A fascinating Sunday market and a nice hotel and restaurant overlooking the Niger River make Ayorou worth a stop. On Sundays, the market teems with Tuareg, Fulani and Djerma traders who live in the surrounding bush and in villages along the river. The pleasant hotel and restaurant overlooking the river, which was built by a private company several years ago, has since been taken over by the government.
Nevertheless, although there is no electricity for the lights and air conditioners, the facilities are good, and the prices are negotiable. There are several hippopotami to be found in the river, and for a small fee you can hire a boat to take you on a tour to see them and the neighboring villages. Ayorou can also be seen as a day trip from Tillaberi (which has slightly better facilities)—the once terrible road there is being improved. Or, if you're adventurous, you can also catch a motorized boat connecting Ayorou with nearly all the market villages along the Niger (the journey makes for a long, hot day).
110 mi/180 km northwest of Niamey.