Araouane

Araouane is a small Saharan village about 243 km north of Timbuktu on the caravan route to the Taoudenni salt mines, roughly 420 km further north. Its name means "the place of the caravans" in Tamasheq, the language of the Tuareg people who have historically controlled this stretch of desert. Between the 16th and 19th centuries, Araouane served as a storage depot for Timbuktu merchants preparing goods for resale to Saharan towns further north such as Tuat and Ghadames. Today the village has just over 300 inhabitants across 45 families, with most able-bodied men working seasonally at the Taoudenni salt mines; it remains dependent on the Azalai, the historic semi-annual salt caravan that still carries slabs of rock salt from Taoudenni south to Timbuktu by camel.

By Plane

The nearest airport is Bamako (BKO IATA), far to the south; there is no direct air access to Araouane.

By Road

Araouane is reached only by 4x4 or camel caravan across open desert track, about 243 km north of Timbuktu.

• The Azalai salt caravan route — Araouane is a historic waypoint on the centuries-old camel route carrying salt slabs from Taoudenni to Timbuktu

• Timbuktu — 243 km south, the historic terminus of the salt caravan
• Taoudenni — the salt-mining town roughly 420 km north