Aïr and Ténéré Natural Reserves

The Aïr and Ténéré Natural Reserves protect a vast slice of the southern Sahara in northern Niger, pairing the volcanic massif of the Aïr Mountains with the open sand seas of the Ténéré desert. Covering more than seven million hectares, it is one of the largest protected areas in Africa, and the reserve at its core shelters a surprising range of desert-adapted wildlife against a backdrop of jagged peaks, oases and dune fields. Relict populations of addax, dama gazelle, Barbary sheep and ostrich survive here alongside a distinctive flora clinging to the mountain valleys. The dramatic contrast between the dark rock of the Aïr and the pale immensity of the Ténéré gives the landscape an austere beauty. Inscribed by UNESCO in 1991, the site is also listed as World Heritage in Danger owing to the fragility of its wildlife and the pressures of the surrounding region.