Algeria: Ancient Sahara
$ 3,299.00
About this trip
Algeria: The Real Sahara, Roman Cities & Africa’s Biggest Country
Almost nobody travels to Algeria. That’s exactly why we’re going. Africa’s largest country, nearly four times the size of France, with Roman cities to rival Italy and the wildest Sahara scenery on the planet. Seven days. Two domestic flights. Three UNESCO Roman sites. Two nights deep in the real desert with Tuareg guides. This is your invitation to be part of it.
Highlights
🏜 The Real Sahara – Fly deep south to Djanet and camp among dunes, rock arches and prehistoric art in the Tassili n’Ajjer region
🏛 Three UNESCO Roman Cities – Timgad in the desert, Djemila in the mountains, Tipaza by the sea. Some of the best-preserved ruins outside Italy, with barely a tourist in sight
🌉 Constantine – The cliff-top city suspended above the Rhumel Gorge, connected by dizzying bridges
🕌 Algiers & the Casbah – French boulevards, Ottoman lanes and the UNESCO-listed old city climbing above the Mediterranean
⛺ Desert Camping with Tuareg Guides – Campfire dinners, strong tea and a night sky with zero light pollution
✈️ Midnight Flights Across Africa’s Biggest Country – Red-eye missions that get us further than any tour bus ever could
Trip Facts
- Tour Date: January 17 – 23, 2027
- Duration: 7 days / 6 nights
- Arrival City: Algiers, Algeria
- Departure City: Algiers, Algeria
- Price: $3,699
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Tour DateJanuary 17 - 23, 2027
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Arrival CityAlgiers, Algeria
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Departure CityAlgiers, Algeria
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IncludedAll National Park Entrance FeesAll BreakfastsProject DonationAll AccommodationAll Ground TransportationRegional Flights
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Not IncludedLunch and DinnersInternational AirfareTravel InsuranceVisas
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🏜️ The Timeless Sahara of Djanet
Towering sandstone arches, endless golden dunes, and ancient rock art make Djanet one of the Sahara’s greatest treasures. We’ll wander through landscapes that feel more like another planet than Earth—where every sunrise and sunset somehow tops the last.
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🌉 The Bridges of Constantine
We’ll cross soaring bridges, wander through historic streets, and take in breathtaking views around every corner in a place unlike anywhere else in the country.
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🌊 Discover the Charm of Algiers
With its whitewashed buildings, bustling cafés, and sweeping Mediterranean views, Algiers is where North African, Ottoman, and French influences come together. We’ll wander through historic streets, soak up the atmosphere, and experience the vibrant heart of modern Algeria.
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🏛️ The Mountain Ruins of Djemila
Hidden in the hills of northern Algeria, Djemila is a stunning Roman city where crumbling temples, grand arches, and intricate mosaics tell stories from nearly 2,000 years ago. It’s one of those places that quietly leaves a lasting impression.
JOIN THE Prequel to Algeria - Djanet DEEP Sahara January 14 - 17
We get so excited when we plan these trips. We need to go here. AND HERE. AND HERE! AND THERE! It's so hard to limit it when they are so many epic places to see. That's what we HAD to include a 3 day prequel trip to the CENTRE OF THE SAHARA. To Djanet. You can arrive in Algeria on January 14th (as opposed to January 17th, when the main trip starts) and join us in a flight to the Libya/Niger border. This is truly one of the world's greatest desert destinations.
This trip is priced at $1,999. BUT if you join the main Algeria trip, we discount this prequel down to $1,399. YOU CAN'T MISS IT!
Djanet Prequel Day 1
Arrive in Algiers at leisure before boarding the late-night domestic flight to Djanet. Land shortly after midnight where we'll sleep in town before the next morning, don't worry. Just be ready to begin your deep Sahara adventure.Djanet Prequel Day 2
Spend a full day exploring the breathtaking landscapes surrounding Djanet, discovering Tassili n’Ajjer’s extraordinary rock formations, ancient rock art, vast dunes and Tuareg culture. Spend the night in a berber camp.
Djanet Prequel Day 3
Wake up in the centre of the sahara. Continue exploring the spectacular Sahara around Djanet before boarding the overnight flight back to Algiers, departing after midnight and arriving before dawn. Again we have a hotel waiting for us in Algiers, don't worry.Djanet Prequel Day 4
Wake up whenever you want! You have nothing to do until the briefing tonight for the main tour, at 6pm.
Day 1 – Arrival in Algiers
Welcome to North Africa's Best-Kept Secret
Arrive at your leisure. Cheap, easy connections from Paris, Istanbul, Dubai, Frankfurt and Tunis make this simple.
Your first surprise: Algiers feels more southern Europe than the North Africa you're picturing. Grand boulevards, Ottoman lanes, old cafes and the Mediterranean right below the city. Once everyone's checked in, we head out for a welcome dinner and an easy evening stroll. Nothing serious. Just the crew coming together.
🏨 Sleep: Algiers
Day 2 – Algiers & the Night Flight South
Palaces & Mosques
The Casbah, Then Deep Into the Sahara
Today we explore Algiers properly. We’ll head into the Casbah, the UNESCO-listed old city that climbs steeply above the harbour. This place is a maze. I remember it fondly from my first visit. Tiny streets, hidden courtyards, old mosques, Ottoman houses, people selling absolutely everything and plenty of wrong turns.
We’ll also visit the Martyrs’ Memorial, the giant monument overlooking the city, and see some of the grand French colonial buildings around central Algiers.🏨 Sleep: Algiers
Day 3 – Into the Real Sahara
Exploring Ancient Sahara
🏨 Sleep: Ghardaïa
Day 4 – Sahara Day Two & the Midnight Flight
Ghardaia
🏨 Sleep: Constantine
Day 5 – Timgad Roman Ruins
A 2,000-Year-Old City Swallowed by Sand
Late start today, we've earned it. Mid-morning we head south to Timgad, one of the best-preserved Roman cities anywhere in the world.
Founded as a military colony nearly 2,000 years ago, it grew into a full city of paved streets, temples, baths, a library and a huge theatre before the desert slowly buried and preserved it. Today you walk the original Roman streets and pass under the Arch of Trajan with almost nobody else around. No Pompeii crowds. Just you and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Back to Constantine for dinner and a proper night's sleep.
🏨 Sleep: Constantine
Day 6 – Constantine & Djemila
Cliff Cities, Mountain Ruins & the Road Back to the Coast
Constantine might be the most dramatic city in Africa. Built across sheer cliffs above the Rhumel Gorge, its districts are stitched together by bridges old and new, some of them genuinely knee-wobbling. We explore the centre and walk the bridges before hitting the road.
Next stop: Djemila. Yes, more Roman ruins, but nothing like Timgad. This one sits in green mountain hills, with temples, arches and mosaics spread across the slopes. Another UNESCO site and one of the finest Roman towns in the Mediterranean world.
Then it's road trip time: three and a half hours back to Algiers, from cliff-top city to mountain ruins to the Mediterranean coast in one day.
🏨 Sleep: Algiers
Day 7 – Tipaza & Onward
Roman Ruins by the Sea, Then Home
One final UNESCO site to complete the set. Tipaza sits right on the Mediterranean an hour west of Algiers, its basilicas, baths and amphitheatre scattered among pine trees beside the sea. Timgad was the desert city, Djemila the mountain city. Tipaza is Rome on the beach.
We also stop at the Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania before heading back to the airport for evening flights out.
Seven days ago most of the group couldn't name three places in Algeria. Now you've slept in the Sahara, crossed the country twice by night flight and walked three Roman cities almost alone. Not a bad week.
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