Dosso Reserve Niger

The Dosso Partial Faunal Reserve is a nature reserve in the southwest Dosso region of Niger. It is a Partial Faunal Reserve IUCN type IV, established on 1 January 1962. The reserve covers 3,065 square kilometers in the mouth of Dallo Bosso valley, a seasonal wash and ancient riverbed running from the Azawagh region, near where it reaches the Niger River valley. It is situated near the W national park.

The Dosso reserve exists to protect animals of the W Transborder Park complex, most notably African elephants, Hippos, a number of types of gazelles, and the West African Giraffe

This reserve marks the southern end of the migration path of the last sustainable herd of West African Giraffe who travel north to the region around Koure (some 80 km southeast of Niamey) in the rainy season.

The entrance to the town of Dosso is marked by an enormous baobab tree, one of the rare specimens found on the sandstone plateaus of the south of the country. A text taken from a textbook for schoolchildren in Niger describes this tree in this way, almost comical in appearance: the town of Dosso is the home of the Zerma, with the palace of Djermakoye, the provincial chief who sometimes agrees to show it around: one can admire the Hausa architecture, the façade with painted floral motifs and the interior colonnades that support the Hausa vaults. A beautiful modern architectural ensemble on the main road houses the craft center which offers local handicrafts including woven blankets. Dosso is above all a crossroads city towards Benin, passing through the Dendi region, the southern tip of Niger where the city of Gaya is located on the banks of the river. Many people from the region and the capital take the asphalt road from Gaya to get to the market in Malanville, Benin. All manufactured products from the port of Cotonou are cheaper than in Niger. Dendi is the southernmost zone, unique in Niger because of its tropical climate: prolonged rainy season with more than 800 mm of water per year, almost luxuriant vegetation, and tropical crops such as fruits and tubers. You will not want to miss the Dosso Partial Wildlife Reserve, the Palace of the Dosso Provincial Chief, and the Dosso Artisan Village and Regional Museum.