Algeria Travel Guide

This restaurant is sometimes called ‘Maison of Cous Cous’. I call it PING! (Will explain in a minute). It seems to have been here a few years and has been jazzed up to be amazingly decorative. Unfortunately it seems the adult children run this place and run it badly. The second I walked in I thought I was in the middle of a Bedouin encampment. It...

This restaurant is sometimes called ‘Maison of Cous Cous’. I call it PING! (Will explain in a minute). It seems to have been here a few years and has been jazzed up to be amazingly decorative. Unfortunately it seems the adult children run this place and run it badly. The second I walked in I thought I was in the middle of a Bedouin encampment. It...

The Front de Mer comes to an underwhelming end at a busy traffic junction, and you might be tempted to turn back. But keep going, across a bridge, and there is a short continuation of the seafront promenade with a nice park still under construction on the clifftop with good views back to the centre. There was a bike track for kids, and a few...

Halfway along the Front de Mer is a little square, the Place Bamako, which contains a small garden with a colourful tiled monument to North African solidarity, the Stele du Maghreb. you can take photos of this, but just be careful...behind is the Moroccan Consulate, and with Algerian-Moroccan relations being what they are, this is a sensitive area...

(I could not find a VT listing for "Hippo" so I am putting this under Annaba because it was our last stop before visiting Hippo.)The ancient city of Hippo is where St. Augustine, one of the most important theologians in the history of the Christian church ministered for nearly 35 years. In Hippo, you can visit the outline of the remains of the...

It was wonderful inside and outside. I had to wait over one hour because it was close, but it was worth. Entrance is free of charge. Inside you will receive information about St Augustine.

Annaba is known by its nice beaches, whatever inside the city or far from it, you can enjoy the sun, the sand and of course blue mediterranean sea :)Oued Begrat is one of the best and clean beaches in Annaba, actually this one is little far from the city, it's accessible from Seraïdi (a small village on the top of mountain east of annaba).You can...

Taxis in the centre of Tlemcen are difficult to spot, and like in other Algerian cities, are often already full of passengers if they stop for you. I find this system a bit confusing, as then you have to ask if they're going the same direction, or sometimes they might ask you if you don't mind going via somewhere else first, so a bit of local...

The bus station in Tlemcen is just outside the old city walls, close to the kissaria market area and the Hotel les Zianides. It's quite a confusing place, with buses heading to several small towns around Tlemcen as well as to Oran and Algiers, and different ticket offices for each company. There is a toilet at the bus station, but you need some...

The narrow lanes surrounding Place Emir Abdel Kader and the Mechouar are known as the Kissaria, a warren-like maze of shops. it's not the most exciting souq in the world, and those looking for souvenirs will be disappointed, but if you fancy a wander around an everyday market area, it can be quite interesting in the morning when it tends to be...

A few people have emailed me asking about transport arrangements and hotels in Tamanrasset. I booked my flights from the UK with British airways who fly London Gatwick to Algiers a few times a week. All my arrangements in Algeria and in Tamanrasset were made by Timgad Voyages, a specialist tour company based in Batna, Algeria. They have been...

The local language in Tamanrasset area is Tamahak but most people speak Arabic and French. If you don't speak any French or Arabic you will need to have a guide as very few people speak English. Certainly people on the streets don't speak any at all so asking directions, ordering drinks and food and everything else has to be done in French or...

If you like desert go North from Tamanrasset, with a guide and driver and head towards Mertoutek. Camp in the desert, see Nomads, prehistoric rock art and enjoy the sunsets, silence and peace.My trip was organised by Timgad Voyages in Batna, Algeria. They supplied me with guides, driver and everything I needed for the trip.

The Fugaras are the water distribution systems which are unique to Timimoun. You can see plenty of these in the town, they are cone shaped brown mud brick buildings with pins sticking out of the sides that enable repairs to be done. If you go to Tasfaoud, a rural village you will be able to see a rural Fugara and these are open so you can see how...

There are many Ksors or palaces on the outskirts of Timimoun town and in the surrounding villages. They date from 4-6 BC and were the home of an extended family, built slightly raised for protection. Some are quite well preserved and you can walk around the walls and the remains of the buildings, which are all made of pink sandstone.

A Marabut is a shrine to an important imam and you can see these in the centre of Timimoun town or on the hillsides outside the town and in rural villages. The Marabuts are cone shaped like the Fugaras but are white.

In 1975, the old ksar was more than half ruined and would not have lasted many years. Fortunately, it has been entirely restored and is a main element of the touristic development of Taghit. As far as I know it hosts a hotel and a restaurant but I am not absolutely sure of that information.

Cameras are not friend with sand but camera owners love to make pictures of sand! This is a dilemma that can be overcome if you are very careful. Do not keep your cameras in the open! The following is what I do myself when in a sandy area.First, I wrap each camera or lens in a plastic bag (freezer bag) that I just fold. Then, I wrap the bag in a...

On top of the Grande Dune de Taghit, you have a magnificent landscape of the Grand Erg Occidental. The best time to view this landscape is either early morning or late afternoon. There are no roads and few camel trails that go a long way into the Grand Erg Occidental. However, it is possible to hire a guide and camels to make a round trip in the...

It is time to tell the whole story, or I should say the legend. Enlarge the first photo and read the legend of the place.Once upon a time, there lived here a powerful tribe. Sidi-Arzaq was the proudest and the boldest of all the tribe's men. He was wealthy and powerful but it was said that he did not do its five daily prayers. It was even whispered...

