The hook
Deep in the Algerian Sahara, a plateau of surreal eroded rock holds one of the greatest galleries of prehistoric art on Earth, thousands of paintings that show green savanna, herds, and hunters where now there is only sand.
01Why it's worth it
The far south of Algeria hides two of the Sahara's greatest wonders. Tassili n'Ajjer is a vast sandstone plateau eroded into a maze of pinnacles, arches, and "stone forests," but its true fame is its rock art: an astonishing open-air museum of thousands of prehistoric paintings and engravings, spanning perhaps ten thousand years, that record a startling truth, that this desert was once a green land of lakes, rivers, cattle herders, giraffes, and hippos, before the Sahara dried. Walking among these images of a lost world, in a landscape of extraordinary rock formations, is deeply moving. To the west rise the Hoggar (Ahaggar) Mountains, a volcanic range of jagged peaks and spires, sacred to the Tuareg, where the viewpoint of Assekrem is famed for sublime desert sunrises and sunsets over a sea of stone. This is the homeland of the Tuareg, and travelling here, by 4x4 and on foot with local guides, is a genuine desert expedition. It is remote, and parts of the Algerian south have had security restrictions, so current advice matters, but for lovers of the Sahara, its art, and its silence, it is unforgettable.
02How to experience it
Go on an organised guided expedition (4x4 and trekking) from bases like Djanet or Tamanrasset, with Tuareg guides, to the Tassili rock art and the Hoggar peaks and Assekrem viewpoint. Come in the cooler months, prepared for camping and remoteness, and check current security and permit requirements for the Algerian south.