Bilma sits at the southern end of the Kaouar — a 150-kilometre line of small oases strung along the foot of a sandstone escarpment, each one a green pocket in an otherwise empty desert. The town's own palm grove is the largest of the chain: date palms, a few vegetable plots watered from shallow wells, and stretches of shaded ground that feel improbable after the drive in from Agadez.
Walking the gardens with a local guide is the standard half-day activity. Dates are the main crop — harvested in autumn and traded south — but you'll also see okra, onions, and tomatoes in family plots. The contrast between the dry red cliffs above and the green oasis below is the standard image of the Sahara, made real.