Bilma Travel Guide

As one of the only aid workers in Bilma described it: “This place really is like the end of the earth.”

Perhaps it was the imagery of finality that shapes a visitor's affinity to this place in the middle of the Sahara desert. Bilma makes one realize that finality is a deep concept (perhaps this is what Lawrence of Arabia was all about). It is at the extremities of the earth, the edges of civilization that you find pure being. Everywhere else, there is too much white noise. Gazing down to the oasis of Bilma from the Kawar escarpment at sunset is mystical. Senses heightened from the intensity of the climb, you practically feel the gray colors of the sand dunes in the distance, the jade green haze of the oasis trees, and the orange and pink hues of the descending sun melting into your consciousness. Peace descends on the visitor that descends from the mountain.

Caravans arrive from all over Niger to the salt mines outside the oasis. The smoke coils from the traders’ campfires at dusk, embers glowed in the darkness. The smell of roasted meat and livestock lingers in the quiet, still air. The camels rest in star-shaped formations, gathering their strength for the long road back through endless sand dunes. The moon exposes their massive silhouettes resting on the ground, their moans echoed through the valley.

It is extremely difficult to get to Bilma... good luck.

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