Tassili n'Ajjer National Park Travel Guide
Plants in the Sahara
by JLBG
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Plants in the Sahara
by JLBG
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Tassili, Tin Aboteka, dancing figures
by JLBG
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Sun set in the Tassili
by JLBG
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Camel in the Tassili
by JLBG
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Explore Tassili n'Ajjer National Park
Getting closer to oued Tissoukal
JLBG Says:
To get closer to the ghost city, we have to walk on another typical landscape of the Sahara, the "hammada" (first photo), ie an almost flat surface of bare rock that has been darkened by the "desert varnish". I quote Trekki to explain what is the desert varnish :During my...
Tea!
JLBG Says:
Though tea has only been introduced among the Tuaregs at the beginning of the 20th century, it is now a main part of the Tuareg's tradition and a well known ceremony. Ali, our cook, heat his kettles. The ones for tea are the green ones (always made in China). The kettle is...
Plants in the Sahara
JLBG Says:
There are plenty of plants in the Sahara. They are often thorny and always adapted to drought but can have delicate flowers. Because of overgrazing, they are not always easy to identify.This is the case with Antinea's lavander (Lavandula Antinea), named after the legendary...
Landscape of the Tassili
JLBG Says:
As much as we are walking, as much the landscape changes. Here, we are walking on a narrow lane winding among scattered stones that obviously have been detached by erosion from the rocky mountains that stand on our left.However, the landscape is not completely mineral. In...
Croix d'Agadès
JLBG Says:
Croix d'Agadès (Agadez cross) is standing in front of the Tuareg's camel saddle but it is also a jewel, most often as a silver pendant. It actually has nothing to do with a cross but has been named that way by Europeans. It can have different shapes but the overall design is...
Tassili, camel fitted with saddle
JLBG Says:
Pierre, our French guide had his own camel, a beautiful, tall animal and of course his own saddle. For a Tuareg, the saddle is very important. The most beautiful saddles are made by Tuaregs from Niger. They can be very expensive, depending of their décor. Typical prices can...
Tassili, camels waiting departure
JLBG Says:
At night, camels are let free but fettered. Like that, they can graze around but will not go too far. Actually, not too far can mean several kilometers and very early in the morning (still at night), each cameleer had collected his animals. They were now staying quiet,...
Tassili, bivouac at Oued Tadjouit Ouit
JLBG Says:
The first photo shows our first bivouac, at Oued Tadjouit Ouit, in the plain, at elevation 1,200m, before climbing on the plateau. It was taken after sun dawn. You can see that only the mountains are still lit. Each of us chose where he wanted to drop his 2.5 cm thick...
Tassili butcher!
JLBG Says:
In the desert, there are always oleanders growing around every "guelta" (water holes) or along every "oued" (dry river bed). It is highly toxic and local camels do not feed on it. Camels coming from the south do not know that as there are no oleanders growing south to the...
Tassili, dinner at the first bivouac
JLBG Says:
At the first bivouac, we had our first desert dinner. First of all, a "gongon" passes from one hand (and mouth!) to another. You can see two of them, one on the right, the other on the left of the first photo. It is a green 1 liter pot made of enameled iron, Chinese made....
How to ride a camel in the Sahara (2).
JLBG Says:
As soon as the camel feels that you are ready (even if you actually are not), he unfolds abruptly his hind legs and throws you ahead. This is when pushing on the camel’s neck with the feet and grabbing the camel’s hair with one hand will help! As soon as you have found a new...
Djanet airport, 1974
JLBG Says:
In 1974, Djanet airport was a single sand runway enclosed by wires to prevent any cattle to walk into. There was no building but only three zeribas made of reeds. I know that there is now a small airport but as far as I know, the runway has remained the same. Thanks to those...
Danger!
Helpfulness
JLBG 6088 reviews
It is STRICTLY FORBIDDEN to collect any stones and/or prehistoric artifacts. Luggage are thoroughly checked at Djanet airport. If you had any of these, you would have a very heavy fine and would be jailed.
Because of extensive theft of archeological artifacts, the trail from Djanet to Tamanrasset has been closed in April 2005 (now open, as far as I know).
