Gadoufaoua

Gadoufaoua is a Cretaceous fossil site in Niger's Tenere Desert where petrified tree trunks and bones of prehistoric animals protrude from the sandy ground. The terrain spreads across an expansive area with exposed remains that wind and erosion have gradually brought to the surface over millennia.

French geologists documented this site in the 1950s, identifying it as containing some of Africa's most concentrated dinosaur remains across a vast area. The deposit formed about 100 million years ago when subtropical conditions brought rivers and lakes to what is now desert terrain.

The Tuareg people named this location Gadoufaoua, meaning 'the place where camels fear to go', reflecting how unforgiving the desert here truly feels. Walking through the site, one understands why local herders have always avoided these particular stretches of sand.

The site is remote and requires careful planning with supplies and reliable desert transport to reach it. Visiting during cooler months is advisable, as extreme heat and sandstorms during other times of year make exploration significantly more challenging.

In 1997 researchers discovered Sarcosuchus imperator here, a prehistoric crocodile larger than the famous T-Rex and one of Earth's apex predators. This massive reptile remained hidden beneath the sand until erosion gradually exposed bones that sparked the excavation that changed our understanding of Cretaceous ecosystems.