Had a rather busy spring, but I have finally managed to complete our 2016 November Tassili n'Ajjer trip account: http://www.fjexpeditions.com/expeditions/past/tassili16/tassili16.htm

Nice picture!
RR.

I'm considering a trip to Algeria. Some of the most beautiful places - Ahaggar and Tassili national parks are in southern Algeria. I know that it's not recommended to go to the borders or near the borders at the south but I'm curious if it's possible, at least, to get to Ahaggar and/or Tassili from Algiers by our own. We would rent one (or better two) 4WD's so roads without a tarmac shouldn't be a big problem if there are some (except sand dunes). I heard that there are army/police checkpoints (I suppose something similar to Western Sahara).

What do you think about this idea?
Is it possible and doable?
Do you have any advices which can help us?
Any experiences?
Any ideas about route and places to visit?

Everything is appreciated.

Thank you very much!

We drove as far south as Illizi without a guide, in our own 4x4 in 2009. The chief police came out to greet us and said we were the first to do so since the kidnappings of 2003.
But further south was impossible. "Ici le Grand Sud!"
I doubt anyone has come that far without a guide after that, since the security situation has mostly deteriorated.
Algeria is not like Western Sahara, the landscape is very different, and much more exciting. In algeria you have huge sand deserts and wild mountain ranges. And there is no territorial conflict, and no mines, just a nagging feeling of insecurity after numerous kidnappings and other incidents. The gendarmes will want to know exactly where you go and your itinerary, with an official guide, before giving you the paper.
Try it and see how far you can get on your own. Worst case you will be obliged to take a guide along all the way from the border. Renting in Algeria? not sure you will find 4x4, and they may not be happy with a regular vehicle being used offroad.

In the dunes off the tarmac you will have a guide, and it will be money well spent.

Amazing photos, thanks for posting

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Fwiw, just had it reconfirmed from an Algie agency.
Foreign tourists can't cross from one wilaya to another overland (eg: Tam - Djanet), but they can fly.
Much of Illizi wilaya is open as we know (and is bigger than Tunisia)
In Tam wilaya only the Assekrem excursion is permitted.

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I am assuming you can still drive overland from the north with a group down to Tam (with mandatory escort) and then set off to tour around the Assekrem area freely (with local guide attached)?

Yes, along the highways.
Should have clarified that crossing wilayas on the piste is what is restricted. And also within wilayas there are additional off-road restrictions such as all of Tam except Assekrem and, I believe, the Graveyard Piste (A2) and the Tarat piste (A3) in Illizi wilaya.
That still leaves plenty to see in Illizi, IMO: from Tamajert all the way to the Tin Merzouga dunes on the Libyan border.

Well, that's workable then. A bit of a pain but doable. Since our trip won't be until next year, maybe things will continue to loose up. Not terribly likely but one can hope....

We are planning our trip to the south for next year and have just accepted that we will be taking a guide along. So that is being factored into all our planning. I am not especially bothered. First my French is pathetic and I can only manage a couple of Arabic phrases...so having someone who can speak to the Gendarmes and help us source supplies when needed will be helpful. Someone who knows the south and the best routes to the best views will obviously come in handy. Algeria is a lot different from Morocco I suspect. The Grand Erg's there are only ever a few miles across and towns/tar roads close by. The south of Algeria is pretty sparsely populated and vast regions of nothing but mountains and desert, so getting lost or breaking down might have more serious consequences. So happy to have along someone with local knowledge.

The challenge I think is to find the right guide that we get along with and understands he is not leading the trip, but providing us with advice to make smart choices and suggesting good routes. Also, and this may be a stretch, helping us not get ripped off by scams or 'tourist' pricing in towns. Finally with good English language skills so we can communicate with him and are sure we are understood. So part fixer, part guide.

So, a key part of our trip planning is looking for this guide. If we find the right person, through other's recommendations or our own investigations, we will certainly refer other business to them...so incentive for that person to provide a good service.

I have been working with humanitarian NGOs around the world for about 20 years and whenever I travel for work to remote locations, I am always travelling with local staff. I almost always enjoy the company and definitely appreciate the local knowledge.

Tembo,

The difficult part of your specifications will be the knowledge of English, there is hardly any among the guides who is able to speak anything but the absolute basic.

There is only one fellow I know in the entire South who is fluent, his name is Salah at Essendilene Voyages (essendilene.touareg (at) noos.fr). You may discuss your needs with him and perhaps persuade him to join (might be a problem as he is running the office of Essendilene and he cannot get away for extended lengths). Mentioning I reccommended him will probably help rather than just coming from the blue.

As for the rest that is not an issue, last November we went around with Salah's father (I do speak a little french & arabic), he perfectly understood his role (which was to take care of any officialdom should the need arise - it didn't) and just followed our plans as requested.

(Trip account here: Tassili N'Ajjer, Algeria - November 2016)

By the way we could access the 'Graveyard piste' (A2) from the direction of Illizi without any special permits and proceed more than 100km towards the west without any checkpoints or questions asked, we were probably the first foreigners on that route since '03.

It appears that between Djanet and Illizi and within the boundaries of the Wilaya one is free to move with a local guide as one pleases. This spring we visited Tamadjert, again no restrictions or officialdom along the way. The only encounter I had with officialdom last November was at Illizi, where we checked in to a hotel for a night instead of camping out during a rather nasty sandstorm. The chef du police called in the morning inquiring about our plans, once I told him we will return to Djanet the way we came the call quickly ended with a cordial bon voyage. The only place where paperwork is taken seriously are the military checkpoints in the Tadrart, where the permits issued in Djanet are scrutinized and checked against the passports, but all in good spirits (apparently these permits can be obtained without problems by local agencies).

