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Page updated on November 03, 2007     

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Visiting Me in Niger

Interested in visiting me in Niger? That's great! I'd love to have visitors!

I've been informed that I am not allowed to travel in the first six months or in the last three months, and I think that the same applies to having visitors, but I am not sure about that. In any case, I am allowed to have visitors on site without taking vacation time so long as your visit doesn't interfere with my assignment. That is, if you just want to chill out and hang in my village for whatever amount of time (a couple weeks, a month) and not travel all over Niger or West Africa, you are more than welcome!

What You Need
Here's a list of the things you'll need, according to TravelDocs.com:

  • A U.S. Passport valid for three months after the end of your intended visit

  • A Visa from the Embassy of Niger in Washington, D.C. (the forms are available from the Embassy's site); when applying, you can indicate that the purpose of the visit is to visit a Peace Corps Volunteer

  • Ticket and documents for a return or onward journey

  • Vaccinations - International Certificate of Vaccination for Yellow Fever required

Health Care Info
And here's some information for visitors to Volunteers from the country director, hosted on the Friends of Niger site. I'll try to sum it up here, but read the letter in full if you intend to visit):

  • Peace Corps medical officers are authorized to provide medical care to current Peace Corps Volunteers only (aka, not to you)

  • To deal with this, it is recommended that you get medical evacuation insurance (here's a list of companies who do this on the US Department of State site)

  • Take malaria prophylaxis in advance of your visit (see the CDC recommendations on this)

  • Get up to date on all needed shots (again, see the CDC recommendations)

I hope you don't get scared off by any of these recommendations. But going to West Africa isn't like hopping in the car and heading down to San Antonio, it's a totally new type of adventure that you'll remember forever. As the Peace Corps website says, "Visiting a Peace Corps Volunteer is one of the most exciting ways to see and learn about another country's people, cultures, and traditions." I hope you'll consider visiting me, I'd love to have visitors!