Journey to the Heart of Hoggar: From Algiers to Tuareg Lands, Discovery and Hiking

Upon your arrival in Algiers, you are welcomed and assisted at the airport by our local team. Depending on your arrival schedule, you will depart for a short visit of downtown Algiers, an opportunity to get acquainted with the Algerian capital and discover a first facet of the city.

After a snack, you head to the airport to board your domestic flight to Tamanrasset.

Upon arrival in Tamanrasset, you are welcomed by our local team and transferred to the Le Caravansérail hotel for check-in.

Early in the morning, you leave Tamanrasset by the paved road that skirts the Hoggar massif from the south. You quickly leave the road heading towards In Guezzam and Niger to continue your itinerary eastwards. Gradually, Adriane mountain, which marks the landscape of Tamanrasset, recedes behind you. The road then crosses scenery characterized by numerous granite boulders, typical of the geological belt surrounding the volcanic region of the Atakor.

You reach the Tuareg village of Tahifet, where you leave the paved road to head north, into the heart of the Atakor. Gradually, lava peaks shape the landscape as you climb a canyon, sometimes narrow. In this austere environment, the contrast is striking: water surfaces and a river flows amid the gorse.

At midday, you stop near a cluster of palm trees, on the edge of clear water. This place has also become a popular destination for Tamanrasset residents for their Sunday outings. Faced with the fragility of the site and the waste that can sometimes pollute it, our local team works daily to raise visitor awareness about respecting this environment.

You then continue on the 4x4 track to reach the heart of Wadi Tanget. This vast cirque brings together many volcanic peaks: Oussouk (1,626 m), Tarara (1,860 m), Ekneouen, nicknamed "The Twins", Tetaqaout and Tin Sanen. You notably cross the heart of a volcanic chimney, before setting up your bivouac amid this mineral landscape.

The Tan n'Manri corridor is also associated with an episode in Tuareg history. Around 1875, the Kel Ajjer defeated the Kel Ahaggar there, despite being ambushed on the slopes overlooking the track. Several tombs still testify to this battle that remains famous among the Tuaregs. Rock engravings bear witness to a past more favorable to pastoralism. In late afternoon, you enjoy the site on a walk and can, why not, reach a high point to contemplate your first Saharan sunset.

After enjoying this unique place, you take the track towards Tahifet and gradually leave the Oued Tanget basin. You quickly abandon this track to turn west, into the heart of the volcanic landscapes of the Hoggar

Behind you stands the imposing Aguelzam volcanic neck, a witness to the region's past volcanic activity. Like other formations present in this part of the Hoggar, it contributes to shaping the characteristic relief of the massif.

A volcanic neck corresponds to the solidified conduit of an ancient volcanic chimney, gradually exposed by erosion. It generally presents itself in the form of a butte, a peak or a needle, with dimensions ranging from a few tens to several hundreds of meters in diameter. These formations also allow observation, in certain places, of beautiful basalt organs.

Progressively, we gain altitude to reach the Ezarnene gardens, located in a basin where the wadis from the southern part of the Atakor massif overflow. The horizon is dotted with volcanic peaks, some of which are very well known in Saharan literature, such as Daouda and Akar-Akar.

We reach the track coming from Tamanrasset and running over the high plateaus of the Hoggar. At midday, we arrive at the Afilal gueltas. Water flows through a basalt fault, offering a beautiful place to have our lunch in the shade of an acacia. The Afilal gueltas are permanent watercourses in a totally desert environment, rich in vegetation and fauna, notably desert barbel.

We resume the trail, which is very damaged at the moment following heavy rainfall in summer 2024. We now drive between the most beautiful peaks of the Atakor: Tezouiag (the Bustards, 2702 m), Asaouinan (2637 m), Oul (the Heart, 2602 m), Taridalt (the Hyena, 2422 m).

We reach by car the pass located below the plateau of Assekrem. On foot, we climb the hundred meters and what a reward when we arrive at the Hermitage of Father de Foucauld! Often, a cold wind blows over the heights. The hermitage, built in 1910, offers a spectacular view over the Hoggar mountain range and today serves as a meteorological station.

After visiting the Little Brothers of Jesus, guardians of the Hermitage of Father de Foucauld, and witnessing the sunset over the mythical mountains of the Atakor, we return to our bivouac. It is at this moment that we leave the vehicles, which will return to Tamanrasset. We rejoin the camel caravan that will accompany us for the coming days.

After loading the camels, you begin your trek through the mountains of Atakor. You head towards Mount Imezeroug, where you venture in to discover several rock paintings. The site also features a vast amphitheater where vegetation grows, including notably olive trees, lavender and Artemisia herba-alba.

Among this vegetation is the Hoggar olive, also called Laperrine's olive (Olea europaea subsp. laperrinei). Endemic to the Hoggar massif, this tree is adapted to the arid conditions of the Sahara and grows mainly in wadi beds. Close to the European olive, it is today threatened by habitat degradation and climate change. Its presence also provides shade and habitat for various animal and plant species.