Andras is right about the guides - commonly they'll speak French, especially the older guys who are more reliable. But no English apart from Salah.

I would not worry about getting lost. Unless you have your own specific itinerary (unlikely as you don't know the area), your guide will follow a tried and tested route through Illizi wilaya which will be old hat to him but deliver all you want in spades between Tamajert and Tin Merzouga. We will be doing a version of this route this January.

[Interesting to hear A2 is open from Illizi; a great route. But I wonder if it's open from the BoD end where it cuts into Tam wilaya for a few miles? I was just about to ask someone that.]

Depending on the number and state of your vehicles (usually massively over-equipped by local standards), I believe a sat phone is the only reliable rescue device. Have the number of the agency, so the guide can talk to them even if you can't, and tell them what's up.

You may find it useful to get hold of an old copy of Sahara Overland which described a few routes in that area.

Maybe your experience with NGOs (and their purported budgets) is different, but being allocated an amenable guide is as much a lottery as it is with travel companions. Once you're on the piste he will effectively be leading you and probably know the best tracks, camp spots and so on, even if you disagree at the time. Some can have their own agenda (visiting family and friends out bush; taking short cuts), but with no language or local knowledge you will be pretty helpless but who knows, it may improve your experience.

In my experience there is no need for a fixer – if you have problems you get resourceful and people will be helpful if there are any around. And the scams you talk of are very rare as a tourist as Algeria is not like other Maghrebi countries – another part of its appeal. On the way down the Gendarmerie may insist you stay in a hotel (little choice on your approach route) or camp (for free) by a police station.
Once on the piste (or south of Illizi) the only towns you will visit are Illizi and Djanet, plus maybe Bordj el Haouas. But it would be good to get a French-speaker in your group. I've found this massively improves things and avoids misunderstandings.

It will be the local agency you will be dealing with. You won't know the guide until you meet him, probably a gnarly old Tuareg living on three peanuts a day and who happens to be available. His driver may be a younger flash harry who may have ideas (and driving styles) of his own.

I remember the first time we hired a guide in Algeria (before GPS and before it was mandatory), we suspected he was dicking us about. I can't recall the reasons for this resentment, but I think it was just an reaction – as you may be having – to being led after years of DIY. Plus he was not a chummy Tuareg. But we would have struggled to follow the four-day route without time.

By the way, I presume you know that your agency escort/guide in their own car with a driver will cost up to €150 a day. This includes the 3+ days it takes them to come up to meet you at the Tunisian border (or Algiers) - and the three days back after leaving you back at the border.

I've also just been told you get an additional Gendarmerie vehicle escort from the border to Illizi and back, after which you guide takes over on the pre-approved route. My group had this last time in 2011 on the west side. They found the Gendarmerie changeovers at various district boundaries irksome.

On a first visit to a county like this you have to accept that things will not go exactly as planned – most usually vehicle problems. So better, within reason, to treat it as a valuable recce just and go with the flow.
Unlike nearly all other North African countries, desert tourism and guiding is run by desert people, not northern entrepreneurs, and has been that way since it started. Despite all the aggro in getting and driving there (only China is more complicated) they know the game and know what tourists want. For most Saharans Alg a firm favourite.

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Boatloads of good feedback there gentlemen...much appreciated. Also, apologies to Milano for highjacking his thread a little bit.

So my main takeaways so far are:

- Bone up on my French (my wife and I were thinking of taking a conversational French course anyway)

- Manage my expectations of the guide issue

- Don't let the relatively minor potential headaches interfere with actually enjoying an area I have always wanted to see.

Friends,
Which alg agency would you recommend to get guides for a bike trip in the Djanet region? I've searched in past posts, and I see that several recommended agencies seem to have closed.
Among those mentioned in recent posts that are still operating I see Zeriba, Timtar, Essendilene... which would you recommend?
And what is the normal price for a guide and 4x4 per day?
Also, I was told that guides must now travel with their own car from border to border are not allowed to travel on client's cars. Anybody can confirm this? My party would be flying in to Djanet while bikes arrive on a van, and I was hoping that the mandatory guide could come in the van from the border to Djanet, to save some $.
Thanks!

I've used or contacted all those three over many and have found all of them responsive and reliable. Essendilene have an English speaker and I think Tidjani at Timtar might speak English if pushed.

I got through to another long-established agency in Illizi recently. Took months until bombarded with fax and email and texts. All going well - prices and date agreed - then stopped replying to anything. This can be a common scenario though I prefer to write (in French) than speak on a phone.

Another one was Desert Reisen - expat Tuareg in Germany. Writes only French (or German) but straightforward, detailed replies. They can do you a escort/guide for €150/day. I get a feeling that is high as being Europe-based, they take a cut. Dealing with Alg-based, like the others mentioned, might to be less but was at least €100 in 2011.

As I mentioned in another reply, what seems like a big commitment for Alg first timers is all in a day's work for crews down there. They know their job and IMO the surviving Alg agencies have a good level of professionalism with more than enough experienced drivers, cooks, guides, solid Toyotas or camels and crew to go around.

For bikes I would specify a pickup to carry unrideable bikes (unless your van is doing the whole tour or bikes are light enough for the roof).

Also, you want to be sure you can get those bikes into Alg without owners present.
Worked for me at Taleb Larbi (Nefta) in 2007 but not at Algiers the next year.
It can be done (our guy is doing it next Jan via Taleb) but requires the right paperwork and sweet-talking in French. There seems to be no national rule; regional customs chiefs decide.

Guides now in their own car sounds plausible.

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