Tamanrasset, Djanet & the Sahara

If you thought that the Sahara was all about sand and camels then you’d better think again. While you’ll get your fix of unwieldy dromedaries and undulating dunes, this part of the Sahara is also home to an alien landscape of twisted stone forests, stark volcanic mountain ranges, endless black gravel plains and deep dark canyons. It’s the trump card of Algerian tourism and, now that the security situation has stabilised, thousands of visitors are heading back to marvel at its eye-popping natural beauty.

Stretching from In Salah right down to the Mali and Niger borders is the Ahaggar (Hoggar) National Park. Created in 1987 to safeguard the considerable riches of this part of the country, it’s one of the largest protected areas in the world. At its heart is the laid-back town of Tamanrasset, resting at the foot of the brooding Hoggar massif.

The craggy plateau that surrounds the sleepy oasis of Djanet is known as the Tassili N’Ajjer. Also one of Algeria’s protected areas, its caves and canyons hide an abundance of engravings and paintings illustrating the once-blooming plant and animal life of the Sahara.

This is the Algerian heartland of the Tuareg, traditionally a nomadic people, who have roamed the desert regions of Algeria and its neighbouring countries for many centuries. You’ll see beautiful women swathed in brightly coloured fabrics and refined silver jewellery and plenty of veiled ‘blue men’ (as Tuareg men are sometimes called, after the traditional colour of their robes) zipping through the streets of Tamanrasset and Djanet in burly jeeps.

HIGHLIGHTS

Hike up steep escarpments and through shadowy canyons to reach the treasure trove of prehistoric art at Tassili N’Ajjer Djanet National Park ( p194 ) Climb deep into the Hoggar Mountains for Tassili N’Ajjer Assekrem National Park one of the most spectacular sunrises on DJANET TAMANRASSET, Tassili du earth at Assekrem (p188 ) Hoggar & THE SAHARA Gaze up at great stone castles and bizarre, deformed mountains on the otherworldly plateau of the Tassili du Hoggar ( p189 ) Evoke the ancient salt caravans by saddling up on a dromedary to experience the majesty of the Sahara near Djanet ( p191 ) TAMANRASSET, DJANET & THE SAHARA ROUTE DUHOGGAR TAMANRASSET &THE 180 وﻃﺮﻳﻖ rock the size of atennis ball.Itthenpasses cake; thelargest bea might thinginsight which stretches onlike somesunburntpan- extends southacrosstheTademait Plateau, years inthewilderness. FromEl-Goléa,it gaining popularityoncemore after many routes across theSaharatoWestAfrica,is The Route oneof duHoggar, themajor اﻟﻬﻮﻗﺎر Aguelhok TAMANRASSET, DJANET&THESAHARA Tessalit Timoktene Telabit (bidon V) Cortier Poste Maurice El Arab Aoulef TAMANRASSET &THEROUTEDUHOGGAR Akabli To Ghardaia (600km)

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& THE SAHARA THE & TAMANRASSET, DJANET DJANET TAMANRASSET, TAMANRASSET, DJANET & THE SAHARA rasset (DA5400,onehour). rasset (DA9800, three hours) andone toTaman- El-Goléa road. of8km tothenortheast,right the main street, nexttoabank.Theairport is main Tamanrasset toEl-Goléaroad, about The g BUS The AIR &Away There Getting attheHôteltaurant Tidikelt. upmarket, you’llhave totrythefancyres- around DA300.Forsomethingabitmore where youcanget cheap, fillingmealsfor There are basiccafésinthetown several Eating it. whoneed those decent restaurant andanairportshuttlefor Algeria, ratherrundown.There’s ahalf- the grandtraditionalof hotels state-run in pool. Roomsare air-conditioned andin 182 IN SALAH There toAlgiers flight isaweekly Reggane (270km) To Aoulef(180km); TAMANRASSET &THEROUTEDUHOGGAR••AroundInSalah Air Algérie Air Algérie are routière Sand Dune Creeping ( x isoutin theeaston 4 029 360239) 3 office isonthe office SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION otOfc...... C2 Post Office...... Mosque...... Bank...... 1 and water. tobepreparedyou need withabitof food atArak),butbasically(including ameal Tamanrasset. There are stopsalongtheway comeupfrom book inadvanceasthebuses thatyou dayand itisessential 4pm every Tamanrasset. leave TheGhardaïabuses at towards theback. isinside unoccupied), andthebusoffice tually justashoppingcentre (mostof it 20 minutes’ walkfromthecentre. Itisac- areas of thisregion, despite itsbeautyand sili d’Immidir isoneof theleast-explored Part of National Park, theAhaggar the Tas- d’Immidir Tassili AROUND INSALAH bus toAdrar. Adrar, andfromthere youcancatch adaily three hours), 270kmwestalong theroadto regularly (DA600, fromInSalahtoReggane Tamanrasset costingDA2130. Taxis run There and are InSalah between 4WDtaxis TAXI 6 There are toAdrar,Ghardaïaand buses 400m 0.2miles 0 0 2 3 2 1 A2 C3 Naftal ServiceStation...... Hôtel Tidikelt...... aeRuir BsSain.. D1 Gare Routière(BusStation).... TRANSPORT SLEEPING Air Algérie...... Camping Tidikelt...... lonelyplanet.com N1; El-Goléa(395km); Tamanrasset (700km) To Airport(7.5km); 8 7 5 8 7 6 5 4 D1 C3 D2 A3 Salah thatorganise toursSalah here. companiesinTamanrassetseveral andinIn ently soyou’llhave tojoinatour. There are lithic times. all attest toahumanpresence fromNeo- and hundreds of ancientrockpaintings findings –arrowheads,shardsof pottery sili d’Immidirisalsorich inarchaeological leopardcanbefoundhere.even TheTas- jackalsandlife: sheep, gazelles,mountain vegetation tosupportarange of animal bottom of canyons–producesufficient the The landscapeiswildandmysterious and ficulty ingetting here addstoitsappeal. –butthedif- task not astraightforward thenthisis onfootandeven be accessed ofcause itsrelative isolation–ithasto archaeological riches. Perhaps thisisbe- lonelyplanet.com rasset hasaclimate relatively whichrasset stays the surfaceof somefaroff planet. and volcaniccraters blister theground like of red andbrownare spread outbelowyou of thingstocome–endlesstwisted peaks you willbetreated preview toaspectacular on anyaccount. somethingthatshouldnot bemissed tains, to arrange Moun- tripsupintotheHoggar Tamanrasset isalsotheplace fromwhich to rest upandmake repairs toequipment. trans-Saharan travellers stopforafew days It’s oneof placeswhere those virtuallyall tourism, isstillabusycrossroadstoday. and, asamajor centre forAlgeria’s Saharan tradersstop forancientcaravans anddesert rest avital around 120,000,haslongbeen Niger, Tam, withacurrent populationof As thelasttownonroute southto TAMANRASSET all hell. Tamanrasset, isashot andsubsequently very have humble. Itdoesn’t thealtitudeof is itself thelittlesettlement spectacular, thegorgesAlthough around Arak are quite ARAK a meal break.a meal sonable mealandafuelstation. huts), arestaurant where youcanget area- There isnowayof getting here independ- With an altitude of nearly1400m, Taman- If youarrive byplane,asmany touristsdo, There isacampsite with If youare on thebus,itwillstophere for gueltas ﻋﺮاق –poolsof water foundinthe ﺗﺎﻣﻨﺮاﺳﺖ zeribas (palm TAMANRASSET &THEROUTEDUHOGGAR••Arak once more. visitors tothetownwere ontheincrease in theregion had greatly improved and at thetimeof writingthesafety situation regionsdesert nearthetownin2003,but a groupof touristswaskidnappedinthe end of thetroubleswere dashedagainwhen The slowimprovements onbythe brought dry up,duetothecountry’sbitter civilwar. greatly itssourceof ontouristssaw income asthetownthathadcometodepend rasset, urban planners. withiteconomicprosperityand brought explosion of tourismtotheAlgerian Sahara to make theirhomehere. Inthe‘80s proved andmore andmore Algerians came this river you’ll findtheMarché Africaine and camel market. Onthe south bankof asa truckpark that sometimesalso serves Oued Tamanrasset, alarge driedriverbed town centre. Southof themainstreet isthe this street, about1kmwalkawayfrom the isatthenortheasternbus station endof large peakthatdominates thetown.The andouttoMtAdriane, a the townitself leads allthewayfromairport through There’s onemainstreet inTamanrasset that Orientation wilaya independence, theregional of capital the became a tion, Tamanrasset’s growthaccelerated. It here of because thetown’sstrategic loca- French colonialadministrationsettled wasjustadustycluster ofrasset text, p189 ) arrived here in1905,Taman- when theboxedCharles deFoucauld(see region, which theycalledTamenghest, but The Tuareg were the first inthis settlers History ing visas. and Nigerien consulates forarrangingongo- cheques, internet cafésandMalian several are banks,oneof which canchange travellers a placewhere youcanget thingsdone–there nice cafésandafriendlyatmosphere. It’salso couple of days–there’s agoodmarket, some an appealingplaceinwhich towhileawaya There’s notagreat todohere deal butit’s mer thetemperature rarely gets above 35°C. moderate allyearround.Even inmidsum- The 1990swere leanyears forTaman- From the1920sonwards,when (province) préfecture . Accessroutes were im- in the1950sand,after zeribas

