Tassili Desert Adventure: Exploring the Sahara's Hidden Wonders

1310 €, 8 Days

Travel deep into the Sahara desert and explore its raw beauty. Erosion has sculpted a wonderful landscape of sandstone plateaus, deep canyons, and unique rock formations in the Tassili n’Ajjer national park in the south of Algeria. The national park covers an area of approximately 72,000 square kilometers (about 27,800 square miles) and is renowned for its otherworldly landscape. It is the extensive collection of prehistoric rock art found here, though, that made it famous to the Western world in the last decades. It is also the reason why the park was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in the 1980s. There are over 15 000 ancient rock paintings and engravings in the park, some of which are believed to be up to 12,000 years old. These artworks provide valuable insights into the region's history, its ancient inhabitants, and their way of life. They showcase scenes of hunting, dancing, and daily life of the people who once lived in the region. They are considered an important cultural and historical treasure and have contributed to our understanding of the prehistoric Saharan culture.

On this desert expedition we will be accompanied by a local Tuareg team and have the chance to learn more about these mysterious people. They often refer to themselves as Imohag, which means “free people” - the true children of the desert, who have been living here for ages and can navigate the vast desert and its hidden treasures like no one else.

View Full Itinerary

Day 1. Arrival
Arrival in Algiers on our arrangement. Evening flight from Algiers to Djanet (exact time to be confirmed). -/-/-

Day 2-6. Tassili n’Ajjer National Park
We will spend the next few days driving around the Tassili N’Ajjer National Park exploring its diverse landscape. Some of the most spectacular regions in the park include Tin Merzouga - characterised by its huge red dunes, the rock formations of Moul N'Aga, the endless yellow sand dunes of Adjalati and many more. We will see hundreds of pre-historic cave painting and engaravings of people and animals that no longer inhabit the region - like giraffes, elephants, bulls and others. These paintings provide insight into what the climate here was like thousands of years ago and how people used to live in what was once a green oasis. One of the most famous engravings is the “weeping cow”, which we will see on our last day when returning to Djanet. In the evenings we will have free time to enjoy some Tuareg tea and observe the stars in one of the most remote areas of the world - without any light pollution, hundreds of kilometres away from the nearest towns. B/L/D

*On some of the days during the desert expedition, you might have optional walks of up to 3 hours.

Day 7. Djanet
Today we are heading back to Djanet, where we are expected to arrive in the afternoon.
Overnight in a hotel in Djanet. B/L/-

Day 8. Djanet - Algiers. End of services
Early morning flight to Algiers (exact time to be confirmed). End of services upon arrival at Algiers airport.

Visa: All European and North American citizens can get a visa on arrival at Algiers airport. We need a scanned copy of passport and filled in application form.

Practical information: Bring cash EUR or USD as credit card facilities are almost non-existent. However few ATMs can be found in some of the major cities. Taking pictures of government facilities such as police, military, and government buildings is strictly prohibited. Also avoid taking pictures of people (especially women and including children) unless you have asked for permission. Female tourists should dress modestly.

Accommodation: You willl spend 5 nights bivouacking in the desert. There are no permanent camps in the region and there will be no bathroom/toilet facilities. We will provide you with individual tent and mattres, you need to bring your own sleeping bag and personal hygiene products. The first and last night of the tour are spent in a basic hotel in Djanet.

Practical / Predeparture Information

Price Includes:
accommodation (5 nights bivouac in individual tents and 2 nights at hotels)
all meals according to the itinerary (B-breakfast,L - lunch,D-dinner)
cook and camping equipment
flight tickets Algiers-Djanet vv.
transportation according to the program in 4x4 vehicles
entrance fees
English-speaking local guide (alternatively: a French-speaking local Tuareg guide,accompanied by an English translator)
Penguin tour leader at min. 10 people.
letter of invitation

Not Included:
international flights
visa
insurance
airport transfers and services in Algiers
tips and personal expenses
drinks and meals not mentioned in the program

Additional Services:
additional night at the hotel in Algier: on request

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