Let’s Explore Tassili N’Ajjer (The Algerian Sahara) in 2022

A Scheduled Trip to Algeria

Highlights

About this Safari

A Slow Meander through the Algerian Sahara

Dear Adventurers and Explorers,

All safaris are special but this one is a sort of homecoming for me. Algeria was the first African country that I set foot on as a young 22-year old, and the year I spent here left an indelible mark on my life, my career and my fascination with all things Africa. At the time, I was not mature enough to fully grasp the astonishing beauty of its surreal and mesmerizing desert landscapes, but our safari to the Ennedi Massif in Chad earlier this year (right before Covid struck!) was so enchanting that I was determined to come back here and re-explore this land where my love affair with Africa began. So welcome to the deep Sahara…

Shortly after I left Algeria, came the years of the ‘lost decade’ – a time of civil unrest when all tourism came to a grinding halt. Over the years, I have regularly followed the situation in the country, but it wasn’t until quite recently that I felt that the time to go back was indeed here. Algerians are a wonderfully welcoming and warm people and I have so many memories of their kindnesses. In the old days, not everything was easily available in the country and I remember, whenever an ‘egg boat’ came to port, there would be long lines of people waiting to buy several dozen eggs at a time since people had no idea when they would get eggs again. I didn’t know the system and would invariably miss out on the egg boat bounty, but every time he saw me looking despondent after an egg-run, the neighborhood baker used to reach under his counter, whisk out a dozen eggs, and present them to me with a grand flourish and a bow! But that’s enough about my memories…😊

I do hope that you will decide to join me and make your own memories on this extraordinary adventure to the deep south of the Sahara Desert. Pictures speak louder than words, they say, so here are just a few to whet your curiosity…

Sangeeta

Tassili n’Ajjer

Tassili n’Ajjer is a vast plateau in south-east Algeria. It covers an area of 72,000 sq. km.  The exceptional density of the paintings and engravings found here, and the presence of many prehistoric vestiges, are remarkable testimonies to Prehistory. From 10,000 BC to the first centuries of our era, successive peoples left many archaeological remains, habitations, burial mounds etc. The area is also of great geological and aesthetic interest – with its panoramic “rock forests” of eroded sandstone, its differently hued sands ranging from red to black to golden, it resembles a strange lunar landscape and even boasts a very famous engraving that looks like a Martian!

The rock art images cover a period of about 10,000 years. It is the most eloquent expression of relationships between humans and the environment, with more than 15,000 drawings and engravings testifying to climate changes, wildlife migrations, and the evolution of humankind on the edge of the Sahara. This art depicts water-dependent species like the hippopotamus, and species which have been extinct in the region for thousands of years. From the magic-religious practices of the Round Heads to the representations of the Cattle Period, Tassili N’Ajjer overflows with exceptional examples of prehistoric parietal art.

Text excerpts: https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/179/

Trip Highlights

• Roman ruins at the edge of the Mediterranean Sea
• The dunes of Erg Admer, Moul N’Aga, Tin Merzouga and the Black Dune
• The labyrinths of In Aloukou
• The rock art of Dider, Tin Tefelrar and Oued In Djaren
• The beautiful Iherir oasis and the Arch of Tikobaoine
• The Cathedral of Tamezguida
• The “Crying Cow” of Tagharghart
• Touareg encounters
• Giraffes & hippos in the desert
• Mint tea at the end of the day…who could ask for more?
• Well, perhaps a ‘hammam’ session in Algiers to close it all out 😊

Cost

The cost of this trip is USD 5,450 per person. No Single Supplement.

Gallery

Best Time to Visit

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