The legendary Trans-Saharan route, from Algiers to Tamanrasset

Tour : Adventure on the legendary Trans-Saharan route, from Algiers to Tamanrasset (10 days) by 4X4

The attractions of this trip :

You are the actor of your adventure in the heart of the Sahara, the largest desert in the world.
Cross Algeria on the legendary Trans-Saharan route with a 2000 km road trip.
Discover Ghardaïa and the M'Zab Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Head for Tamanrasset, the Tuareg capital of southern Algeria, in the heart of the Hoggar massif.
Bivouac on the Assekrem plateau and hike in the footsteps of French explorer and father Charles de Foucauld.

Tour program:

Day 1: Arrival in Algiers

Formalities/Installation at hotel/Briefing

Arrival at Algiers "Houari Boumediene" international airport, welcome and transfer to the rental company's office to pick up your 4x4 rental vehicle.

Then, off to your hotel in the center of Algiers. During the day, meet our French-speaking correspondent for a briefing on the progress of your future Trans-Saharan adventure.

Day 2: Discovering Algiers "the white"

The day is devoted to discovering the Algerian capital.

Nicknamed "Algiers la blanche", Algiers is a blend of glorious past and modernism. With its rich mix of civilizations, the city boasts a heritage handed down over the centuries that is unique not only in North Africa, but also around the Mediterranean basin.

It's best to get around on foot or by public transport (bus and metro), which provides easy access to the city's main tourist attractions.

Among the city's many must-sees, don't miss the UNESCO World Heritage Casbah, the magnificent view over the bay, the Basilica of Notre-Dame d'Afrique, the Hamma test garden, the Palais des Rais, the Ketchaoua Mosque, the Sablettes promenade, the Martyrs' monument (Makam El Chahid), the Musée National des Beaux-Arts or the Dar Aziza and Jenina palaces.

In the evening, stroll through the narrow streets of the city center and take the emblematic rue Didouche Mourad to Place des Martyrs.

Day 3: Algiers/Boussaâda (4h)

After an invigorating breakfast, the road trip begins, the first leg of which will cover 240 kms, in the direction of Boussaâda, a town to the southeast of Algiers.

Leaving Algiers, take the A1 freeway for some 50 km to Bouïra, before heading inland on Route Nationale 8.

Boussaâda, famous for its palm grove, medina and souk, will be reached in the middle of the day. Nicknamed the "City of Happiness" or "Father of Happiness", this highland town is also the most northerly of the oases. It's the most northerly of the oases, providing a fascinating insight into the region before heading south. Highlights include the Ferrero mill waterfall, the Etienne Dinet museum, Fort Cavaignac, the Abdellah Ibn Messaoud mosque, Lalla Zineb's Zaouia El Hamel and the rock engravings at Ben Srour. Dinner and overnight at hotel.

Day 4: Boussaâda to Ghardaïa (6h)

After breakfast, drive south-east to the town of Djelfa, at the foot of the Saharan Atlas. Located halfway between Algiers and Ghardaïa, Djelfa is an essential stop-off point on the RN1, the famous and no less legendary trans-Saharan road.

Apart from the Sin Alba forest, the area around Djelfa is not lacking in interest, with numerous rock paintings to be found here and there, including the sites of Ain al-Naqah, Zakar, Hajeret Sidi Boubaker and Kheneg h'lal. Back on the road, the first few kilometers of the Trans-Saharan are swallowed up, all the way to the oasis of Laghouat, nicknamed the City of Gardens by the French painter and writer Eugène Fromentin.

Last stop of the day, the M'Zab valley and the magnificent oasis of Ghardaïa, nicknamed "The Gateway to the Desert", some 200 kms to the south. Dinner and overnight in a guesthouse.

Day 5: Exploration of Ghadaia, "The Pearl of the South"

After breakfast, explore the M'Zab valley, discovering the 5 oases and ksours of the Ghardaïa wilaya's "Pentapole" (El Atteuf, Melika, Bounoura, Beni-Isguen and Ghardaïa) and its surroundings, a magnificent group of oases listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Known as the gateway to the desert, the city is ideally located at the junction of the great Saharan loops to the east and west. Ghardaïa means "Grotto of Daïa". Legend has it that a young girl, Daïa, abandoned by her caravan because she was pregnant, was discovered in a cave by the Sheikh Sidi Bou Gdemma. Seduced by her beauty, he married her. The couple went on to build Ghardaïa, the capital of the M'Zab valley.

Don't miss the old market square, the unmissable palm grove, the old Ksar, the minaret of the old mosque, the traditional irrigation system and the famous mausoleums at Melika and El Atteuf.

Last but not least, don't miss the Zelfana hot springs 70 km east of the city. Dinner and overnight stay in a guesthouse.

