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Niger ~
The
Blue Men of the Sahara
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Caravans crossing the vastness of the Sahara call it the ‘ocean without water’ and travelers find it a place of incredible beauty. Niger’s Sahara remains today little changed by the passage of time and much remains as it has for centuries. Explorers and adventurers traveling here found a clarity that few places can rival. It is said that a journey to the Sahara is often as much an inner journey as a means to arrive at the next oasis. Yet the desert is by no means devoid of life and Lost Frontiers offers to bring you to the fascinating world of the ‘blue men’, or Tuareg and the fierce Toubou and Kanouri tribes that have lived in the center of this vastness for millenniums.
This trip follows our Algeria - People of the Wind and uses a special charter flight from Tamanrasset, Algeria to Agadez, Niger. Members wishing to join the trip from Europe will have to use Air France into Niamey, Niger and travel north to Agadez with our transport.
Day 01
Arrival into Agadez, Niger's northern administrative capital
that was once a Tuareg Sultanate. Hotel.
Day 02
Morning departure to Dabos where we find a massive Neolithic
girraffe carved into rock along with many other animals. We continue
east and arrive at Iferouane, a pretty oasis in the Aiir Mountains.
Hotel.
Day 03
Traveling through the mountains and down dry
river beds, we will pass through the lands of the Kel Tedele clan of
Tuareg, the last people before arriving at the blue marble mountains
of Izouzadene that lie on the very edge of the Tenere Desert. Along
the way you will pass the carvings in stone at Tezizek. Camp.
Day 04
Departing east, we travel into the 'Rien de Rien' or the 'Nothing of
Nothing' and means exactly that. This vastness is so huge that the land
and the sky become one giving a sense of vertigo. We camp near the 'Abre
Perdu' which is the only living thing for 200 miles. Camping.
Day 05
We continue east passing through the Col des
Chadeliers and arrive at the oasis of Chirfa at the foot of the Djado
Plateau. Camping in the rocks of Djado.
Day 06
Morning visit to the natural springs at Orida, see Neolithic rock art
and discover the ancient citadels of Djado and Jabba that are believed
to have been built about 600 years ago by the Kanouri people to protect
inhabitants against marauding razzias.
Day 07
Leaving Djado we drive to the oasis of Dirkou. This oasis
an important crossroads for travelers going to Libya, Chad or south
to Nigeria and many different tribes can be found here. It's well worth
the visit just to see the street scenes as well as to stop at 'Grace's
Bar' for a cold coke. Encampement.
Day 08
Morning arrival in Bilma, the end of the terminus of the salt caravans known as the Azalai. This is the farthest point that the caravans come and it is because the salt is purer here and more valuable. We will visit with the caravans in their camps as they rest, pack salt and prepare for the long voyage home. There is plenty of time for visits to the salines as well. Camp.
Day 10
Following a dawn photo session with the departing caravansancient,
we depart for the Toubou town of Fachi where salt is collected in evaporation
ponds known as 'salines' and molded into blocks for the caravans. Fachi
is one of the oldest towns in the Sahara and it's palm/mud architecture
is remarkable. Camp.
Day 09
We travel accross
the desert, past the 'Abre du Tenere' and on to the Aiir and on to the
oue of Anakom. This is a full day drive and we arrive at our camp late
in the afternoon. Camp.
Day 10
This area has many ancient petraglyphs of
horses, giraffes and prehistoric herderst, especially at Agamgam and
we continue through the Aiir until we arrive at Arakao, 'The Claw of
the Crab'. This remarkable place is so large that its black mountains
surrounding massed red dunes in a natural amphitheater can be seen from
space. Shadows from the setting sun are spellbinding in this austere
world of sand and rock. Camping in the dunes.
Day 11
This is a short travel day through the Aiir
visiting nomadic Tuareg families, stopping at wells and finally arriving
at one of the Sahara's most perfect oases, Timia. The road descends
from a moonscape of rock into the oasis's gardens with trees laden with
grapefruit and tangerines. The town is ancient and is a world unto itself
with narrow winding paths leading to gardens, compounds, shops or the
mosques by the ouad. Guesthouse.
Day 12
Full day to explore the splendors of the
Timia oasis, its gardens and to meet with the very hospitable Tuareg
inhabitants. Timia is a true gem and well worth taking time out for
long walks. For the adventuresome, there is a small refurbished Foreign
Legion fort overlooking the oasis where one can spend the night. We
will also have our own guesthouse complete with bathing facilities.
If possible, we will witness a traditional Tuareg 'Tom Tom', or dance.
Guesthouse.
Day 13
Leaving Timia, we pass through the black
basalt Aiir Mountains, past numerous small Tuareg encampments and arrive
in Agadez in the late afternoon. Hotel.
Day 14
Free day in Agadez to relax or to visit the
town including the camel market, the 400 year old mosque and the house
of Heinrich Barth who was the first European to visit Niger in 1850.
There are also many shops selling excellent Tuareg silver, leather camel
bags and saddles are artifacts from other tribes in Niger. This is always
a popular finale for the trip and dinner will be in wonderful Italian
restaurant. Hotel.
Day 15
Morning free before departure back to Europe.
Departures: Contact us for more info
Prices:
Please call us at 1.888.508.2454 for the latest prices
Level Of Difficulty: Moderate to difficult.