“It really really really could happen” – Damon Albarn.

Niger’s mainstay, Niamey is a lesser ventured capital city. I didn’t know a lot about it before my visit. We heard that boating on the Niger River and heading out to a giraffe zone would be the highlights and the normal things for backpackers to do here. In the end, at the time of our visit we were the only two European tourists in the entire country, which was nuts in itself. This meant they held on to our two passports at the airport for four days, we were not supposed to leave the capital city of Niamey and we would stand out from the crowd everywhere we went. They knew who were were, but it wasn’t daunting by any stretch. I usually buzz off these kind of moments. No other tourists? It was like the time I backpacked Adammia, Austenasia and Podjistan all in 2015 and on each occasion I was the first ever tourist in those three countries! Here in Niamey, I was 50% of the tourists and Marek was the other 50%.

Of course the fake news online didn’t help from the British, Irish and Polish governments telling us this place is too dangerous to go to and that we couldn’t possible get a visa never mind backpack the top sights of Niamey. How wrong and corrupt they all were – they never backpacked Niamey or Niger, they just made up some bullshit based on media. Luckily, real tourists don’t succumb to their left-wing excrement.

I headed TWICE to Berlin in Germany to nab the Niger Visa in the space of three weeks. Once to lodge the application with Marek, second time I went alone to collect the visas. That wasn’t easy, but gave me a nice reminisce at Checkpoint Charlie and we stayed in a cosy hotel in Wannsee. When the time finally came to head to Niger, we flew in to Niamey, Niger from Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso and left to Abidjan, Ivory Coast. There was a lot of madness to come of course.

About Niamey, Niger

Nestled along the Niger River, Niamey is the bustling capital and largest city of Niger. With a rich history and dynamic culture, the city is a hub of activity and growth. As of the latest census, Niamey had a population of slightly over 1 million residents, making it a vital center of life in this West / Central African nation. While the rest of Niger experiences rapid population growth fueled by the world’s highest fertility rate, Niamey’s expansion has been comparatively moderate in recent years. Despite this, the city thrives as a key player in the region’s economy. We based ourselves in the absolutely splendid Hotel Univers 3 Aeroport Luxe, which we found online and then we organised it through Ide the boss, who arranged to collect us at the airport and welcome us with prestigious acclaim.

Niamey is situated in an area known for pearl millet cultivation, reflecting its agricultural roots. The city also boasts a diverse range of industries, including brickmaking, ceramics, cement production, and weaving. Whether you’re whackpacking its vibrant markets, learning about its industries, sinking beers down the pub or admiring the Niger River, Niamey offers a unique glimpse into the heart of Niger. We didn’t linger long though – 4 days, 3 nights and we decided to skip the giraffe tour – the main reason was actually because Marek and I had seen hundreds of giraffes before, in numerous countries.

I had even kissed a giraffe at Kenya away in 2019, plus the 500 Euro price tag just to see “the last wild giraffes in western Africa” felt a bit far fetched, even once I had negotiated a blogger discount. So we focused on the sights of Niamey as well as a day chilling out by the pool and bar, a night watching music and a slight stress trying to solve a passport issue. Let’s backpack the sights of Niamey.

1.Grande Mosquee

Niger is 99% Muslim. You wouldn’t actually guess this when you’re backpacking it. Bars and alcohol seem to crop up in unlikely places. It’s not anywhere near as strict as Morocco or Mauritania in this regard. But Islam rules supreme. Visit the Grand Mosquee/Grand Mosque, or even some local mosques and you’ll of course hear the Call To Prayer many times here.

The Grande Mosquee is next to the DST – DST (Direction of Territory Surveillance / Direction de la Surveillance du Territoire – DST) which is where we believed our passports were being held while we were in Niger. I’ve written about that situation on other posts of course, including it as one of my top 17 memories from Niamey!

2.Musée National Boubou Hama (National Museum)

I’d say visiting the National Museum is a must at Niamey away. By doing this, you are actually killing about 5 birds on one stone! The Museum is called Musée National Boubou Hama, named after one of Niger’s most respected and esteemed people. It’s a massive complex with all sorts of surprises in store. Entry fee is 1, 500 Frcs / WAF (West African Francs). That’s £1.92 Northern Irish Pounds or $2.40 US Dollars. This is value for money as it has a national museum and exhibition, an outdoor zoo, traditional houses, a peace square, a craft’s market and even a view down to the Niger River. I’d actually call it a backpacker’s bargain. Just don’t miss it.