Day 6: El Ménia, formerly El Goléa (4h)

After breakfast, we continue our journey to El Ménia, 270 km south of Ghardaïa.

Built on a rocky outcrop to the east of the Grand Erg Occidental, the town enjoys a central position in the Sahara. El Ménia (formerly El Goléa) is home to the church of Saint Joseph and its cemetery, where the French explorer and father Charles de Foucauld is buried.

The town is also famous for its magnificent oasis and fortified ksar. Dinner and overnight in a guest room.

Day 7: El Ménia to Ain Salah (6h)

After breakfast, we continue our journey on the Transsaharienne and RN1 towards In Salah (or Ain Salah), a town in the heart of the Algerian Sahara, 400 km south of El Menia. Surrounded by dunes, it is the hottest town in Algeria, and was once a major trading center for caravans from the south. Today, the town and its oasis are best known for their important oil and gas industry, and it's the last stop for adventurers before reaching Tamanrasset by road.

Don't miss the landscapes of Adrar n'Ahnet, the petrified forest of the Tidikelt plain and the magnificent Immidir and Tademaït plateaus. Dinner and overnight stay in a guesthouse.

Day 8: Ain Salah to Tamanrasset (8h)

After breakfast, the road-trip resumes for the long, final leg of the Trans-Saharan, with a 600-km stretch of asphalt leading to Tamanrasset. In the midst of a vertiginous landscape where one dune follows another, where there are no dwellings and no means of refueling, we'll devour the kilometers in the heart of landscapes as grandiose as they are disproportionate.

Expect to drive between 8 and 10 hours to reach the Tuareg capital.

Like the great African metropolises of Timbuktu, Bangui, Khartoum and Livingstone, Tamanrasset has since time immemorial captured the imagination of explorers and adventurers the world over. Located in Algeria's far south, the town nestles at an altitude of 1,400 meters in the heart of the mythical Hoggar massif, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The region is dominated by three great peaks: Ilamane (2780m), Assekrem (2788m) and Tahat (3300m). Dinner and overnight at hotel.

Day 9: 4X4 outing in the assekrem, bivouac

After breakfast, departure with the Tuareg team in 4x4 for a day of exploration in the footsteps of Père de Foucauld, in the heart of the Sahara's largest mountain massif, the Hoggar.

Situated 80 kms north-west of Tamanrasset, the Hoggar covers an area of 540,000kms, with a magical mix of volcanic plateaus, steppes and oases. A veritable open-air museum, its highest point, Mount Tahat, located on the Atakor volcanic plateau, is also Algeria's highest peak at 2,918 meters. Other emblematic peaks in the region include Akar Akar (2,111 m), Tizouvag (2,702 m), Ilamane (2,739 m) and Assekrem (2,788 m). The Assekrem, a must-see peak in the Hoggar massif, is home to the Hermitage of Father Charles de Foucauld and offers some of the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets in the world.

In the evening, we set up camp, have dinner and spend the night under the stars.

Day 10: Tamanrasset, capital of the Hoggar

Early wake-up to watch the sunrise, breakfast, then return to Tamanrasset. In the afternoon, free time to immerse yourself in local Tuareg life in the heart of the town. Although many have abandoned nomadism, the blue men of the Sahara remain legendary and emblematic figures of the Algerian Sahara.

At the end of the day, return the 4x4 rental vehicles directly to the hotel before the last evening in Tamanrasset. In the evening, transfer to the airport for the international flight back to Algiers, then on to Europe.

NB: It is also possible to do this tour with your own 4X4, but it is essential to bring together a minimum number of participants (a dozen) and to obtain prior authorization from the Algerian authorities. The crossing will be made by sea on a regular line such as Marseille/Alger.

Budget

Price includes :

Transfers from the airport to the rental company's office and back.

A recent Hyundai Tucson rental vehicle, radio, air conditioning, spare wheel, insurance included.

The cost of returning the vehicle in Tamanrasset.

French-speaking briefing on arrival on the progress of the crossing.

Nights in a guesthouse, inn or hotel, breakfast included.

An expedition in the Hoggar on the Assekrem plateau and to the Hermitage of Father Charles de Foucauld, in a privatized 4x4, accompanied by a Tuareg guide who is an expert on the Sahara. 2 days / 1 night in a bivouac.

24-hour French-speaking assistance before, during and after your adventure.

Price does not include :

Optional insurance: Tranquillité (repatriation, medical assistance and cancellation), or Tranquillité CB (complementary to Visa Premier or Mastercard Gold cards).

Fuel for your vehicle

Drinks and meals not mentioned in the program

Vehicle rental deposit

Visa fees, if applicable.