On the first photo, in the background, the witnesses.The second and the third photo show the whole bridal procession with the children in the background.The sacrilege incestuous bride, the dishonest qhadi, the unfaithful witnesses, the impious friends and relatives, they all have been turned to stone, accompanied by the rumblings of hell, heard...

Arriving in Hammam Meskoutine from the main road (N20) Annaba-Constantine is unimpressive. First of all, the road sign says Hammam Debbagh and not Hammam Meskoutine. Are we mistaking ? Our friend from Annaba must not be wrong as he has asked his way from locals, but is it WHAT he wanted us to visit (he has not said anything about the place !)The...

The best to get to Ghardaia is by car, hired, or own car.Drive from Algiers across the Atlas and the High Plateau, and after Biskra you begin to drive in the true Desert. When arriving at Ghardaia, you feel the stunning difference between a rock-desert and a green lush oasis. From far, the oasis look like a paradise after the desert hell.

The desert is not that desertic in the Mzab; walking far from the oasis you still find vegetation like these tamaris trees, offering some shadow to the people and their animals . I like to walk even during the hot hours to see things I would not se in other circumstances.

The walks in the oasis lead you to some surprises, like this barley field (I do not think they brew beer in the M’zab; it is barley, not wheat or hard wheat used for couscous). The surprise too is to meet local guys who invite you for a tea. Tea here was made with camel milk, a local delice, better than the usual tea made with water; not bad in...

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 travels in Southwest US, I often came across these funny vertical stripes on...

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...

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 the Tassili. Reading the books of Frison-Roche was one of the reasons for my...

I never heard about any violence in El Oued but due to the present situation in Algeria I would not go there. Daily civilians are killed in the struggle between the government and islamic groups. In early 2003 several groups of european tourists were kidnapped in sourthern Algeria. As far as I know they have all now been released. El Oued is a nice...

Unfortunately Algeria is now a very dangerous country to travel in. Almost daily civilians are killed in the conflict between the government and islamic groups. A group of tourists from Europe was also kidnapped and held for months in the desert now in early 2003. I would love to visit Algeria again but in the present circumstanses I am afraid to...

Beside shopping in the El Oued market you can also find a few nice handicraftshops in town. Rugs seems to be a popular thing to buy and I bought one of them myself. PHOTO:INSIDE A HANDICRAFTSHOP IN EL OUED. Rugs and all sort of other handicrafts.

Le Gourbi was opened by owner Ammi Louenes in 1972 and they have been serving fish and other dishes ever since. I just stopped in for a quick look and possibly a light lunch. It’s a large and nicely decorated, although slightly dark, restaurant. The staff were very nice and they made sure I had a nice cold beer while I looked the menu. Before I...

Le Gourbi was opened by owner Ammi Louenes in 1972 and they have been serving fish and other dishes ever since. I just stopped in for a quick look and possibly a light lunch. It’s a large and nicely decorated, although slightly dark, restaurant. The staff were very nice and they made sure I had a nice cold beer while I looked the menu. Before I...

I arrived in Algiers on a warm night and was greeted by the van driver form my hotel. He began the drive to Ain Taya, a suburb of Algiers blessed with miles of beaches. As we made the final left turn for the 3 blocks to my hotel, I saw a gentleman grilling kebabs in the middle of the street. After a long day, that looked like a good quick snack...

Following from first tip. 1950 Le Grand Désert. Photos Georges Tairraz. Arthaud Grenoble. 1952 Bivouacs sous la lune : La Montagne aux Ecritures tome 2. Arthaud Grenoble. 1954 Le Rendez-vous d'Essendilène. Arthaud Grenoble (in Italian as "Apputamento a Essendilène" and in Slovenian as "Sestanek u Essendilenu"). 1961 Sahara de l'Aventure. Arthaud...

Roger Frison-Roche, born in Paris in 1906, died in 2000. He was a mountain guide and a famous writer. He split his life between Chamonix and the Sahara and wrote about 30 novels, half on Chamonix and half on the Sahara. Many were big successes and several have been made as films.He was in 1935, with Coche, the first to climb the Garet El Djenoun...

A guelta is a crack between two rocks with a waterproof bottom where water gathers each time there is a rain and stay for years, evaporating slowly. This is the water we are drinking when trekking in the Tassili N'ajjer (see my page, to come)

Roman Emperor Septime Severe (193-211) was born in Leptis Magna (Tripolitaine, now Lybia). He created the autonomous province of Numidia, ruled by the chief of the 3rd legion Augustus with its seat in Lambaesis. Septime Severe built the territorial continuity of the Empire between the two Mauretania, from Egypt to Morocco and wanted to expand the...

Tazoult-Lambèse is another Roman city standing only 20 km west to Timgad and 10 km east to Batna. When we arrived in Lambèse (or Lambèze), the weather was even worse than in Timgad. There was nobody on the site.Lambaesis was a military town. A first 200 m x200 m camp was built in 81 AD by the Augusta 3rd legion. A second, larger one, was built a...

Given that the weather was so bad and that we were in Timgad on our way to the desert, we did not spend much time to explore the city. In the small part we visited, we found some amazing carved tombstones.On this one, a man clad in an elegantly hanged tunic put his right hand on top of "something". Is it a very young child on top of a small column?...