Where is Lake Oursi?

The Oursi lakes are extremely remote. Measuring on a map, Oursi lies less than 200 miles from the capital of Burkina Faso, Ouagadougou, and less than 250 miles from Timbouktou in Mali. (See Google Map and a PDF Map). But getting there is a different thing. The roads are partly sand tracks and they might not be usable at all as happened recently when severe floods hit the southern fringe of the Sahara. In August 2007, a NATURAMA/BirdLife delegation got stuck at Oursi for two days because of flooding. The delegation also faced the collapse of their huts during a torrential downpour – there is no ‘western standard’ accommodation at Oursi.

Photo © Muhtari Aminu-Kano