The Aïr Mountains are located in the southern part of the Sahara. It is one of the absolute highlights of the Sahara. Not only is the landscape stunning, but there are also beautiful rock paintings to be found. This part of the Sahara was inhabited approximately 7,000 years ago, and there were lakes where people fished. As a result, Neolithic artifacts such as arrowheads and pottery can be found in some areas.
Anyone who has lost their heart to the Sahara has it on their bucket list. And that was true for me, too. In 1986, the time had finally come. Together with a French couple I had met in 1984 during another trip to the Sahara, we set out on a journey through the Aïr. Seven weeks away from home. Click here to view our Aïr itinerary.
The Sahara itself is already desolate and difficult to traverse. This is even more true of the Aïr Mountains. That means a journey through this area can only be made in a convoy of at least two vehicles. A reliable guide is essential, not only to know where you are, but especially to determine which parts of the terrain are passable and which are not. And you must have a very well-equipped vehicle, with a range of 2,000 kilometers off-road.
Incidentally, traveling from Europe to and from the Aïr Mountains was also quite exhausting. Crossing the border between two Saharan countries usually took half a day to a full day. Entering Niger, in particular, was notorious. Moreover, there were a great many checkpoints along the way in Niger (roadblocks). The soldiers manning these checkpoints often tried to “supplement” their pay while conducting inspections. In other words, they always wanted money or whiskey. In Mali, fuel supply was often a problem again. Clean diesel was guaranteed in Niamey (Niger) and then not again until Adrar (Algeria), 2,000 km to the north.
Today, making this same journey is absolutely out of the question due to the political situation in these countries. Unfortunately, Algeria—and especially Mali and Niger—are no longer safe for Westerners to travel in. But I hope that through this website I can still give you a sense of this unique region.
Niger and the Aïr mountains 1986, the ultimate desert, photo series