Exploring the Niger river

Movies have been made about it; poetry has been written of it; and books have been spun from it. As the third longest river in the African continent, the Niger River spans about 2.6 thousand miles, cutting through Mali, Guinea, and Nigeria. It is a main route for transportation, acting as a gateway for food transport, fishing, and trade.

Because the water system has not been fully developed, the population existing within the mouth of the river is highly dependent upon it. They do all sorts of things by the shore. At Old Ségou, next to a mosque, near the area where the weathered fishing pirogues are parked, it is not unusual to see people washing clothes and bathing.

The vistas along the river offer such eye candy, like the startling view of East Timbuktu's sand dunes, with verdant trees littered at its foot in stark contrast to its surroundings. From the River Niger, it is the first thing you see, going into the villages. It is also the spot where the water and the Sahara meet.

To travel from one point of the river to another, you can hire a water taxi, which is a regular dugout canoe that is propelled by a wooden pole that can take you from one harbor to another. It is the more scenic route, allowing you take in the sights-the rich orange sunsets, the fisher folk casting their nets into the water, the village people dotting the shores as they fill their bassins, and you in your wooden canoe, paddling off to another place the way many West Africans have throughout history. If you're lucky, you probably get to bring some packed lunch with you-a delicious fare of roasted Nile perch with bits of tomatoes and millet on the side, or perhaps a nice ripe mango.

It's a relatively short ride, depending on where you are heading. You can go as far as 5 to 350 miles. If you are an adventurer at heart, the Niger River is the perfect way to travel from Guinea to Mali, and from Niger to Nigeria. The sunset alone make it worth the trip. Commission a group of fishermen to craft a regular wooden pirogue and navigate your way through Mali with a paddle. You can also visit during the season when they have the Niger River races (usually held at the first month of the year).

Read more:
Exploring life and technology along the Niger river
Niger River Trips - Gao Bureau Régional du Tourisme
Official Tourism Information Mali - Embassy of the Republic of Mali in Japan