Niger · Homestay Experiences

5-Day Ancient Kingdoms of the Sahel Tour in Zinder with Village Stay

5 Days Round trip from Niamey Easy pace

The journey

Trip highlights

01 Explore Maradi and vital trade towns on the road to Zinder
02 Visit the magnificent and unique Sultan's Palace, still active and in use
03 Take in panoramic views over Zinder's minarets and mud houses from atop the palace
04 See local villages built with earthen materials, mud mosques, adobe homes, and dug wells
05 Spend a night in an authentic village homestay and observe daily life in the Sahel

Sign up for this 5-day tour to explore the ancient kingdoms of the Sahel from Niamey to Zinder. Visit the magnificent and unique Sultan's Palace, still active and in use, and take in panoramic views over the city's minarets and mud houses from atop the palace. Along the way, pass through Maradi, vital trade towns, and local villages shaped by earthen architecture, mud mosques, adobe homes, and pastoral life. The journey concludes with an overnight village stay, where you interact with local people and observe daily routines in the far landlocked Sahel.

After a quick breakfast and coffee, visit the magnificent and unique Sultan's Palace, still active and in use, and see his ministers presiding over affairs and trials in the kingdom of Zinder.

From the itinerary

At a glance

What this trip includes

Duration 5 Days

Tour type Shared

Activity level Easy

Accommodation Included · Standard

Transport Included

Wheelchair access Not applicable

Cities Maradi, Niamey, Zinder

Languages English

Day by day

The itinerary

Day 01

Arrival in Niamey

Arrive in Niamey, where you will be picked up at the airport and transferred to a tourist hotel.
Enjoy dinner at Maki 2000, considered the best restaurant in Niamey for a newcomer.

Day 02

Journey to Zinder via Maradi and Sahel Villages

After breakfast, begin your long trek to the old capital, stopping at Maradi and vital trade towns along the way.
See local villages where earthen materials are used to construct all aspects of town design and architecture. Pass mud mosques, adobe homes, huts with river-reed fronds, and dug wells, while observing pastoral life. The best onions in the world, sought after by Europe and requiring a long haul to reach, are grown here along with peanuts. These are largely the only two main crops in Niger; everything else is imported.
Arrive in Zinder in the evening and enjoy dinner.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 03

Zinder Palace and City Sightseeing

After a quick breakfast and coffee, visit the magnificent and unique Sultan's Palace, still active and in use, and see his ministers presiding over affairs and trials in the kingdom of Zinder. See the dungeons where multiple levels of offences used to take place.
Reach the top of the palace for panoramic views of the city, overlooking the minarets and mud houses.
In the afternoon, visit the city's Alternative Radio Station.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 04

Village Chiefdom Visit and Homestay Experience

Today, visit a regional chief and chiefdom in the vicinity of the Zinder Kingdom. Learn about the daily lives and issues of the people, how they build their houses, obtain water and food, and visit the mosques and living rooms of the people of the far landlocked Sahel, whose lives have remained largely unchanged for centuries, and in some ways millennia. This is the oldest remnant of ancient Africa, far simpler and far behind modern life, in one of the planet's harshest realms of habitation. Yet here, humanity remains thriving and vibrant.

Overnight in a local homestay, with ethnic cooking and outdoor toilets and shower.

Meals Included: Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner

Day 05