All activities / Trekking / Hiking / Tassili n'Ajjer
Trekking / Hiking in Tassili n'Ajjer
A vast sandstone plateau in the deep south-east Sahara of Algeria, near the oasis town of Djanet, holding the greatest concentration of prehistoric rock art on earth. A UNESCO World Heritage site, its eroded rock forests, arches and canyons shelter thousands of engravings and paintings that record a once-green Sahara over thousands of years.
Why here
Tassili n'Ajjer is the greatest open-air gallery of prehistoric art in the world, and the only way to see it properly is on foot. Across a high sandstone plateau the size of a small country, weathered into forests of rock, natural arches and slot canyons, are many thousands of engravings and paintings made over roughly twelve thousand years. They show a Sahara that was green: herds of cattle, elephants, giraffe and hippo, hunters with bows, dancers, and later the horses and camels that came as the land dried. Walking among them for several days, sleeping out under the plateau's enormous skies with Tuareg guides and camels carrying the camp, is a way to feel the depth of that history rather than glance at it. The landscape alone would justify the trip, with ancient cypresses that have survived millennia of drought and dunes running up against black rock, but it is the art, at eye level on the canyon walls, that makes this one of the most extraordinary treks anywhere. It is remote, hard-won and unforgettable.
Best months
The season is the cool half of the year, roughly October to April, with November to March the most comfortable; the summer Sahara is dangerously hot and trips do not run. Even in winter, days are warm and dry and nights near freezing on the plateau, so a proper sleeping bag and warm layers are essential. This is a multi-day walking trek carrying little while camels move the camp, over sand and rock with no facilities, so a reasonable level of fitness matters. Water is carried and rationed. Sandstorms and strong wind are possible.
Getting there & around
Travel advisory · Do Not Travel
Algeria's deep Sahara and its southern and eastern border zones carry high-risk 'do not travel' advisories from the US, UK and other governments over terrorism and kidnap risk (as of 2026-07). Organised tourism to Tassili n'Ajjer runs from Djanet under a mandatory permit system with licensed operators and local guides, and is separate from the closed border areas; check your government's current advice before booking. Access is via a flight to Djanet from Algiers, then a guided expedition onto the plateau. Algeria offers visa-on-arrival for organised tours to the south through an approved agency. Bring a warm sleeping bag, sun and wind protection, sturdy boots and cash, and let the operator handle permits, camels and camp.
Skill levels: intermediate
Schools & guides (1)
Fancyellow
OutfitterFancyellow, also trading as Fancy Algeria, is a tour agency based in downtown Algiers that runs guided trips the length of the country with English-speaking guides, from the Roman cities of Timgad and Djemila and the Casbah of Algiers to the deep Sahara. In the south-east it runs multi-day expeditions out of Djanet into the Tassili n'Ajjer, with plateau treks to the rock-art galleries, dune camps and Tuareg guides. It handles the permits and logistics that Saharan travel in Algeria requires.