The National Museum of Niger

Niamey's Musee National Boubou Hama spreads through gardens pavilion by pavilion, and its collection swings from deep time to desert legend: dinosaur skeletons from the Sahara's fossil beds - the region's great sauropods and the sail-backed Ouranosaurus among them - share the grounds with the preserved remains of the Tree of Tenere, once the world's most isolated tree and the desert's most famous landmark until a truck ended it in 1973, its trunk now kept here. Around these anchors: costume and culture halls for Niger's peoples, craft workshops selling silver and leather at source, and shaded lanes that make the museum double as the city's favourite park.

Highlights

• The dinosaurs - Saharan giants from the fossil beds.
• The Tree of Tenere - the desert's loneliest landmark, enshrined.
• The culture pavilions - Niger's peoples in costume and craft.
• The artisan workshops - silverwork and leather at the benches.

When to go

November to February for garden-comfortable visiting; mornings beat both heat and school groups. The craft pavilions keep working-day hours.

Practical notes

Pavilions vary in upkeep and labelling is French-first and thin - a guide or prior reading lifts the visit considerably.

Nearby

The Niger riverbank, the Grand Marche and Niamey's craft centres.

Key facts