Hi, I'm in the preliminary stages of planning a trip to Algeria, and was hopping somebody might have some recent info about the visa application process and travel to the south.

Firstly, I'm an American planning to apply for my visa at the consulate in New York. On the application itself there doesn't seem to be any requirement for a Letter of Invitation, or any supporting documents suggesting I have a tour booked. Can anyone confirm if a LOI is not needed, at least for visits to northern Algeria? I am planning on going to the south, but am afraid listing this on the application might make the process more complicated, or I might only receive a visa for the exact dates of my tour. Am I right in assuming that only listing places in the north that I intend to visit is "safer" when applying for a visa? Also, proof of hotel bookings are required. I normally stay at budget places when I travel, but was planning on booking a few nights in a midrange/higher end hotel in Algiers for my arrival. Does anyone know if two or three nights is sufficient? I can't imagine I'd be asked for an entire months worth of pre- arranged hotel bookings.....but with the notoriety of Algerian Visa applications these days, you never know. Any other tips or advice that might make my application process a little smoother would be most welcome.

And secondly, I want to visit Tassili du Hoggar while there, but am having trouble finding up to date information. Most importantly, what type of, if any, travel restrictions are in place these days. I plan on arranging a five or six day tour out of Tamanrasset, probably in advance, but am curious about what I can or can't do independently. (If anyone knows of a good budget tour operator that would also be very appreciated) Can I take a bus/buses from Algiers to Tamanrasset? If not, how far south could I get before being required to have a guide with me? Info from the last, and probably very outdated, LP says anywhere south of Ghardaia requires a guide. If this is still true, is it necessary to have a tour booked to fly into Tamanrasset? And if I do need to fly into the south, could I take buses back north or is it fly in, do your tour, and fly out only? I'd also really love to see Timimoun , Beni Abbes, and Taghit. Are any of those areas accessible to independent travelers, coming from either the north or the south. Essentially I try to avoid flying whenever possible (I'm not driving and relying on public transport or car hire) and would love to know how much overland travel I can get away with once in Algeria.

Thanks,
letemspeak