You then continue your trek in Atakor to reach, in mid-afternoon, your bivouac site in the Tin Eguefes wadi or in the Ihasseyen wadi.

A few words about Hoggar wildlife

In the Hoggar, large animals such as the gazelle and the mouflon tend to disappear due to hunting, although the mouflon resists more by taking refuge in the mountains. Several carnivores are still present, including the jackal, fennec fox, fennec and wildcat, while the cheetah is very rare.

Rodents are numerous: jerboas, gerbils, meriones, gundis, as well as various species of rats and mice. Rock hyraxes live in small colonies in rocky areas near wadis, where they find their food, particularly acacia leaves. Finally, the Cape hare represents the family of lagomorphs in the region.

You are setting off on foot for a hike through the granite massif of Taessa, following one of the various routes available depending on the conditions and chosen itinerary.

Your walk takes you to the heart of a mineral universe shaped by granite, between steep reliefs and imposing rock formations that punctuate your crossing of the massif.

You meet up with the caravan in the Ilaman wadi for the midday stop. The wadi offers a striking contrast with the aridity of the surrounding landscapes. You then follow its steep-sided course towards the camp, passing through small settlements where the Touaregs Kel Ahaggar cultivate gardens and raise livestock.

Traditionally semi-nomadic, the Touaregs possess in-depth knowledge of their territory and local plants, notably used for medicinal and food purposes. At the end of the day, you set up your camp for the night.

The legend of the Touaregs Kel Ahaggar

Oral history and popular legends recount notably the origin of several tribes of the Ahaggar. The Kel Rela, the last ruling family, claim to descend from Tin Hînan, a Berber queen who came from Tafilalet accompanied by her servant. Their tombs are located near Abalessa, 80 km northwest of Tamanrasset.

According to legend, Tin Hînan nearly died of hunger before reaching the Ahaggar, where she settled peacefully in a region that was then almost deserted. A few pagans, the Isebeten or Issebetènes, supposedly occupied the Taessa massif, in the most inaccessible part of the Atakor. Tin Hînan would be at the origin of the Kel Rela, while her servant Takama would be the ancestor of three major tribes: the Dag Rali, the Aït Loaien and the Kel Ahnet.

Whatever the factual basis of this legend, oral tradition thus evokes the existence of the Issebetènes, presented as a small and isolated people. Certain members of the Dag Rali still claim today to be their descendants.

Other accounts establish links with the Almoravid epic. In the twelfth century, among the tribal groups established near Sijilmasa, in Tafilalet, was a small tribe called the Targat. When the Almohads of the Rif gained ascendancy over the Almoravids, this group is said to have left the region to head southeast, into the desert, under the leadership of a queen.

You leave the oued Ilaman to cross a basaltic plateau. From the heights, you can see to the east the village of Terhenanet, belonging to the Dag Rali tribe. You then descend towards the wadi of the same name, along a route punctuated by rock formations.

You follow the course of the oued Terhenanet, whose bed is crossed by a striking flow of black or blue basalt that winds between the hills. Formed by ancient volcanic eruptions, it contrasts with the surrounding reliefs. Despite the aridity, vegetation composed of oleanders and tamarisks develops in the wadi, bringing some touches of greenery to the landscape.

In the afternoon, you take a steep and delicate track to reach the deep guelta of In Outer, surrounded by reeds. This permanent water source in the desert is a point of life where the reeds welcome notably birds and small mammals.

You continue finally to Essouf Mellen, also called "the white solitude", where you set up your bivouac in the middle of vast clear expanses and rock formations.

You continue your hike southward through the Taessa massif, surrounded by numerous granite domes. The walk is easy and the open horizons allow you to fully enjoy the landscapes that accompany your progress. In the valley bottoms extend acacia forests, whose branches provide welcome shade and offer refuge to various birds and insects.

At midday, you reach the Tissalatin Tin Tagmart region, where you stop for lunch amid the rock formations that characterize the area.

The vehicles will meet you in early afternoon. After greeting your travel companions and the camel team with whom you have shared these few days, you take the road towards Tamanrasset, leaving behind the massifs of the Taessa and Atakor.

You return to Tamanrasset, located at 1,400 meters altitude. Having become an important city over the years, the town retains a more traditional character in its center, notably through its streets shaded by tamarisk trees.

You dine at the Caravansérail hotel, where a room is put at your disposal to drop off your luggage, rest and take a shower before your departure. Around 11:30 PM, night transfer to the airport.

Upon your arrival in Algiers, you are welcomed at the airport and transferred to your hotel. You then have lunch in a typical restaurant, at your own expense.

In late morning, you set off to discover the Jardin d'Essai du Hamma

At the end of the day, you take time to stroll along Algiers' waterfront. For dinner, you are free to choose from the various restaurants in the city center.

According to your flight schedule, you leave Algiers and head to the airport to take your international return flight.