The Hippodrome, (Go to the Côté Chateau in the Grand Marché and look for the two gas stations on the corner, hopefully you'll see a row bush taxis (vans) lined up, Take one of these and get off at the hippodrome). Go out for an afternoon at the races at the hippodrome. A race is held Saturday afternoons around 17h or so, and it's free to get in. Go for the ambience, the pageantry, and if you like, make a wager. �
Stade de la Lutte Traditionelle (Traditional Wrestling), Boulevard de Mali Bero. You need a fair bit of luck to run into these traditional wrestling matches, as they are only held a few times every year, and can by law only be organized when crops are good. When they do, it's by far the most popular sport, and with a 2000 year history also the oldest. In the main national tournament each of Niger's eight regions sends 10 leather loincloth clad fighters to face of the 20 diameter ring. The first to fall, or even touch a knee to the ground, loses the match. Most matches are about 12 minutes long though they can last just a few seconds. Even if you are not into sports the cultural aspects; like like opening prayer, praise poems, salutations, gift giving, traditional charms and the enthronement of the champion should keep you well occupied. �
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 (1,000F) & beside Hotel Sahel (the "Picine Olympique", 1,000F). Ask to see the pool first to avoid paying for a dirty pool. �
The Most Frequently Asked Travel Questions about Niamey
Where To Stay & Best Hotels in Niamey - updated Apr 2024
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Niamey Travel Guide from Wikitravel. Many thanks to all Wikitravel contributors. Text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0, images are available under various licenses, see each image for details.
