Day 1 - 28 Nov 2025

Arrival in Algiers. Pick up from the airport and transfer to the 3-star Hotel Suisse (or similar) in central Algiers.

The rest of the day is free. Possibly the journey towards the Sahara will start tonight.

Meals: no meals

Day 2 - 29 Nov 2025

Arrival by air in the desert tourism centre of Algeria, Djanet, in the south-eastern corner of the country. The Libyan border is close by, but it is nonetheless very peaceful. Many flights land late in the evening/night, so in that case we'll take you to your first night in a hotel at the 3-star La Grotte des Ambassadeurs or similar.

Off-road vehicles are packed for our trip. Tents, food, drinks and other necessities are included. The trip will be made by a private car and a satellite phone will be included for emergencies, as there will be no phone coverage in Tadrart Rouge due to the fact that only occasional herders pass through the area. There are no permanent villages. We head towards Tadrart Rouge, visiting the acacia forest of Amaïs and the dark dunes of Adjalati. At this point, we have already left the paved road behind us and are driving along dirt and gravel roads. Overnight in the Tadrart Rouge area.

Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 3 - 30 Nov 2025

Tadrart Rouge is part of the wider Tassili n'Ajjer mountain range and the national park that encompasses it. The national park is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The national park is known in particular for its picturesque rock formations, such as the natural arches, and for its prehistoric rock paintings and rock engravings. These can still be seen today, but unfortunately some of the rock art is much more recent. Our guides will do their best to show you mostly only authentic rock art from thousands of years ago. One site with rock art is called Wan Ahar (or Ouan Ahar).

We'll probably camp overnight at Moula Naga, where you can choose to conquer the huge dune and find that it's actually quite an exhausting task.

Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 4 - 1 Dec 2025

We enjoy a breakfast prepared by our Tuareg chef, then drive to Intifalghhagh to see the rock carvings. Well before sunset we arrive at Tin Merzouga. By this time the landscape has turned red and at Tin Merzouga we are greeted by red dunes, the highest of which are about 200 metres high. It is one of the most beautiful places in the world and the scenery is even better if you can climb up to the top of one of the dunes. Climbing the sand dune's sometimes sinking ridge or wall is no easy task! From the top you can see all the way to Libya and especially at sunset or sunrise the view is magical. We camp at Tin Merzouga at the foot of the dunes, so if you wish, you can conquer one of the dunes the next morning and watch the sun rise over the Sahara.

Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 5 - 2 Dec 2025

Today we see more dunes as well as amazing natural formations, such as the stone pillar known as the Coupe du monde. So it's the winner's trophy of the football World Cup! We will see and visit canyons and camp in In-Oksam.

Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 6 - 3 Dec 2025

Today we say goodbye to Tadrart Rouge and its red sands. We drive to Tin Arassou for lunch, then continue back to Djanet. In the afternoon, we explore the market area of Djanet and prepare for our night flight back to the capital, Algeria. In the evening, transfer to the airport and flight back to Algiers. There transfer to the hotel.

Accommodation in a 3-star Hotel Suisse or similar.

Meals: breakfast, lunch, dinner

Day 7 - 4 Dec 2025

After breakfast, you will be picked up by car from your hotel and transferred to the labyrinthine and picturesque old town of Kasbah, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Guided walking tour of Kasbah. Due to its hilly location, the district has many stairs and the streets and alleys are mostly inaccessible by car. The views down to the 'new' part of town are spectacular from the top of Kasbah.

After a walking tour of the Kasbah, we continue our exploration of Algiers with a guided city tour, including the neo-Byzantine Notre Dame d'Afrique Basilica, completed in 1872, and the Martyrs' Memorial, a massive monument to those who died in Algeria's war of independence, the Jardin d'Essai du Hamma, the botanical garden where the film Tarzan the Ape Man (1932) was shot, and the French-built 'new city' of Algiers, whose highlights include the Grand Poste, the country's main post office, and the waterfront boulevard.

Accommodation in a 3-star Hotel Suisse or similar.

Meals: breakfast

Day 8 - 5 Dec 2025

After breakfast, you will be picked up by car from the hotel at around 10am, followed by a day trip to the Roman ruins of Tipasa and Cherchell. Tipasa is about an hour's drive (depending on traffic) from Algiers, Cherchell about half an hour from Tipasa.

Tipasa was once founded as a Phoenician trading centre, but was later conquered by Rome under the Emperor Claudius, who turned it into an army colony and used it as a base from which to launch attacks against the Kingdom of Mauretania. In Tipasa, there are traces of Phoenician, Roman, pre-Christian and Byzantine activity in the area. Tipasa, on the shores of the Mediterranean, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Cherchell (once also known as Caesarea) is another city on the Mediterranean originally founded by the Phoenicians. Since then it has belonged to Carthage, Rome and Byzantium. In addition to the ruins, we will visit the Cherchell Museum.

Stay at the Hotel Suisse in Algiers. If your flight departs in the evening, we will transfer you to the airport.

Meals: breakfast

Day 9 - 6 Dec 2025

Transfer to the airport and the journey home begins.

Meals: breakfast