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Travel and Tourism in Niger
Travel alerts, currency, climate, transit, health, and safety information for visitors to Niger.
Practical Information
Travel alert status, currency, climate, and transit details.
- Travel Alert Status
- Level 3: Reconsider Travel
- Time Difference
- UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)
- Climate
- Niamey's climate varies with distinct seasons. April and May are the hottest months, with noontime temperatures often rising above 48°C (118°F) in the shade. Direct sunlight is intense during this period, and at night temperatures remain above 20°C (80°F). In May, the first rains come to the usually parched landscape and with them the planting of millet and sorghum, the major food crops. Niamey gets on average 55.8 centimeters (22 inches) of rainfall between June and September, normally in short torrential downpours preceded by high winds and dust or sand storms. At this time, the surrounding countryside takes on a verdant hue as the crops and the native grasses begin to grow. The rainy season is followed by a short period of hot, humid weather in October during which temperatures range between 15°C (60°F) and 45°C (112°F). From November to March, the weather is dry and pleasant. During this season, clear days are interspersed with hazy, overcast skies caused by the "harmattan"--a hot, dry wind carrying dust from the Sahara. Normally, the winds stay at high altitudes, creating slightly overcast skies; the harmattan, however, occasionally causes localized dust storms.
- Ethnic Groups
- Hausa 56%, Djerma 22%, Fula 8.5%, Tuareg 8%, Beri Beri (Kanouri) 4.3%, Arab, Toubou, and Gourmantche 1.2%, about 1,200 French expatriates
- National Holiday
- Republic Day, 18 December (1958); note - commemorates the founding of the Republic of Niger which predated independence from France in 1960
- Geographic Coordinates
- 16 00 N, 8 00 E
- Location
- Western Africa, southeast of Algeria
- Airports
- 27
Health and Safety
Medical facilities, vaccinations, disease risk, and sanitation conditions.
Health facilities are extremely limited in Niamey, and completely inadequate outside the capital. Although physicians are generally well trained, almost all hospitals in Niamey suffer from inadequate facilities, antiquated equipment, and shortages of supplies, particularly medicines. Emergency assistance is also extremely limited. Travelers must carry their own properly labeled supply of prescription drugs and preventative medicines. Malaria is prevalent in Niger. Plasmodium falciparum malaria, the serious and sometimes fatal strain found in Niger, is resistant to the anti-malarial drug chloroquine.