Camel ride in Tassili Tassrirt

"Camel trekking in Tassili Tassrirt"

14 days /13 nights / 9 days camel trekking

Tour description :

Camel ride in the Tassili Tassrirt northwest of Djanet, 14-day tour with 09 days of camel riding.

Highlights:

Tour starting in Djanet, transfer by all-terrain vehicle to the meeting point with the camel team and the camels stationed at a place called "Dider".

Discover strange rock formations, cross gorges and wadis of fine sand. Calm, serenity and solitude in the desert are the order of the day as the caravan moves along.

During this hike, you'll discover the magnificent rock paintings of the Ihrir oasis (a city already inhabited in Neolithic times), then return by all-terrain vehicles, via Erg Admer, to Djanet.

Important information

The itinerary has been carefully prepared by our Tuareg guides, who know every corner of the Sahara.

The daily program is given as an indication only and may be modified in the event of bad weather or unforeseen circumstances.

Itinerary:

Day 1:

Europe/Alger/Djanet

Night arrival at Djanet airport, welcome by the agency's Tuareg team, transfer to the campsite in the heart of the desert. The team will have previously prepared and set up the tents for the first night's bivouac.

Day 2 :

Djanet/Dider

After breakfast, short visit to the town of Djanet. Completion of final formalities and, for those who wish, the opportunity to shop for traditional items in the souk. After this visit, we'll head north-west along the road linking Djanet to Illizi. We'll cross several wadis, where we'll have a chance to admire some of the plant species typical of this region. To our left are the dunes of Erg Admer, and to our right the rocky landscape of Tassili n'Ajjer. We pass the picturesque village of Zouatallas over the steep Tin-Taradjelil pass to reach Dider. In the early evening, we set up our bivouac and pitch our tents. As for the camels, they will be watered and fed close to the camp and not far from the wadi, a short distance from the bivouac.

Days 3 to 12 :

Méharée from Dider to Ihrir

After breakfast, we'll have the privilege of admiring the beautiful Dider rock engravings. The curved gazelle in fetal position and the cow with curly mane are listed as the most beautiful rock engravings in the region. After this colorful visit, our real journey, on camelback, can finally begin.

Dider is the starting point for our camel trek, which will last several days. Each day, we'll be walking for 2 to 3 hours. On some days, depending on our food and water supplies and the interest aroused by the beauty of the area, the walk will only take place in the morning. If our progress is smooth and time permits, we'll spend two nights in a place of greater interest than another. Occasionally, we'll take short hikes, accompanied by our guides, to discover sites not necessarily on our caravan itinerary. To keep to the schedule, we'll always aim to arrive at camp before sunset. This will allow us to relax and explore the landscape and magnificent surroundings at our leisure. During the day, there will be no vehicles following the caravan, so everyone is free to ride, walk, trot or run on the fine, silky sand.

The caravan is made up of dromedaries, but above all of our Tuareg companions, who are all natives of the region. To travel through the Tassili Tassrirt region is to cross a high plateau of rock formations, each more astonishing than the last, intersected by wadis whose beds are made up of fine sand and lush green vegetation. In this seemingly arid and inhospitable place, it's not uncommon to discover gueltas (natural water retentions in the rock) containing water, sometimes very fresh, from the rain. The landscape is typical of the Tassili n'Ajjer, with altitudes ranging from 1,300 to 1,500 metres. Undeniably, it's a soothing and restful place for body and mind, which is why it's highly unlikely that you'll come across other groups of tourists. In this remote region, isolated from pollution and the modern civilization of the big cities, wind, rain, cold and sun have harmoniously created strange rock formations over millions of years. Yet, even if in our time this region seems to have always been a desert, there was a time in human history when man left traces of his passage on the rock. These rock paintings and engravings bear witness to the presence of an earlier civilization here. In this vast area, we can contemplate little-known cave paintings that bear witness to a past when greenery and soil fertility were very real. Today, this lunar landscape seems hostile to life and inhospitable to all forms of existence. Only a few Tuareg nomads defy the force of nature and try to preserve their ancestral and traditional way of life. Accompanied by members of this nomadic people, characterized by their ruggedness and strength, we'll have the privilege of discovering the enigmas of a landscape that ordinary mortals are incapable of deciphering. From the moment we arrive in Dider, we'll be visiting mythical sites such as Imassaradjen, Abichoukan, Zerzawa, Tiousaten, Eraken, Noudi, Toursset, Affeyfour, Ouan Takouba and Ihouad. Wild and unusual rock formations that arouse interest and curiosity and stimulate the imagination more than ever. In this place, the Sahara is revealed in its wildest light, preserved in its natural state and more than ever enchanting. The end of the day is punctuated by ascents and descents over fine sand of unparalleled solidity and through gigantic rock formations that force us to take the time to admire them in all their many facets. This is the time to let your fertile, boundless imagination run riot with representations of all kinds. These rock formations, worthy representatives of untouched nature, could sometimes resemble ships in distress, wandering animals or faces emerging from the void. In the light of the setting sun, the interplay of light and shadow takes on its full meaning, revealing all its beauty.

And so we follow the stream that flows into the gorge to the north-west, reaching a nomad camp at the end of our journey on the twelfth day.

It's here that our camel trek comes to an end, and we'll resume our adventure with all-terrain vehicles. Like all good things, it's time to bid farewell to our valiant and experienced camel guides, and to pet for the last time the camels that some of you will no doubt have come to love.

In the afternoon, we head for the Oasis and the village of Ihrir. Tuareg families, whose relatives accompanied us on our journey, live in this village, where houses are built of earth and stone.

It's worth noting that the Ihrir oasis is surrounded by lush green vegetation, and an underground spring feeds the entire region, creating an oasis of incomparable paradisiacal colors.

Day 13:

IHRIR/ERG ADMER

After breakfast, we set off on a hike with our Tuareg guide to discover well-hidden rock paintings in the heart of the oasis, and enjoy the breathtaking lunar landscape.

After lunch, we leave the Ihrir oasis and head south-east towards Djanet.

In the late afternoon, we reach the dunes of Erg Admer, where we set up camp, surrounded by gigantic dunes thousands of kilometers long, stretching all the way to Niger. Overnight in a bivouac in the heart of Erg Admer.

Day 14 :

ERG ADMER/DJANET

After a night in the middle of a sea of Erg Admer dunes, breakfast will be served in a magical setting. We'll be back on the road to Djanet, arriving in the morning. There's time for everyone to do some last-minute shopping for traditional Tuareg souvenirs, or simply stroll around town. After this incursion into town, we'll head for the camp we'll set up in the desert to spend the night.

In the afternoon, free time for everyone, some for a walk, others for a rest in the desert, to enjoy the last moments in these magical places.

After a final dinner at the camp, overnight transfer to Djanet airport for the return flight to Algiers or Europe.