183 .

& THE SAHARA THE & TAMANRASSET, DJANET DJANET TAMANRASSET, TAMANRASSET, DJANET & THE SAHARA They are nextdoor toeach other onav Emir Both Mali andNiger have consulates here. FOREIGN CONSULATES Information on theroute d’Adriane. accommodation islocated southof town and theroadtowardsNiger. Tam’s best 184 TAMANRASSET TAMANRASSET &THEROUTEDUHOGGAR••Tamanrasset TRANSPORT SHOPPING EATING Tarakeft Voyages...... Private BusCompanies...... Naftal ServiceStation...... Akar Akar...... Restaurant Chelia...... Minimart/Fruit stalls...... ogDsac ai...... B3 Long DistanceTaxis...... A2 Hoggar Soleil...... Gare Routière (BusStation)...... B3 Market...... Hoggar...... Artisanat Traditionnel Boutiquele B3 B3 Restaurant Tassili...... Restaurant Nina...... B2 Patisserie duHoggar...... In Salah(700km) To Airport(11km); 27 30 25 31 32 31 30 29 28 27 26 25 24 23 22 21 20 19

B3 B3 A2 B3 C3 A3 B3 B2 Oued To 4WD&Truck Stops(1km); 20 Tassili duHoggar(300km); 21 19 In Guezzam(416km); 29 Niger (428km) 32 23 13 22 2 16 28 14 24 8 10 11 18 1er Novembre Place du 12 26 7 citizens and€10forpeople ofothernationalities. visa costs€15forFrench forvisas. Aone-month service delkader; delkader; delkader; Nigerien Consulate Consulate Nigerien Consulate Malian of town. Abdelkader, about500m fromthecentre 3 4 9 To Assekrem 1 (75km) 5 h h 0.5miles 800m 0 0 9am-2.30pm Sun-Thu) Alsooperates asame- 9am-3pm Sun-Thu) Operates asame-day ( ôe aa...... D4 Hôtel Tahat...... B4 C3 Marché Africaine...... Maison delaCulture...... Office NationaleAlgerienduTourisme Office duParc Nationalde Nigerien Consulate...... (see6) C3 B3 Banque Centraled'Algerie...... Assikel NetCyberCafé...... SLEEPING SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION Hôtel Tinhinane...... Hôtel Ilamane...... Camping Dromadaire...... Musée del'OPNA...... Tourist Office...... Sat-Sat CyberCafé...... Post Office...... (ONAT)...... L'Ahaggar...... Musée duHoggar...... (see 11) Malian Consulate...... Hospital...... Banque Nationaled'Algerie...... i léi...... C3 Air Algérie...... x ( x 6 029 341578;avEmirAb-

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Gite Saharien(3km); r 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 B3 B3 D4 B3 B3 B3 C3 B3 C3 C3 C5 C3 15 to the Hotel Ilamane. The connection isslightlyslow. to theHotelIlamane.Theconnection x change travellerscheques. soit’sbesttogointhemorningifyouwant afternoon divisionsometimesshutsearlierinthe foreign-exchange thenitcanbealongprocess. The of purchaseandeven receipt asproof lers cheques. Youneedto havetheoriginal &Sat)Theonlybankintownthatacceptstravel- closed Fri Assikel Net Assikel ACCESSINTERNET Visascosts€50foronemonth. your visaintheafternoon. –comefirstthinginthemorningandpickup day service lonelyplanet.com pending on howmanypeople there are in a dayincluding foodand equipment,de- travellers. Pricesrange from€50to€80 to worksomething outforindependent inadvancethey shouldbeable contacted ings fromforeign agencies. if However, Most of agencies these dealwithbook- TRAVEL AGENCIES duTourisme NationalAlgerien Office duParc Nationaledel’Ahaggar Office TOURIST INFORMATION it’s notreally worththebother. the numberof intown offices taxiphone to make international with calls,although It hasatelephone where office it’s possible The postofficeisnortheastof themainstreet. POST &TELEPHONE Banque Nationaled’Algérie d’Algérie Banque Centrale credit cards. Neither bankcanoffer cashadvanceson MONEY road. ezzam avtween EmirAbdelkader andtheInGu- isontheringroadbe- The mainhospital MEDICAL SERVICES CyberCafé Sat-Sat speed internetaccess. reasonable- small sideroadoffavEmirAbdelkader. Offers life of the park. life ofthepark. national park;sometimeshasinteresting exhibitionsonthe x Changes cashbutnottravellerscheques. toBanqueCentraled’Algérie. &Sat)Next 2-4pm, closedFri from €50perpersonday. on thelocalarea aswellorganisingtoursinthevicinity Has veryhelpfulstaffandcanprovideusefulinformation 029 346717;fax344191; 029 734117;place ofthe du 1erNovembre) Office (perhrDA100; (perhrDA100; h ( h ( 8am-midnight) Ona h h h 9am-noon &2-4pm, 8am-noon &2-5pm) 9am-noon & 8am-9pm) Next 8am-9pm) Next TAMANRASSET &THEROUTEDUHOGGAR••Tamanrasset (ONAT; (L’OPNA; Tassili N’Ajjer. rasset environsaswelltoursaroundDjanetandthe in 1986.Itoffers treks fromfourto14daysintheTaman- BP 341Tamanrasset) agencycreated Awell-established Tuareg tentsattheirgîtenotfarfromtheairport. Guests are housedinred-walled bungalowsorauthentic officeinthetowncentre.of thefew tohaveafunctioning of theoldestandbiggestagenciesinTamanrasset andone and interested. enthusiastic Immidir, aboutwhichtheownerisparticularly tours aroundtheTam region, withgreat toursintothe Excellent andestablishedagencyproviding4WDtreks and .immidir-voyages.com; BP777Mouflon,Tamanrasset) 3-5pm Fri) 3-5pm Fri) (admission free; There isadaily Sights &Activities Walene Voyages Voyages Tarakeft Immidir Voyages Hoggar Soleil Akar Akar still besttophoneinadvance. alotofappear tobeclosed the time,soit’s agency inthetowncentre, offices butthese advance bytelephone. There are acoupleof soyou’llhaveoffices tomake in contact ONAT whenyouarrive inTamanrasset. tour inadvanceyourbestbetistocontact ually tailored tour. Ifyouhaven’t arranged a havealmost certainly toarrange anindivid- to joinanalready existing groupandwill your party.Youwon’tusuallybepermitted rasset as well as tours into Mali andtheDogoncountry. rasset aswelltoursintoMali toursintheregion aroundTaman-Runs 4WDandtrekking the Hoggar regionthe Hoggar the history, geography and environmentof footsteps ofFoucauld. inthe andNigeraswellaspecialcameltrip toMali trips BP439Tamanrasset).walene-voyages.com; Circuitsinclude tailors’ booths. aswell andclothingstalls shoe several well asfruit,vegetables andgrainthere are river bed)awayfromthecentre of town.As noon heldonthefarsideof the gargantuan come inthemorning. The themarket atitsliveliest,see it’sbestto logne ( cooking pots,velour carpets anddodgyco- spices andtraditionalclothingtohuge metal market allmannerof selling produce,from Many of theagencies have home-based Also onthefarsideof the Tuareg pour Homme provides interesting information on ( x ( Marché Africaine Marché x 029 344638; www.akar-akar.com) One 029 344638;www.akar-akar.com) h ( ( ( x x market 029 346972;www.hoggarsoleil.com; x 9am-noon &1.30-5pm Sun-Thu, 029 344229/0372413004;www . 029 344468/2484;www 029 342007; www.tarakeft.com) 029 342007;www.tarakeft.com) The irregularly opening heldinthelate after- , Musée dul’OPNA Musée

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& THE SAHARA THE & TAMANRASSET, DJANET DJANET TAMANRASSET, TAMANRASSET, DJANET & THE SAHARA s/d DA600/1100) best to stay somewherebest tostay alittlefurther out. inthecentredesperate tostay of townit’s and unlessyou’renothing specialthough It’s service. friendly ifsomewhatconfused It hasbasicbutvery spacious roomswith cheapest inthetowncentre. placetostay Just southof av EmirAbdelkader, thisisthe Hôtel Ilamane Hôtel BUDGET tours uptoAssekremganise andbeyond. pitching tents. Allof the tion, withplentyof spaceon thesidefor gîtes with bungaloworhutaccommoda- aren’tThese camp sites, but are normally in Tamanrasset are often called ing awayfromtheaction.Placestostay one),you’re(it’s apleasant better offstay- nearly asnicesoifyoudon’tmindthewalk located inthetowncentre, aren’t butthese out of town.There are acoupleof hotels mostly anrasset, located afew kilometres There inTam- are niceplacestostay several Sleeping street processions. there are exhibitions,music,singing,and Asrasset. wellasthefamouscamelrace, in the of three daysandmuch of ittakes place the SpringFestival. Itlastsforaminimum ‘90s anditbecameknownas intheearly camel race. Thiswasformalised ebration of brotherhood,culminatingina ways metinTamanrasset foragrandcel- from allover thecentralSaharahave al- Every springtime,different Tuareg tribes the endof Aprilincelebrationof spring. Southern Algeria, takes thisevent placeat One of festivals themostimportant in LE TAFSIT Festivals &Events duHoggar Musée 186 well as good second-hand-book sales. well asgoodsecond-hand-book sales. landscape andanimallife of theregion as bre, which hasregular exhibitionsaboutthe delaCulture Maison and daggers. Youcouldalsocheck outthe has displaysof Tuareg clothing,swords room, disappointing. Atthetime ofroom, disappointing. writing and wefound therooms, with shared bath- is notascheap astheHotel Ilamane though Hôtel TinhinaneHôtel TAMANRASSET &THEROUTEDUHOGGAR••Tamanrasset ‘chameaudrome’

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063 675837;s/dfromDA900/ ( x 029 348252/061648069; p 029 342258;routede lonelyplanet.com ) About 500m

Abdelkader; s/dDA2900/3400) Abdelkader; DA300; lonelyplanet.com av Emir Abdelkader offering agoodselec- There are plenty of souvenir shopsalong Shopping chilli paste)and thelike. roastchicken, chips, It serves apairof headsandeven mini deer skis. decorated withcarpets,Tuareg swords, side aswellaninteresting diningroom h veg and othersupplies. there are placestobuyfresh several fruit, places onthemainroadthatare decentand there However hardly pulsating. are afew The restaurant scenein Tamanrasset is Eating tasty grilledkebabstasty inortake away. toeat Tassilifrom Restaurant thisplaceserves of av EmirAbdelkader. theroundaboutattop near fruit stalls there’s self-caterers aminimartandseveral atwhichtables them.For tositandscoff lection of cakes andpastriesaswellafew made lamb) minced(meatballs madefromseasoned, range of Algerian dishesincluding atasty fillupat lunchtime.tables Itserves this isavery outside popularplacewhose Round thecornerfromHôtel Ilamane, there’sHoggar; aconference even room. organises tailored the tripsthroughout DA1500 perdayforguidesandtheagency courtyard filledwithbougainvillea. Itcosts with spotlessshared ablutionsandabright good choice. Ithassimplewhite bungalows ups inGhardaïaandEl-Goléa,thisisanother Owned byM’zabTours, whohave similarset- alcoholic drink. it’s oneof thefew placesthatyoucanget an strewn lounge, plusithasatouragency and including apretty pillow- curtain-swathed, work. There are somenicecommunalareas to andthingsactuallyseem comfortable go thisoneisquite nice. Roomsare very person DA1500,halfboardDA2300,fullboardDA3200; Auberge Caravanserail Caravanserail Auberge Restaurant Nina Restaurant Chelia Restaurant Restaurant TassiliRestaurant Patisserie hasnicease- duHoggar Tahat Hôtel lunch &dinner) h , harissa tagines, grilled camelandhome- tagines, lunch &dinner)

( . x This place has tables out- Thisplacehastables 029 344475;fax344325;avEmir (meals DA400; (av Emir Abdelkader; mealsDA350; (avEmirAbdelkader; (av Emir Abdelkader; mealsaround (av EmirAbdelkader; Justacrossthestreet As hotels state-run ( x 029 345557;B&Bper h harissa harissa lunch &dinner) TAMANRASSET &THEROUTEDUHOGGAR••Tamanrasset (red- kefta p )

to hire thewhole vehicle. Itcosts DA1500 basis orif there’s agroup of youit’s possible and beyond.They leave onafill-up-and-go share heading forInGuezzam 4WDtaxis roadthere’sIn Guezzam a4WDstop with About 2.5kmfromthe centre of townonthe 4WD (DA2000, 19to20hours). Salah (DA1000,11hours) and Ghardaïa or earlymorning.Destinationinclude In tendand thebuses toleave intheevening inadvance, aseat Youcanreserve buses. Most of are thebuses mini- Toyota 30-seater on thenorthwestern endof thetowncentre. are offices companies whose mostlycentred before departure. Make yourticket sure theday youreserve hours) andOuargla (DA1600,22hours). 11 hours), Ghardaïa(DA1500,19to20 are daily departures toInSalah(DA900, on aboardinsidethebuildingandthere Thebusschedule isdisplayed the station. practicetodossdownat ing, itisstandard orarenight, inthemorn- headingoutearly walk fromthecentre. Ifyouarrive late at northwestern partof town,a15-minute The BUS The AIR &Away There Getting tional clothingandavery friendlyowner. ofwhich hasaselection jewelleryand tradi- TraditionnelBoutiqueleHoggar, Artisanat wind.Agoodshoptotryisthe the desert taguelmoust andtheobligatory bags andcamelsaddles and agate pendants, Tuareg swords,leather to lookoutforincludeheavy silver crosses tion of Tuareg jewelleryandcrafts.Things flights toParisflights andMarseille (France). utes). There are alsodirect international and Ouargla (DA9300,onehour45min- In Salah(DA5499,onehour40minutes) Ghardaïa (DA9800,twohours 20minutes), toDjanet(DA4100,50minutes), service giers (DA1400,twohours), andoneweekly town, off totheleftoftown, off themain road. main banks.Theairportis12kmnorthof office isinthetowncentre nearthetwo There are alsoanumberof private bus There are six direct services a week toAl- There aweek are sixdirect services Air Algérie gare routière (Tuareg veil) toshieldyoufrom

( x 029-344499; placeEmirAbdelkader) (bus station) isinthe (busstation) 187

& THE SAHARA THE & TAMANRASSET, DJANET DJANET TAMANRASSET, TAMANRASSET, DJANET & THE SAHARA been mauled bysomemythical beast–been many of scored them deeply as iftheyhave upfromtherockyblackplateau – rise tains warped landscape where strange moun- than makes upforit.Youdrive a through landscapemorebumpy butthespectacular toget uptoAssekrem.making theeffort butit’sworth kor plateau canbedifficult, your owntransport,getting outto theAta- posite ) builthishermitage in1911.Without theboxedCharles deFoucauld(see text, op- is Assekrem, 73kmfromTamanrasset, where earth anddarkpeaks,attheheartof which teau of of NationalPark, theAhaggar isthepla- Immediately northof Tamanrasset, andpart Assekrem and beyond. arrange allmannerof tripsintheHoggar and Assekrem (2800m), andagencies can hometoTahat Mountains, Hoggar (3000m) region of blackvolcanicrockknownasthe Tamanrasset issituated inthemountainous AROUND TAMANRASSET hundred dinars. to InGuezzamorNiger shouldbeafew for thisisnegotiablebutthecostaride cab butratherontopof thetruck.The price inthe likely theydon’tendupwithaseat it’s on oneof foraprice,although these pitch up.Travellers sometimeshitch rides trucks andheavy vehicles headingforNiger zam roadisatruckstopwhere large goods Opposite ontheInGuez- the4WDstation TRUCK 19 hours). (DA600, five hours) andOuargla (DA1200, hours), Ghardaïa(DA2000,17hours), Arak tions includeInSalah(DA1000,nineto10 here very earlyinthemorning.Destina- a leave-when-full basisandit’sbesttoget from theHotel Tinhanane. Theydeparton centre onav EmirAbdelkader justdown departfromthetown taxis Long-distance TAXI cost aboutDA40,000forthetrip. in Niger. Thepriceisnegotiablebutitshould entire toAgadez through cartogostraight the wholecar. Itisalsopossibletohire an toInGuezzamorDA15,000hire per seat 188 The route uptoAssekrem islongand TAMANRASSET &THEROUTEDUHOGGAR••AroundTamanrasset Atakor Atakor أﺳﻴ ﺮم , aTolkein-esque landof dry you’re unlikely toforget. spreadmountains outbeneathyouisasight slowly creep acrossthewildandtortured and youwon’tregret it.Watching thelight oblige youbygivingawake-up knock) at about5am(thefolksthe to thehermitage. Thisinvolves getting up is toclimbthehundred orsometres up though, best waytoexperiencethesunrise, withaduskypinkglow.The infuses sunrise are peppered withwildflowers, which the cooler months, theslopessurroundingit refuge get Theviewfromthe upforthesunrise. guests are welcometojoinin. morning inthesmallsimplechapel;every order live mass upatthehermitage andsay the on foot,which takes about30minutes from Assekrem plateau andcanonlybereached Thehermitage isontopofther details). the theboxedsekrem (see text, opposite , forfur- to buildasimplestonehermitage uponAs- lastcentury.He inearly the Hoggar chose de Foucauld , amonkwhocametolive in obligatory tovisitthehermitage of Charles where Fromhere visitors thenight. stay it’s of stonewalledbungalowsandacampsite, hut)atAssekrem(mountain –acollection It takes aboutfive hours toreach the SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES tion ascanbe. feels like you’re asfaraway fromciviliza- uphere why;standing itit’s easytosee World’ inthelanguage of theTuareg and below. Assekrem means‘theEndof the over vistas ofstanding mountains thesea sekrem where you’llbegreeted without- reachingeventually of theheights As- refuge atAssekremThe onlyplacetostay isthe SLEEPING together) andare agoodopportunity to fireplace. Dinners are taken homely livingroom, kept warmbyalarge guests alike reunite formealsandtea in a areas. andeating the sleeping Guides and building andbasicsquattoiletsaway from rooms inbungalowsawayfrom the main couple of dormitories,aswellafew twin a simple stone-walledbuildingcontaining includes dinner. The refuge consistsof a You can’tcometoAssekrem andnot refuge

itself is stunning enough andinthe isstunningenough itself (B&B perpersonDA1200) . Afew monksfromFoucauld’s whose pricealso whose lonelyplanet.com en famille refuge refuge will (all

lonelyplanet.com this way. els from Tamanrasset ifyouwant todoit agencies can organisebased tripswithcam- can’t walkthere, theTamanrasset- although food andaccommodation. Youdefinitely cost from€80perperson perdayincluding to hire avehicle withoutadriver. Itwill agencies inTamanrasset. Itisnotpossible hire a4WDanddriver fromone of the The onlywaytoget uptoAssekrem isto THERE&AWAYGETTING Tim Missaw aroomatthe can reserve There is alsospaceforcamping. the(ratherunreliable) goout. in case lights warm clothesaswellatorch (flashlight) somakeat night sure youbringplentyof stewscouscous, meat andfruit.Itisfreezing and plentiful–you’llusuallyget salads, chat withtheotherguests.Thefoodisgood [email protected]) a return transfer fromTamanrasset. you uphere; itcostsDA7000perperson for the If you’re notonaprearranged tour,you today manypeoplecomeonpilgrimagestoAssekrem towalkinhisfootsteps andfeel hisspirit. body is buriedinthecemetery His inEl-Goléa.Algerian Sahara. assassinated in1916byagroupofrebels whowere resisting French attempts toinfiltrate the hishermitageandspentmuchoftimethereplace toconstruct before hisdeath.Hewas first ever French/Tamashek In1911,hechosethewildandremote dictionary. Assekrem asthe their culture andlanguagetranslatingthegospelsintoTamashek. Healsodeveloped the his timeinTamanrasset. either andheonlyconverted onepersonduring setthefiresdidn’t exactly burninginthedesert duringhislifetime. Christianity catch onandthattheorderhadamembershipofone(himself) day inprayerandlive onapaltrydietofdates andbarley.Nosurprisesthenthatthisdidn’t concocted theideaofasuperabstemious religious orderthatwouldspendthemajorityof first toBeniAbbèsandthenTamanrasset, where hediscovered and apassionforthedesert years ofmonasticpilgrimageshewasordainedasapriestin1901andheadedfortheSahara, and returned toFranceanewman,entering aTrappistorderattheageof31.After several hill countryofMorocco. he turnedhisbackonthearmy,disguisedhimselfasarabbiandheadedofftoexplore the Africa, gotintotroublebecauseofhisunrulybehaviour. InatwistbefittingShakespeare play, onself-disciplineand, whilestationedwiththeFrenchdies. ArmyinNorth Hewasalsoshort loved champagne,foiegrasandthela- nothingbetter thantosplashthecashonparties, no earlyindicationofthepathhislife Foucauldwasfondofthegoodlife wouldtake; and Charles Eugene deFoucauldtoawealthyaristocraticfamily inStrasbourg, France. There was Playboy adventurer priest,Père turnedSaharan de Foucauld(1858–1916)wasbornVicomte CHARLES DEFOUCAULD refuge Charles deFoucauldwasbeatifiedinRomeNovember religious 2006.His orderstillexistsand strivingtogetclosertheTuareg,Foucauld spentmuchofhisdaysinthedesert studying As thestorygoes,FoucauldfoundhimselfdeeplytouchedbyfaithofMuslimpeople . Theorganisation canalsobring

Tours ( , whose owneralsoruns , whose x 029 347516/061,649221;tim TAMANRASSET &THEROUTEDUHOGGAR••Tassili duHoggar refuge through through travel agencies inTamanrasset andDjanet trip from Tamanrasset toDjanet.All of the of thelonger itineraries, often aspart of a gar isonatour,and itisincludedonmany The onlywayto get totheTassili duHog- Information the spacesinbetween. skylines. Great swaths of creamy fill sand ing together inclusters toformbizarre city nacles shoottobreathtaking cling- heights, mushrooms; and sharppin- giant solitary alonelikerock; squatroundhulksstand ing spacewithenormousfigures of sculpted shareboulders mountains andcraggy bill- ofseries photoopportunities.Whale-back imaginable, presenting amind-boggling by someof themosthauntinglandscapes Niger border. Theplateau ischaracterised south of Tamanrasset andextends tothe plateaus that beginsapproximately 300km National Park, rock of isaset sedimentary the Tassili partof duHoggar, theAhaggar camel caravans andspices, bearingcloth,salt Traversed formanycenturiesbynomad TASSILI DUHOGGAR اﻟﻬﻮﻗﺎر

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& THE SAHARA THE & TAMANRASSET, DJANET DJANET TAMANRASSET, TAMANRASSET, DJANET & THE SAHARA lucky they might makelucky they might atraditionalTuareg and provide plenty of tea breaks. Ifyou’re a guide,who’llconcoct three mealsaday you’ll beaccompanied byacookaswell If you’re onatripwith atravel agency, skyisall partofunder astarry thefun. bag open, butlyingoutinyoursleeping bebivouacking outinthe almost certainly andonanytripheresili duHoggar, you’ll There are nocampsites orhutsintheTas- Sleeping &Eating tress, and like for-look fromadistance a medieval include ofites. a trip here Butpossiblehighlights topickfavour- makingitdifficult Hoggar, beauty onadailybasisintheTassili du fire.or togatherwoodforthatevening’s to climbupdunes,lookatrockpaintings which you’llstopforwalks, a day,inbetween 4WD andyou’llnormallydrive afew hours Most tripstothispartof the countryare by Sights &Activities run aroundwithbare feet. just beneaththesurfaceof sodon’t thesand, andvipers haveshoes; knowntohide been like andsometimes tohideinrockcrevasses winter months butbeaware thatscorpions This isnotusuallyaprobleminthecooler comeacrossaviperorscorpion. you might or fennec –a fox.desert Ifyou’re unlucky, gazelle,tiny,big-eared mice, see desert might If you’re lucky, intheTassili you duHoggar you’re not likely toencounter agreat deal. plenty of animallife intheSahara,although companied byaguideanyway. the Algerian tobeac- Saharayou’llneed you. Ifyou’re drivingyourowncarthrough will beabletoarrange atripouthere for 190 the monsters of childhood nightmares. and darkstonefigures loomfromabove like acter; thewindmurmurs thevalleys through ittakes onadifferentthe full.Atnight char- the dreamlike splendourof thelandscapeto you’llappreciate heights dunes fromwhose valleys andcorridors; andthere are massive and twisted stonefingers of formingaseries stone cathedral.Allarounditare gnarled Tinakachaker Perhaps of themostbeautifulsight allis and impressive examplesof rockengravings. You’ll be assaulted byjaw-droppingYou’ll beassaulted imaginethere’sDespite whatyoumight DJANET &THEROUTEDUTASSILI DJANET N’AJJER El-Ghessant Tin Tarabine , which isdominated byagreat , whose rockformations , whose , withitscracked earth reports of fuelshortages inInGuezzam. possible inTamanrasset asthere have been in Niger. Stockupwithasmuch fuelas to arrange aliftintrucktoArlitorAgadez a 4WD.FromTamanrasset it’salsopossible a grouptogether inTamanrasset andhiring going toNiger, youare farbetter getting off for acoupleof hundred dinars. Butifyou’re Some peoplehitch arideingoodstruck morningatDA1500aseat. go basisevery andInGuezzamonafill-up-and- nrasset Daily 4WDshared Tama- gobetween taxis &Away There Getting and free-camp intheenvironsof town. a tent itispossibletofindplacespitch it this israrely inpractice. Ifyouhave thecase nars. Intheoryit’sopen24hours although overnightstay foracoupleof hundred di- which hasOKfoodandalsoallowsyouto There isonlyonerestaurant inInGuezzam Sleeping &Eating rant. Borderformalitieshappenhere. do anyway;there’s nobankandonerestau- tostophereneed long.There’s notmuch to is 10kmsouthof In Guezzam, sothere’s no cross intoNiger. TheAlgerian borderpost and isthelastplaceinAlgeria before you This townis416kmsouthof Tamanrasset GUEZZAM IN inthesand. beneath hotcoals bread andthenbaked madefromsemolina DU TASSILI N’AJJER &THEROUTE DJANET اﻟﺘﺎﺳﻴﻠﻲ -washed buildings, alarge totraverse.your owncarit’s difficult alongthisroute andunlessyou havetraffic Tassili N’Ajjer National Park. There islittle Illiziandon to through Djanet andthe east andvery tothe Libyan border close toInAmenas,730km tothesouth- ental, of twosections theGrandErgbetween Ori- alongtheGassiTouil, alargesaoud This route headssouthfromHassi Mes اﻟﻨﺎﺟﺮ Djanet is a sleepy littleoasiswith white-Djanet is asleepy Book accommodationBook online at lonelyplanet.com

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DA1100/1600) change withinthisarea of theSahara. of andenvironmental humanevolution lesson, tell thestoryof of thousands years engravings which, like anopen-airhistory It holdsmore than15,000drawingsand tions of prehistoric cave artintheworld. Park hasoneof collec- themostimportant TheTassilieach week. N’Ajjer National tourists from Europearrive inthetown plane-loadsof season, and duringthehigh tours intotheTassili N’Ajjer NationalPark, relaxed air. pointfor Itisalsothestarting lonelyplanet.com whitewashed buildings withbluedoors line pretty placewithits owncolourscheme: The maintown of the Tassili, Djanet isa DJANET early stonetools,and Tankena ofSights interest nearthetowninclude AROUND ILLIZI Larbi Tahleb Hotel north of town.Theonlyhotel here isthe two hours 10minutes). Theairportis5km hours) toGhardaïa(DA7300, andoneaweek toAlgiers aweek (DA1100,three two flights and atravel agency. are someinteresting rocksites nearhere basic shop,customspostandahotel. There an eyeontheLibyanborder. ated in1904 bycolonialistsinordertokeep postcre-‘Fort Polignac’andwasamilitary Djanet. ForalongtimeIlliziwascalled there between and is themainsettlement Nearly 300kmsouthof InAmenas, Illizi ILLIZI camp site forpeopleontheirtours. tours in4WDs.Italsorunsanauberge and person perdayonfootandfrom€70for to Djanet.Tours costfromaround€50per Illizi aswelllonger expeditionsfromIllizi variety of shortexcursions tosites around fax 029 422323; www.mezrirene.com) fax 029422323;www.mezrirene.com) For more on rock art, see For more onrockart,see p80 . the mostancientcharacters intheworld. as wellsomewritinginTifinagh –someof drawn chariots, hunters anddromedaries, cluding wonderfullyfluidpictures of horse- good examplesof Neolithicpaintings,in- If youreally get strandedhere there are hospital, afuelstation, The townboasts Mezrirene Aventure Mezrirene , which has a notable collectionof, which hasa notable إﻟﻴﺰى ﺟﺎﻧﺖ andthere’s alsoacampsite.

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which has DJANET &THEROUTEDUTASSILIDJANET ••Illizi N’AJJER the nearbyTassili N’Ajjer NationalPark. the stunningcollectionof rockpaintingsin They are allhere forthemainattraction– fromParisflights andMarseille (France). when dozensof package touristsarrive on denly bursts intolife cometheweekend there’salthough nointernet café. bank,basicrestaurantsoffice, andshops, round it.Thetowncentre istinywithapost and itisdwarfed thatsur- bythemountains an individually tailored tour. Ifyou haven’t to joina groupandwill have toarrange In addition,youwon’t usuallybepermitted thatdo exist aren’tand those alwaysopen. don’t have inthecentre offices of town, arrange alast-minute tour. Mostagencies to it cansometimesbedifficult season high tion withEuropeantouragencies and inthe N’Ajjer. Mostof them workincollabora- all of whomoffer excursions totheTassili There are travel several agencies inDjanet, TRAVEL AGENCIES ONAT office changes travellers cheques. There’s alsoan both offer foreign exchange neither although open SundaytoThursday 9amto3pmand oppement Ruralonthemainstreet. Bothare del’Agricultureand aBanque etduDével- There’s Nationaled’Algérie also aBanque your travel agency willusuallyorganise this. tional Park forDA100perperson, although issues permitstovisittheTassili N’Ajjer Na- Tassili and (OPTN)isnexttothemuseum town centre. NationalduParc TheOffice inthe town, aswellasmallerhospital There’s aslarge inIfri,7kmoutof hospital Information the town’s main street isalarge covered market and Westof Zeriba. the andtheCamping tal a coupleof ahospi- banks,apostoffice, main street which hasacollectionof cafés, the northorsouthyou’llendupon get lost.Whetheryouenter thetownfrom Djanetistinysoit’simpossibleto Central Orientation the edge of a ting ischarming too–thetownisbuilton town.Theset- home inanEnglishseaside gold lamppoststhatwouldlookmore at bydarkblueand off the mainstreets, set Quiet during the week, thetownsud- Quiet duringtheweek, ( x palmeraie 029 475361;placeduMarché) palmeraie . sofeels quite lush .

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& THE SAHARA THE & TAMANRASSET, DJANET DJANET TAMANRASSET, TAMANRASSET, DJANET & THE SAHARA Timbeur Voyages etNature Rêves that helpthelocalcommunitybenefitfromtourism. the ageoftwoorthree. Theyare alsoinvolvedinprojects forchildren over therapyandfamilytrips art and trekking, includingyoga intothedesert number ofspecialisedtrips of Niger. wellinadvanceitcanalsoorganisea Ifasked anddownintotheTénéréAïrregions southern Algeria allover Thisoutfit organisestrips ilene-voyages.com) Essendilène Voyages people there are in yourparty. and equipment,dependingonhowmany range from€50to€80adayincludingfood cursions atshortnotice,orONAT. Prices is usuallyopenandabletoorganise ex- Voyages, office whose Zeriba is tocontact arranged atourinadvanceyourbestbet 192 share the expenses of a trip. share theexpensesofatrip. travellerssoyoucan put youintouchwithlike-minded inDjanetonyourown,itcanhelp If you’re goingtoarrive guide. own vehicleandare accompaniedbyanexperienced your where youdrive toursthroughthedesert, motorbike ally tailored tours,RêvesetNature offers assisted4WDand beur.com) Aswell ascameland4WDgroupindividu- et’s most established agencies. It offers short expeditions expeditions et’s mostestablished agencies. Itoffers short beur.com) thisis oneofDjan- tothemarket With officesnext DJANET DJANET &THEROUTEDUTASSILI DJANET ••Djanet N’AJJER

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l e 11 Tilleilane Oued 2 7 13 6 17 12 4 Tenéré Villages (7km);ErgAdmer(20km); 10 3 Tagharghart (30km);Airport(35km); To Ifri(6.5km);Youth Hostel(7km); 1 Park (12km);Tim Ras(20km); Essendilène Voyage (5.5km); Essendilène Canyon(60km); To KsarAzellouaz(5km); Tassili N'AjjerNational 14 Libya (80km) Illizi (400km) 5 Tassili N’Ajjerwithpackanimals. cost fromaround€60perpersondayfora trek intothe tour. inDjanetwithout apre-arranged you arrive Tours Djanet toTamanrasset. Thisorganisation isagoodbetif toTassilipopular beingtrips from N’Ajjerandlongertrips ofexcursions,themost Voyage canorganiseavariety voyage.com) Basedatthehotelofsamename,Zeriba and group lessons on how to drive in the desert. inthedesert. and grouplessonsonhowtodrive italsooffers week-long andMay circuits. BetweenOctober interesting alternativestotheusualtreks suchasfamily and Has camel,trekking 4WD expeditionsaswell airport transfers, taxes, guide,cookandallfood. airport These costfromabout€50perpersondayincluding expeditions totheTassili N’AjjerandtheTassili duHoggar. toErgAdmerandTagharghartsuch astrips aswelllonger One room concentrates ontheformation of the history andenvironment of theregion. has asmallcollection of exhibitsdetailing The centre, thesteps opposite taking themarket. to thetopof the For magnificent Sights &Activities Voyage Zeriba Timtar Expeditions 18 9 To N’AjjerNationalPark (Abka Tafilalet) (12km) Musée duTassiliMusée 400m 0.2miles 0 0 ( x ( 061 382853/346924;www.zeriba hilljustbehindthetown x views etuatGzle...... B2 Restaurant Gazelle...... C2 (OPTN)...... Office NationalduParc Tassili Hospital...... B2 Banque NationaleD'Algérie...... DévelopementRural...... Banque del'Agriculture etdu Air Algérie...... Petrol...... Long DistanceTaxis...... (see 17) Local BusStop...... Market...... Market...... Patisserie...... Food Stalls...... (see17) Viewpoint...... Musée duTassili...... Zeriba Voyages...... (see 11) Timbeur Voyages...... Post Office...... ONAT...... apn eia...... B2 Camping Zeriba...... TRANSPORT SHOPPING EATING SLEEPING SIGHTS &ACTIVITIES INFORMATION Cafés...... ( h 029 346038;www.timtar.com) over townwalkup 8am-5pm, closed Thu & Fri) 8am-5pm, closedThu& Fri) lonelyplanet.com 18 17 16 15 14 13 12 11 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 C2 B2 A1 B2 B2 B2 C2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 B2 Book accommodation onlineBook at lonelyplanet.com continue pastthe out pastthecovered market; turnnorthand including elephant,cattleandgiraffe. Walk north of town,there are some bones. Furtherafield,aboutanhour’swalk scattered tincans andanimalskulls ing buttheromanceisruinedbyallof the the oldstreets andhollow,crumblingbuild- from theoutsideandyoucanwanderround ments inthisarea. Itlooksquite romantic remains of oneof theoldestoriginalsettle- centre tothenorthis cal instruments. and Tuareg jewellery,weaponryandmusi- of nomadlife, including alife-sized reproductionsThe bestexhibitioncontains hibition of therockpaintingsof theregion. abeautifulphotographicex- room contains andceramics.Another skulls, ostrich eggs plant life andhassomegazellesheep Tassili N’Ajjer plateau andonitsanimal lonelyplanet.com 20-room lodge on theoutskirtsof Djanet. Timbeur Voyages wasconstructinganew 7km outof town.Atthetimeof research the hotel calledTénéréVillages, both about atthe youthhostel or a caryoucouldstay onthecentraldrag.With Zeriba Camping don’t have avehicle theonlyviableoptionis There’s notmuch choice in Djanet. Ifyou Sleeping ellery cheer onthemen. tribes. Womenintheirmostbeautifuljew- costume, of thetwo thelastbattlebetween up tothereconstruction, allintraditional lastsfor10daysleading louaz. Theevent Tuareg tribes–theEl-MihaneandAzel- twowarring ended alongconflictbetween agreementconstruct anancientpeace that inDjanettoremembergion meet andtore- Tuareg from aroundtheTassili N’Ajjer re- The biggest festival inDjanetisthe Festivals &Events give youalift. willprobably staff you’re atZeriba staying in townfirst before youheadoutthere. If about 50minfrontof you.It’sbesttoask left –thepaintingsare hiddenintherocks road.Turn an houryou’llhitthesealed in three- and four-bed dorms. Therooms centre theairport road andhas30 beds off youth hostel islocated 7kmfromthe town About 30minutes’ walkoutof thetown Youth hostel ( x 029 470261;dmDA200) palmeraie, Ksar Azellouaz andafter about rock paintings Djanet’s DJANET &THEROUTEDUTASSILIDJANET ••Djanet N’AJJER Sebiba Sebiba zeriba zeriba , the .

bathroom DA3200/1500,campingDA400) rwith/without fax 029475546;www.zeribavoyage.com; you have acar. herefrom town–it’sonlyworthstaying if dunes. Theonlydownsideisthedistance snacks anddrinksbangonthesideof the traditional tented area where you cantake and theTassili Plateau. There’s alsoagreat did viewsoutontothedunes,mountains framed withabigoldbalconygivingsplen- best thingaboutthisplaceisitsrestaurant rockpaintings.The rated withimitation doubles inrondavels orbungalows,deco- airy out totheairport.Thisplacehasbright kilometres fromDjanetinIfri,ontheway .com; s/d/tDA2500/2800/4000) then fruit. Zeriba alsohasatouragency. then fruit.Zeriba sist of soupfollowedbycouscousandmeat There’s normallycon- no menuandmeals zeriba tions. There’s alarge area forcamping,a the timeof writingwasundergoing renova- Theplaceisnotingreat nickbutat TVs. rooms; theroomswithbathroomsalsohave It’s alarge friendlyplacewithavarietyof and it’slocatedonthemainstreet. right inthecentreonly placetostay of Djanet oriented shops selling jewellery, handicrafts, jewellery, oriented shopsselling The main drag quite afewcontains tourist- Shopping small market the mainroad. justoff can pickupfruit,vegetables at a andmeat cram inatthecounter withthelocals.You goodpizzastotake away oryoucan does and Algerian it pastries.Intheevenings next toONAT of aselection French sells behind thebusstops.Agreat littlepatisserie peanutsandtea eggs, selling snack stalls and people-watching. There are also several is fullof localsandagoodplaceforcoffee large which caféopposite thebusstation stewstasty andcouscous,orthere’s anice lar butyou Gazellefor could tryRestaurant couscous andstews. They’re allpretty simi- theusualchicken, chips, town centre serving There are afew smallrestaurants aroundthe Eating areroom, andmeals available ondemand. Djanet. There’s anairycourtyardandaTV be cleanerbutit’sthecheapest optionin are rather cramped andtheshowers could Camping Zeriba Camping Ténéré Villages inwhich to take tea andarestaurant.

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& THE SAHARA THE & TAMANRASSET, DJANET DJANET TAMANRASSET, TAMANRASSET, DJANET & THE SAHARA falling from their eyes. It is thought todate falling from theireyes.It is thought ofand isso calledbecause theteardrops features three graceful,long-horned cattle noon & 1-4pm, closed Thu afternoon &Fri) noon &1-4pm,closedThuafternoon you can see theartistsatwork. you cansee of themarket onthe There are acoupleof ontheoutskirts stalls can findthebest-value jewelleryandcrafts. spareand even parts.Thisisalsowhere you cookingpots,electronics, clothing, shoes, to theairport,is an hour’sdrive outof Djanet,off theroad has agreat dealmore onoffer. About half itsfamousrockpaintings; butthisareasee the worldistotrek intheTassili N’Ajjer and The reason mostpeoplecome tothispartof AROUND DJANET foreigners. Tin Alkoumbutitiscurrently to closed Taxis alsoheadfortheLibyanborderat takes aroundsixhours andcostsDA1000. centre ataround6amdaily.Thejourney Shared leave taxis forIllizifrom thetown TAXI lages andcostaroundDA15perride. town centre togothesurroundingvil- leavefrom Djanet.Minibuses fromthe There toand are buses nolong-distance BUS (www.aigle-azur.fr) There isan AIR &Away There Getting the tween much bigger, mostlycovered market be- severed camelheadsondisplay. There’s a butchersand several see –youmayeven fruit andveg acoupleof stalls, touriststalls a market containing themainroad justoff ing tothemarket forcheaper prices.There’s expensive andyou’re though head- bestoff postcards andthelike. Theycanbequite 194 called the mostfamous engravings inthisarea, dunesisoneofthe rockfacesandsand fights toParisfights andMarseille (France). Tamanrasset (DA4000,50minutes). toOuarglaa week (DA9000,1½hours) and (DA13,500, twotothree hours), andonce toAlgiersAir Algériefliestwiceaweek town centre. Theairstrip is35kmfromtown. DJANET &THEROUTEDUTASSILI DJANET ••AroundDjanet N’AJJER La Vache quiPleure oued Air Algérie operates direct international Tagharghart andthe

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-TASSILI NATIONAL PARK N’AJJER Tassili plateau itself. superb viewsover andthe themountains you canbivouacatthetopof theduneswith gravings campingspot,where isafantastic from around6000years ago. Neartheen اﻟﻮﺻﻨﻲ faces and through narrow,shady canyons. faces and through hour climb tothetop,scrambling uprock and canonlybereached onfoot–it’safour- up onaplateau, some600m above Djanet, incredible. Themajority of thepaintingsare ing landscapemakes here astay more even reason to visit,butthesurround- enough formation onAlgeria’s rockart,see p80 . Forin-depth in- as far7000or6000BC. and thattheTassili rockpaintingsdate back heresettled more thantwomillionyears ago thatthefirst ies. It’sthought humanbeings trations of horses, chariots anddromedar- illus- history of theSaharaandyou’llsee plains. Theyalsoattest tothemore ‘recent’ roamed elephant, antelope andbuffalo the when menhunted inthevalleysandlion, times whentheSaharawasgreen andfertile; life inthispartof theSahara. Theyrecall story of of theevolution humanandanimal are some15,000rockpaintingsthattell the Imprinted inhiddencaves andonrockfaces home toadramaticopen-airartexhibition. of years of volcanicactivityanderosion,are prehistoric landscape,formedbythousand canyons andstoneforests of this strange, means ‘Plateau of andthechasms, Chasms’; area of about80,000sqkm. Tassili N’Ajjer This UnescoWorldHeritage site covers an acacias andcoolgreen poolsof water. biodiversity. Insideyou’llfindpalmtrees, EssendilèneCanyon hives –amagicalplacetospendthenight. rocks, toweringlike huge deformed bee- ofway tobroadboulevards pockmarked planes dotted give withjagged mountains towards Illiziis hours of duneskiing. companies inDjanetcanarrange forafew Forthemoreset. adventurous, manytour sculpted dunesortohave minttea atsun- come foratrek stereotypical those through 20km westof Djanet,thisistheplaceto The existence of such paintings wouldbe Also worthalookis More than60kmnorthof Djanetisthe About 30kmnorthof Djanetoff theroad

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About ings inordertoget picture. abrighter wetthepaint- tographing themandnever are very aflashwhenpho- fragile. Don’t use must actaccordingly.Therockpaintings but itisanationallyprotected area andyou wardens andthere isnoofficialentrygate youwon’tcomeacrosspark tional sense; bag. sleeping clothes andasuitable on theplateau Take atnight. plentyof warm that duringthewinter itcanbefreezing up inmind and canget as40°C.Bear ashigh peratures canprove hot tobeuncomfortably From May thedaytimetem- toSeptember ber toAprilasthisisthecoolesttimeof year. camping spot. it’s anothertwohours toTamrit, thefirst to three hours, andonceyoureach thetop ofseries slopesandgorges, steep takes two climb tothetopof theplateau,a through met byyourpackanimals.Fromhere, the of themorningtothispasswhere you’llbe likely tobedriven outatanungodlyhour Akba Tafilalet, 12kmeastof Djanet.You’re pointfortripsontotheplateaustarting is be traversed onfoot.Themostcommon one of which twovery canonly passes, steep water andcookingequipment. eral packanimalstocarryyourbags,food, accompanied byaguide,herder,andsev- out withindays,forwhich you’llusuallybe should bepossibletoarrange atripheading travel agencies inDjanetsooncethere it sili N’Ajjer plateau are of themainstay the guide.out anofficial Treks uptotheTas- You are notallowedtoenter thearea with- Information lonelyplanet.com is alarge fresco painted inochre andwhite rit is here. About onehour’swalk northof Tam- or soof exploration ontheplateau. forthefirst day spots andisusuallythebase valley. Tamrit has plenty of goodcamping giants spread outalongasurprisinglygreen and you’llfindahandfulof knotted these presses towers. It’salsohometothe weathered, sand-covered stoneandconical reach thetopof theplateau –avastmassof Tamrit Sights &Activities This isnotanationalparkinthetradi- The besttimetogotheparkisNovem- The Tassili N’Ajjer plateau via isaccessed There are a numberof of sights interest Tan Zoumaitek is the first sight you’ll see whenyou isthefirst you’llsee sight . Thetrees are of thousands years old DJANET & THE ROUTE DU TASSILI N’AJJER •• Tassili &THEROUTEDUTASSILI •• DJANET N’AjjerNationalPark N’AJJER – the highlight of which –thehighlight Valley oftheCy- agencies, see agencies, see p191 . onDjanet’s travelparty. For furtherdetails depending onthe numberof peopleinyour from€50to€60aday circuit. Pricesstart to Jabbaren toacomprehensive seven-day cies inDjanetrangingfromaone-day trip of different optionsoffered bytheagen- is onaguidedtour. There are anumber The onlywaytoget totheTassili N’Ajjer &Away There Getting east fromTamrit is niscent of ajellyfish.Anhour’swalktothe and acuriouscircularcreature that’sremi- also interesting are along-hornedmouflon tobeonthepointofwho appear dancing; women a coupleof jewel-draped,tattooed figures, including amotherandchild, and distinctive, round-headed scenes. You’llsee featuring anumberof fluid beautifully ing againbefore dark. thepaintings anddescend- of dawntosee atthebreakand punishingclimbstarting breaking one-daytourinvolvingasteep reached viatheAghoum Pass, onaback- point atAkba Tafilalet. Jabbaren canalsobe ing at twodaystoJabbaren,serious thendescend- the aforementioned walkinganother sights, trek in to doacircularseven-day –taking back. Toreach Jabbaren youwould need and days andyoucouldmake ittoSefar Zoumaitek and Timenzouzine; fourorfive Tafilalet Tamrit, passandget tosee Tan round-headed figures. dancers and hippopotamuses, goddesses, includinggracefulcattle,hornedsations, paintings carriedoutbysuccessive civili- ofsight all,which features of thousands is Sefar aboverising high theothers. hornedfigure, –adevilish-looking of Sefar masks and,mostfamously,theGreat God battlescenes,archers, antelope,see giraffes, anumberofsenting different periods.You’ll most famouspaintingsinthepark,repre- enues of hassomeof stonepillars. the Sefar hike av- butspectacular through It’s atough some 12kmoraboutafour-hour walkaway. stepladder forgetting abetter view. on aflatslabtheground,complete with you’ll findanimpressive elephant,engraved In three daysyoucouldgouptheAkba A goodtwodays’walk30kmsouthof The nextmajor site onfromTamrit is Akba Aghoum pass Akba Aghoum Jabbaren , perhapsthemostfamous Timenzouzine , southof theentry –where Sefar 195

& THE SAHARA THE & TAMANRASSET, DJANET DJANET TAMANRASSET, TAMANRASSET, DJANET & THE SAHARA the above - ‘Do the right thingwithourcontent.’ the above-‘Doright thetermsandconditionsonoursiteforalongerwayofsaying youknow,orresell it.See everyone site,massemailitto only. Inotherwords,pleasedon’tuploadthischaptertoapeer-to-peer Inreturn, wethinkit’sfairtoaskyouuseitforpersonal,non-commercialpurposes restricted. © LonelyPlanetPublications. iteasierforyoutouse,accessthischapter isnotdigitally Tomake 196 © LonelyPlanetPublications

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