A People of a Thousand Faces
Each ethnic group is unique due to the persistence of its linguistic, social, and economic cohesion, particularly in rural areas, which still concern 90% of the population. Over about 500 km, the banks and islands of the Niger River are home to villages of Djerma-Songhai, Tuareg, and Fulani fishermen born by the water's edge.
From Gaya, on the border of Nigeria and Benin, to Ayorou on the border of Mali, lives the river people, where hippos, fish, water birds, and crocodiles frolic. Nothing beats a canoe trip down the river to immerse oneself in this culture. A visit to a protected area, the W National Park, allows one to discover all the specific wildlife of the bush savanna: elephants, lions, antelopes, gazelles, buffaloes, monkeys...