Once you get inside, you are encouraged to take a guide. Normally I decline, but this lad seemed to be honest and genuine and employed by the government and actually he was pretty good at his job. He first took us to the indoor museum part where we were…you guessed it the only tourists.

The Museum is named after Boubou Hama (1906 – 29 January 1982), who was a Nigerien (not to be confused with Nigerian!) writer, historian, and politician. He was President of the National Assembly of Niger under President of Niger, Hamani Diori. He died in Niamey, in 1982. The inside part of the museum has some history of Niger including stuffed animals, stamps, banknotes and weapons.

 

3.Our Lady of Perpetual Help Catholic Cathedral

Although it’s 99% Muslim here in Niger, there is a surprising presence of the Catholic church, and there are also plenty of bars and alcohol is widely available. We visited the main Cathedral – Our Lady of Perpetual Help Cathedral which is fairly central.

Here, we saw the main Cathedral, the small chapel and the outdoor church. We even met the priest here, an Italian Priest and the only white / Caucasian person we saw in our entire time in Niger!

4.Outdoor Zoo At Musée National Boubou Hama

I’ll admit this is the weirdest “zoo” that I’ve ever backpacked through. Basically inside the “National Museum”, yes the same museum in point 2, there are these random blue pop up buildings coem cages and each houses different animals as you backpack through a zoo without barely even realising it! In here, we saw porcupines, a male lion, a female lion, a warthog, crocodiles, a baboon, a hyena, hippos, a zebra, an ostrich and a few others. All the cages are blue in colour and really close to each other.

5.Crafts Market

We are basically backpacking three places on the same ticket! The entrance to Musée National Boubou Hama includes the national museum, the outdoor zoo and also the impressive crafts market. Marek enjoyed this and did some shopping, I just browsed.

6.National Football Stadium

In every country I visit, I try to visit the national football stadium, or at least some kind of football stadium, or at least have some kind of football experience. I did this in the first 100 countries I was in.

Here in Niamey, Niger we headed to Stade Général Seyni Kountché. It’s a huge 50,000 all seater. Niger have never qualified for the World Cup and have actually only qualified for 2 African Nations Cups, 2012 and 2013, a golden generation but they didn’t get out of the group stage either time. Scoring just one goal in 2012 and finishing bottom with 3 defeats. In 2013, they again finished bottom and got one draw, but didn’t score in the entire tournament.

7.Traditional Nigerien 🇳🇪 Buildings

Again, the Musée National Boubou Hama is the place to check out traditional Nigerien buildings, from old school mud huts to modern artistic blue and white housing. Quite profound and arty. Art and murals adorn the nearby streets too. It’s important to note the difference between the adjectives here for Niger and neighbouring Nigeria, we get similar situational confusions in the two Koreas, the two Irelands, Slovakia / Slovenia brace – 

Niger – Nigerien – 🇳🇪 / Nigeria – Nigerian – 🇳🇬

 

8.I Love Niamey Sign

The I Love Niamey sign is located at the International Airport. Okay it’s not mindblowing, but at least they made an effort by putting this sign up! The main airport is called Diori Hamani International Airport and our hotel was just a 10 minute drive away.

9.Niger River

The Niger is the third-longest river in Africa, shorter than the Nile and the Congo River. I backpacked Jinja in Uganda, which is a place that claims to be the start of the Nile River. Trevor Warman, the Nomadic Backpacker backpacked the start of the Nile River at Burundi Away.

Here in Niger you can get a boat tour on the river, we didn’t, you can also watch the sunsink at one of the posh hotel bars next to the river. The biggest bridge here is Kennedy Bridge. You get your first glimpse of the Niger River just south of the National Museum.

There are a few other sights to check out of course – monuments, the national assembly, the massive market and wall murals. There was also a swanky area that we drove through, but didn’t stop at. Here are a few more photos from backpacking in Niamey, Niger.

Here are some videos from my time backpacking in Niamey, Niger: