Tea gets poured in the shade early in the morning, before the heat settles in. By midday the light turns white and everyone, travelers included, waits out the sun under a roof or a tree. Evenings bring cooler air, neighbors sit outside and music drifts across a courtyard, from Sahara dunes in the north to Lake Chad in the west.

The climate runs from hot desert in the north to savanna in the south, and the dry season is the easiest time to travel. A Local Friend tells you when to head out early, when to linger in the shade and when the evening is worth waiting for.