During may stay in Mali I had organized a three-day tour up the Niger River on a small boat. The boat had a crew of two, plus my guide and me. I spent two nights in a small tent somewhere on the shore of the Niger River. It was a fun trip, and I saw a lot of birds along the river (plus a glimpse of a hippo). On the first day we were driving up-river till about 21:00 before we stopped for the night. On the second day we stopped around 20:00. On the last day we arrived just short of Mopti around 15:00, where my driver picked us up again.
The people along the Niger River in this area are mostly Bozo fishermen, and fishing is a big part of their daily life.
The third boat from the left was my boat. (751k) Loading fuel into the boat. (865k) Interior of my boat with the cooking area in the foreground. (688k) Cooking dinner. (718k) Small boat, tied down on shore. (937k) Early morning egret migration over a sailboat. (508k) Boat on the Niger River, crewed by kids. (712k) Many boats were propelled by pushing with poles. (663k) Young kid pushing a boat with a big pole. (505k) Woman pushing a boat on the Niger River. (562k) Young helmsman on the Niger River. (512k) Very young helmsman on a motorboat on the Niger River. (667k) A couple of families in their boats on the Niger River. (459k) Family on a sailboat. (786k) Two kids leisurely rowing down river. (515k) Brightly colored transport boat on shore. (636k) Brightly painted boat. (609k) Lots of boats in the marshes, collecting mash grass. (545k) Collecting marsh grasses. (664k) Close-up of a fisherman with his net. (418k) Fishermen preparing their boats. (436k) Fishing village with fishermen on the Niger River. (670k) Fisherman casting his net. (462k) Fisherman pulling up a net. (662k) Community fishing. (508k) A large boat getting ready to set fish traps. (534k) Large freight boat. The only boat larger than this, that I saw, was a ferry. (601k) These boats were all tied together and traveling as one. (457k)
Settlements
Laundry in the Niger River. (743k) Laundry in the Niger River. (855k) Washing and bathing in the Niger River. (775k) Kid watching us from shore. (516k) Kids watching us from shore. (688k) Kids watching us from shore. (713k) Family life on shore. (679k) Doing chores. (745k) Pounding grain. (915k) Kids fetching water from the river. (778k) When they saw us they started waving at us. (1006k) Men at work. (604k) Camp along the Niger River. (1095k) Settlement along the Niger River. (821k) Settlement along the Niger River during sunset. (610k) Settlement along the Niger River. (616k) Settlement along the Niger River. (805k) Settlement along the Niger River. (582k) Settlement life on the Niger River. (626k) Nomadic village along the Niger River. (556k) Typical mud brick village on the Niger River. (810k) Village on the Niger River with mud brick mosque. (589k) Village on the Niger River with beautiful, large mud brick mosque. (740k)
Scenery
Floating shoe on the river. There was some garbage along and in the river, especially around settlements. (503k) An egret over the night roost trees at sunset. (584k) Lone egret flying in the sunset. (398k) Sunset behind a lean-to. (506k) Full moon rising over a local village on the Niger River. (492k) Full moon just after sunset. You can see the shadow of the earth against the sky, cast by the sun just below the horizon. (443k) Sunset on the Niger River. (643k) Sunset on the Niger River. (428k) First light before sunrise. (431k) Going to work before sunrise. (504k) My crew is getting the boat ready for a sunrise departure. (409k) Sunrise over the Niger River. (629k) Sand storm along the Niger River. (627k)
Dr. Günther Eichhorn Travel Website
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