Parks and the outdoors in Niamey

Parks and the outdoors in Niamey

1. See

   Grande Mosquée

   You can tour the Grande Mosquée, a gift to Niger from Libyan dictator Muammar Qaddafi. Just walk up to the main doors of the Grande Mosque and the guardian will greet you and give you a tour. Or arrange with him ahead of time: his name is Issaka and his number is 96.30.24.27. You pay “whatever you think is appropriate” but be aware that you will have to pay three separate times: the first time is a donation to support the upkeep of the mosque and their charitable activities; the second time is a small donation for the women’s room of the mosque, and then a tip for the guide at the end. So, you might pay CFA 1000/400/1000 per person but exact amounts are up to you. As part of the tour you can climb the minaret and take pictures. Tours are in French, Hausa, or Zarma. Not open around prayer time, Fridays, and Muslim holidays. He likes to rush you through, but take your time and enjoy it. You might need to “remind” him about the minaret. Dress conservatively; women must wear a head scarf.

2. Eat Not mapped

   Chez Chin’s

   Chinese. Good food and extremely popular. Has fresh noodles and hot pot (order one day in advance). Good date place because of its romantic atmosphere. Great for family meals because the service is fast and the kids can roam in the garden, look at the menagerie of animals or play on the swings and monkey bars. Located on Tillaberi Road, not far from Pharmacie Yantala. Taxi to OMS and it's across the street.

   Lunch 10:30-14:00, dinner 17:30–23:00

3. Eat Not mapped

   Fast Food de L’Année

   Delicious hamburgers for CFA 800 or teazburgers (cheeseburgers) for CFA 1,400. Probably the best burgers (stuffed with fries) in town. They also have egg burgers for the vegetarians, fries, omelettes, tuna burgers and lots of other stuff including soft drinks. There are two locations: 1) Take a taxi to “Centre Cultural Oumarou Ganda”, north of the Grande Mosquée. From there, walk north towards the yellow Sonitrav sign and look for their shop on corner of the next crossroads; 2) Take a taxi to Rond Point Grand Hotel and they are on the west side of the round point on the road that heads down to the Kennedy Bridge.

4. Drink Not mapped

   Grand Hotel Terrace

   The Grand Hotel has also houses a popular bar with an amazing river view, which is especially good around sunset. Jazz and happy hour brochettes on Thursday and Sunday nights.

5. Eat Not mapped

   Le Bar Snob

   Delicious and cheap food. Run by a woman of Asian descent. Call ahead the day before and order the Chinese soup (20.73.24.83). Ask a taxi for “Pharmacie Inikwara” and then walk north for half a block. Look for the big cement swan planters out front.

6. Eat Not mapped

   Le Watta

   Upscale Ivorian restaurant. Tell a taxi “Station Terminus” and then walk north ½ block. Not far from the Grand Hotel and Hotel Terminus. Serves “Western” and a variety of West African dishes. Friendly staff.

7. Eat Not mapped

   Maquis Africa Queen

   Amazing food cooked by a sweet Cameroonian lady, plus cheap drinks, tucked away off the street. Ask what she has available for the day as the menu is flexible and the things that she has prepared for the day might not even be on the menu. Try the Soupe de Viande ou Poisson, an incredible meat soup with a Thai lemongrass flavour. Other delicious dishes are the Eba with sauce feuille (manioc fufu with a chapata topping that tastes like sautéed spinach), Eba with Ndole sauce (salty but good), and Riz Cantonais. (Again, some of the above are not on the menu so ask for them or ask what she has available that day.) There is also delicious steak with sautéed veggies, plus other basics like fries, petit pois, mixed salad, and aloco (plantains, when in season). Take a taxi to Rond Point Maourey. If you are facing the hotel, walk ½ block along the street that runs left of the hotel.

   Prices are very reasonable, CFA 600-1,500 for most plates, and conjunctures are CFA 450

8. Eat Not mapped

   Restaurant Atlantique aka Ziggy’s

   Take a taxi to “Hotel Sahel”. Stop the taxi before he turns into the hotel. Walk 20 feet further down the road (east) and turn into the Piscine Olympique. Walk through the empty sandy ground, greet the friendly guardian on his pedal bike, walk behind the often-empty Olympic pool (but if it’s open you can go for a swim for CFA 1,000), and into the restaurant. Food and drinks are ordered separately and come on separate bills. Cokes are CFA 300, conjunctures (small Bière Niger) are CFA 600. Food options are brochettes (steak: say “filet”; merguez: beef sausage, tongue, liver, and kidney) for CFA 250, French fries, peas, green beans, and when in season, fried plantains; each of these dishes is CFA 1,000. They also have a tasty salad (at your own risk), ½ chicken, or full chicken. Great place to take newly-arrived visitors for sunset because of the unbeatable view.

9. Do Not mapped

   Swimming Pools

   Most of Niamey's hotels with swimming pools allow non-guests to use the pool for a small fee (often a couple thousand francs). The best are at Hotel Gaweye & Grand Hotel, whose pools have a scenic view over the River Niger. There are public swimming pools beside Hotel la Fluviale (CFA 1,000) & beside Hotel Sahel (the "Picine Olympique", CFA 1,000). Ask to see the pool first to avoid paying for a dirty pool.

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Niamey (CC BY-SA 4.0).