Five German tourists that had escaped to their guide and had collected stones and prehistoric artifacts have been arrested on November 20th 2004 in the Erg Admer, 90 km from Djanet. At the end of the trial, on November 29th, they were sentenced 3 month jail and a total of 35.2 million dinars fine (about 350,000 euros) and the seizure of their two vehicules.
For more, look at my travelogue (sorry, in French!)
Updated Apr 19, 2007
- Related to:
- Desert
- Archeology
Association des Amis de l'Art Rupestre Saharien
JLBG Says:
This is not a tourist trap but guidelines to avoid traps.
The “Association des Amis de l'Art Rupestre Saharien“ (AARS) is a non profit association that has the following aim (pasted from its statutes)To promote studies of Saharan rock art, to make known relevant documents,...
Shooting photos during a camel trek
JLBG Says:
To take good photos during a camel trek is a real challenge.The easiest is at the bivouac or at the noon meal + siesta period but this is accounts only for a small part of each day.Do not forget that when the group is walking, it will NEVER wait after the photographer (BTW,...
To read before/after your trek
JLBG Says:
Roger Frison-Roche (1906-1999) was a French mountain guide that wrote a lot of books on the Alps, the Sahara and the Arctic.Altogether, he wrote about 10 books on the Sahara, all bestsellers translated in different languages. Several of these bestsellers were situated in...
"Hommes et Montagnes du Sahara"
JLBG Says:
This trek in the Tassili was organized by a small travel agency "Hommes et Montagnes du Sahara" created in 1969 by Jean-Louis BERNEZAT and Odette BERNEZAT and run by half a dozen mountain guides from France that had chosen to live half of the year in the Sahara (Hoggar and...
What I read as a kid!
JLBG Says:
When I was a kid, I had a book that told the precious and unlikely story of a French boy that had been "stolen" by gypsies (the old myth of kids being stolen by gypsies!), found by his "oncle d'Amérique" (the old myth of the uncle that has emigrated and made big money in...
To read,"Tuareg, Tassili, Sahara", by Mario Fantin
JLBG Says:
The book of Mario Fantin "Tuareg, Tassili, Sahara", printed in 1971 in Bologna, is one among many other books about the Tassili but it might be one of the first with high quality photos and pictures. It is a wealth of information on the Tassili. I recommend reading it if...
The stinking scarab
Helpfulness
JLBG 6088 reviews
Insects in the Sahara hide during daytime, either under the sand or underneath stones. Thus, they do not suffer from heat. They live at night.
This one is a close relative (if not exactly the same but I am not an entomologist) to Blaps mortiga, the stinking scarab, or Blaps death colored, or death witch. In Europe, it lives in cellars, stables, etc…
Written Apr 28, 2006
- Related to:
- Desert
- National/State Park
- Hiking and Walking
Explore Deeper into Tassili n'Ajjer National Park
- Merchants from Mali
- Things to Do
- Sheep grazing
- Things to Do
- Shooting photos during a camel trek
- Tourist Traps
- Choice of a bivouac.: Choice of a bivouac.
- Hotels
- To read before/after your trek : l'Atlantide
- What to Pack
- How to ride a camel in the Sahara (1).
- Transportation
- Rock Art Site Etiquette
- Tourist Traps
- Final photo
- Things to Do
- Tassili, guelta Anaïs
- Things to Do
- Tassili, Terarart carvings
- Things to Do
- Tassili, very last leg of our trek!
- Things to Do
- Tassili, last noon bivouac and siesta
- Things to Do
- Photographer's last camel ride!
- Things to Do
- Last camel ride!
- Things to Do
- Tassili, akba Tafelalet, trekkers in the 1st akba
- Things to Do
- Tassili, akba Tafelalet, donkeys in the 1st akba
- Things to Do
- Tassili, leaving oued Tefasasest, early morning
- Things to Do
- Tassili, Bivouac oued Tefasasest
- Things to Do
- Tassili, Akba Tafelalet, 5 minutes before sunset
- Things to Do
- Tassili, Akba Tafelalet, last way down?
- Things to Do
- Tassili, Akba Tafelalet, not yet the bottom!
- Things to Do
- Tassili, Akba Tafelalet, really the bottom?
- Things to Do
- Tassili, Akba Tafelalet, bottom of the 2nd akba?
- Things to Do
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