Koure

Koure is a town in Southwestern Niger, known for its location near West Africa's last herd of giraffes.

Busses between Niamey and the eastern parts of the country can stop here, but your best bet is a bush taxi from Niamey (45

Find some friends and split the cost for a car and driver. You might pay as much as 45,000F for the car and driver depending on the season and how far out the giraffes have wandered. He drives out to Kouré (65 km) and you see a billboard on the left and a hut structure, this is the park headquarters. Some people arrange their transport through Abdou, 96-97-44-46 or for a large group you could go out to the minibuses that leave from the Grand Marché and have a go at your own negotiations. Or talk to the city taxi drivers parked in front of Wadatta and aim to get the trip for around 20-25000F. During the rainy season, the giraffes are closer to the road. If this is the case you can avoid renting a car. Instead, go to Wadatta, buy a ticket, and take a bush taxi to Kouré, and then the guide will walk you over to the giraffes.

Kouré village itself is small and can be explored on foot, but the giraffes do not live within a fenced safari park. They roam freely through a large area of bush, farmland and villages surrounding Kouré, so reaching them may involve considerable travel beyond the settlement.

Visitors to the giraffe area should go with an authorized local guide. The guides keep track of the animals' approximate location and help visitors avoid disturbing the giraffes or trespassing on agricultural land.

Depending on where the giraffes are feeding, tracking may involve a combination of driving and walking. Their location varies with rainfall, vegetation and season, and they may be many kilometres from the main road.

A high-clearance vehicle is useful when the animals have moved far into the bush. Some tracks are sandy, deeply rutted or muddy after rain.

Do not attempt to locate the giraffes independently. Apart from making them much more difficult to find, visitors may inadvertently enter fields, become lost or disturb animals and local communities.

WARNING: The security situation in Niger has deteriorated substantially since much of the older travel information about Kouré was written. As of September 2026, several foreign governments advise against all travel to Niger because of terrorism, kidnapping, crime and political instability. Travel outside Niamey may require Nigerien security or military escort. Obtain current local and official security advice before making any journey to Kouré.

• Giraffes West Africa's last surviving giraffe herd lives near the city. At the park headquarters, you pay 4000F per person for tourists, 3000F for “foreign residents”, or 1000F for Nigeriens. You also pay 5,000F per carload for the Guide Association fee, and then a tip at the end for the guide himself. Don’t forget your ID because you do go through a check-point. During the rainy season, the giraffes are closer to the road. If this is the case you can avoid renting a car. Instead, go to Wadatta, buy a ticket, and take a bush taxi to Kouré, and then the guide will walk you over to the giraffes. During the rainy season, the giraffes are closer to the highway and you can save money by not hiring a car. “Closer” can still mean an hour or more walk to get to them.

• Track the West African giraffes. The principal reason to visit Kouré is to accompany a local guide into the surrounding bush to look for free-ranging West African giraffes. Unlike giraffes in a fenced wildlife park, these animals move through a landscape shared with farmers and villages.

• Walk with a guide. Once giraffes have been located, part of the visit may continue on foot. Follow the guide's instructions concerning how closely to approach and avoid surrounding or blocking the animals.

• Wildlife photography. The pale colouring of the West African giraffe and the open Sahelian landscape make Kouré particularly rewarding for photography. A telephoto lens is preferable to attempting to approach an animal closely.

• Explore the tiger bush. The countryside around Kouré contains characteristic tiger bush vegetation, in which bands of shrubs and trees alternate with more open ground. The pattern is particularly noticeable from elevated viewpoints or satellite imagery.

• Learn about human–giraffe coexistence. One of the unusual aspects of Kouré is that the giraffes live among farming communities rather than within a conventional fenced reserve. Local conservation programmes have attempted to balance protection of the animals with the costs borne by farmers whose crops may be browsed.

Visits are best arranged in advance with the tourism authorities, an established agency or the local guide association, particularly under the current security conditions.

Kouré has only basic village shops and should not be treated as a shopping destination.

Buy water, snacks, sun protection, medicine and other important supplies in Niamey before travelling.

The currency is the West African CFA franc (XOF). Carry sufficient cash in small denominations, since cards and electronic payment should not be relied upon in the village or giraffe area.

Do not expect an ATM or foreign-exchange service.

If buying food or other goods locally, small purchases help support the community, but do not assume that tourist souvenirs or handicrafts will always be available.

There is no dependable selection of tourist restaurants in Kouré.

Simple local food may be available in the village, but opening times, menu choice and hygiene standards vary. Visitors on an organized excursion may have meals arranged by their driver, guide or tour company.

For a day trip, it is sensible to bring a packed breakfast or lunch from Niamey, particularly if giraffe tracking takes longer than expected.

Common Nigerien foods that may be encountered include millet preparations, rice, beans, sauces and grilled meat.

Do not leave food scraps in the giraffe habitat or surrounding bush.

Bring more drinking water than you expect to need. Tracking the giraffes may involve prolonged walking in very hot, exposed conditions.

Bottled drinks may be available from small village shops, but availability should not be assumed.

Do not drink untreated water from wells, ponds or other rural sources unless it has been properly purified.

Alcohol is not a significant part of village life and should not be expected to be readily available. Kouré is predominantly Muslim; behave respectfully concerning alcohol and public consumption.

Kouré is normally visited as a day trip from Niamey, which has by far the largest selection of accommodation.

A small, simple tourist camp has been reported near Kanaré, in the giraffe zone east of Kouré. Facilities are basic and its current operation should be confirmed before travelling rather than relying on arriving without a reservation.

Travellers considering an overnight stay should arrange it through a local tourism agency, the authorities or an established guide in advance, especially given the current security environment.

There are no large hotels or resorts in Kouré itself.

Independent camping in the bush is not advisable. Apart from land-use and practical issues, current security risks make unarranged overnight stays outside established accommodation particularly inappropriate.

Mobile-phone coverage may be available around Kouré and along the main Niamey–Dosso road but can become weak or disappear farther into the giraffe habitat.

Download maps, contact details and any travel authorization before leaving Niamey.

Do not depend on finding:

• public Wi-Fi
• charging facilities
• an internet café
• an ATM
• reliable mobile data

Carry a charged phone and preferably a power bank.

Niger's emergency numbers are:

• 17 — police
• 18 — fire
• 15 — ambulance

Because Kouré is outside Niamey, visitors should also keep the telephone numbers of their driver, guide, tour operator and any security contact available offline.

• Niamey — Niger's capital and the normal base for a visit to Kouré. It has the country's main selection of hotels, restaurants, banks and transport services.

• Dosso — Continue south-east along the main road to this historic regional capital, known for the palace of the Zarmakoye, its mosque and regional museum. Current security conditions should be checked before travelling.

• Birni N'Gaouré — A regional town on the Niamey–Dosso corridor and a possible intermediate stop when travelling farther south-east.

Further travel in southwestern Niger should only be planned after checking current security conditions. In particular, older guidebooks may recommend remote parks and border regions that are no longer appropriate destinations under present travel advisories.