Landscapes of Niger

Niger is a vast, undulating plain at an average altitude of 985 feet above sea level. There are, however, a number of extensive depression, usually filled with sand, the tops of the ridges sometimes being formed of volcanic structures, the highest of which is Mount Greboun (7,580 feet) in the Aïr Massif.

The Aïr:
This massif, which extends over 180 miles from north to south and some 120 miles from east to west, lies in the northern part of the country and is strikingly similar to the Algerian Hoggar. It evokes the history and the wandering of the Tuaregs. The elevation of this massif, which enables it to retain the last shreds of the Guinean monsoon, ensures green pastures in the middle of the desert, while its mountain climate is less dry than that of the rest of the country.

Sunsets in the Aïr are a unique experience, the character of the light, the towering shapes and huge shadows leaving a completely unforgettable impact on the senses. Arid moonscapes and emerald-green oasis, volcanic pillars and well-tended gardens, light-footed gazelles and flowering acacia trees: on this stretch of track, contrasts and surprises abound, to the unending delight of the traveller.

The southern slopes of the Aïr plunge down into a long depression overshadowed by the Tigidit Cliff, a towering buttress reminiscent of Tassili in southern Algeria.

To the West extends the sandy Talak plain, extensively watered by the mountain oueds (rivers) and hence far less desolate than most of the Saharan ergs (stretch of dunes). It contains only one live erg, the Jadal, and encompasses the Azawak and the Tamesna. This is the kingdom of fossil valleys and the vestiges of a zone once rich in fauna and flora.

The Ténéré:

To the east of the Aïr extends the Ténéré, a vast arid plain where the live sand dunes cover the whole of eastern Niger, from the sandstone hamada (plateau) of Mangeni, dominated by the Djado Massi, to the Chad basin. The Ténéré covers some 156,000 square miles and includes three rather different regions:
	1) The Tafassasset Ténéré, between Aïr and Djado
	2) the Ténéré itself, with endless expanses of sand and where not even a hint of vegetation mitigates the harsh landscape. This is the kingdom of air, sand and light with chains of dunes running continuously for 12 miles and rise up to ten feet in height. They form massive barriers, making it practically impossible for vehicles to cross the areas
	3) lastly, the erg known as the Great Bilma Erg or Kaoura. This is a transitional zone between the Sahara proper and the Sahel.

Highlights

The Tiguidit Cliffs bear rock paintings from prehistoric cultures who vanished several thousand years ago; with the pre-islamic tombs and petrified tree trunks discovered in the same area, they powerfully evoke a very ancient past.

The Adrar Bous area retains traces of very ancient human life. Its rich trove of Neolithic artifacts — arrow heads, grindstones, fishbones — witness to a climate and level of activity very different from what we can observe today: indeed, the Neolithic communities lived in a Ténéré dotted with lakes.

Arakao, a ten-kilometer-wide crater shaped like a crab claw, gathers the Ténéré sand through a large breach in its high walls, forming a gigantic sand buttress against the Takolokouzet.

The Zagado River leads us deep into the heart of the magnificent Massif de l’Aïr. Gazelles roam its tree-lined banks. The Zagado Oued has given birth to an extraordinarily wide valley that we explore at leisure while driving upriver among mountains of solid blue marble. Watch for gazelles in this area. Tuareg herdsmen also roam the valley where their livestock easily finds pasture. They are the builders of Tchintoulous, a village we encounter at the foot of Mount Aguerâguer, on the banks of the Zilâlet. This dried-out river leads us back to Assodé.Tales of the flourishing past of'Assodé abound. The ancient capital of the Aïr is now a ghost town where only a few walls still stand, but pottery shards strewn all over the site testify to its once thriving economy. Bright green against the ochre expanse of sand, the Timia Oasis offers a striking contrast to the somber lava range that surrounds it.

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