Agadez.
• We’ll check out the Agadez mosque which is the tallest mud-brick structure in the world.
• ⁠Explore the Sultanate Market, a good place for souvenirs.
• Highlight: We’ll visit the local cattle market, here you’ll see various local tribes, including the Touareg. A great place for photos and to learn about the local cattle culture.
• Overnight stay in Agadez.

Day 5 – Agadez – Abalak – Guerewool Festival

• In the morning we’ll drive to Abalak – Woodabe.
• Highlight: We’ll meet nomads who are moving their cattle to the new camps. 
• After a final stop at Abalak we head truly off road to head for our camp at the Guerewool Festival. As the festival is a nomadic event, we’ll only know shortly before it starts where they are situated. 
• Overnight stay at our camp site.

Day 6 – Guerewool Festival

• Highlight: We will spend the whole day at the Guerewool Festival. See and join the ceremonies at various camps with music and dancing. 
• See the famous make-up seduction show with the camels. 
• Overnight stay at our camp site. 

Day 7 – Guerewool Festival – Abalak – Tahoua

• In the morning we’ll bid farewell to our new made friends and wish them luck for the remaining of the festival. 
• We’ll spend the whole day driving towards Tahoua, on the road to Niamey. 
• Highlight: Along the way we make various stops; the Pond of Tabalak and several Tuareg camps. 
• Overnight stay in Tahoua.

Day 8 – Tahoua – Niamey 

• We will switch from our 4×4 to a bus as we head closer to the capital of Niamey. 
• We’ll make a stop at Yamaa, a Hausa village with a typical Sudanese architecture. 
• Highlight: In Dosso, we’ll pay a visit to the Djemakoye Palace, of the Honorable Sultan of Djema.
• Highlight: Close to Niamey, we’ll visit Kouré, an area were heds of giraffes are grazing in perfect harmony with nomadic groups. 
• Upon arrival people can take a shower before we head to the airport. 
• Evening flight out of Niamey. 
• End of the tour.