Travel Guide Diffa

Diffa is located 70 km from Maïné-Soroa and 130 km from N'Guigmi. A small town of about 20 000 inhabitants, it is the head of the regional administration, the governorate. Rather recently, it was developed by the French colony for its neutral position between querelles querelles of N'Guigmi and Maïné-Soroa. This step has an interest in refuelling or to access the Komadougou. There is a mini supermarket and a market on Tuesday. The most common currency is the naira, Nigeria's currency with which trade takes place. The CFA franc is, of course, accepted and can be exchanged for naira in the market (where traditional bankers sitting on their stool are waiting for the customer with bundles of banknotes in the hands). Find out when you arrive in the city on the exchange rate (at the end of February 2009, 1 000 FCFA = 300 naira). The city of Diffa is very popular with the Fulani Bororo whose customs are recognized as the most original and authentic among the nomadic peoples. At the end of the rainy season (September-October), find out about the places where you can meet the fiestas of these breeders. As far as health is concerned, there are some small pharmacies with essential medicines, and a hospital allows various consultations. An BIA bank at very short opening times in the morning ensures essential operations, including Western Union. The telephone network (Celtel, Orange and Sahelcom) covers the main cities of the RN 1 from Zinder to N'Guigmi. A hotel, the Tal, exists in Diffa but, at the moment, it is rather to avoid its rooms a little «limit». Another, to the east of the autogare, is equally rudimentary with the common showers for transit travellers. Some boxes of passage, technical services and some projects such as the CAP (Community Action programme) and the PADL (Support for Local Development Program) sometimes exist (to find them, find out more in town). These two development assistance projects have villas where the traveller may be able to stay. The bivouac, the night in the bush, is possible safely, leaving a little distance from the city. The existence of a secondary aerodrome is to be reported, it is possible to charter a small device to visit the region, get information in Niamey. As for all cities, from Zinder to N'Guigmi, bus companies departing from Zinder serve Diffa (see part "Zinder"). From Diffa, a bridge on the river Komadougou leads to the border of Nigeria towards Maïdougouri to reach N'Djamena via Kousseri in northern Cameroon.