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Djanet

Algeria

Africa modest ~$70/day
How to get there

Algeria reopened Saharan tourism with visa-on-arrival for organized trips — fly Algiers to Djanet with a licensed agency.

Where to sleep

Desert camps under the Tassili plateau; town guesthouse between excursions.

What to expect

The Tassili n'Ajjer: a sandstone labyrinth holding thousands of rock paintings up to 12,000 years old — herds, dancers, gods — in a desert of cathedral-sized rock arches.

First move on arrival

The Tadrart Rouge by 4x4 — red dunes against black rock, and engravings your guide's grandfather's grandfathers knew.

When to go

October to March

One phrase to carry

Tanemmirt — thank you, in Tamahaq, the Tuareg tongue.

Read before you go

The Fearful Void by Geoffrey Moorhouse — the honest account of what the Sahara does to a person.

Getting weirder nearby

The Tadrart Rouge itself is the extension — three more days south toward the Libyan border country.

One honest warning

Travel is only via licensed agencies with permits — that is the law and also the safety architecture. Border zones are strictly off-limits.

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