Hiking in Taessa and Atakor, the heart of the Hoggar

You are leaving France heading to Algérie. This day marks the beginning of your trip and your discovery of the country.

Flight to Algérie.

You join Tamanrasset via Algiers, with several route options departing from different cities. Upon arrival, you are welcomed by our local team, who will accompany you to your guesthouse for check-in.

You enjoy a free early morning before hitting the road late in the morning. In your 4x4, you travel approximately 25 km to reach your caravan at the foot of the volcanic peak Aharar (1753 m).

You discover a vast wadi where many acacias grow. This is where you meet your guide and the camel drivers who will accompany you throughout your adventure.

You spend your first bivouac in the heart of this environment.

After helping the camel drivers load the baggage onto the pack camels, you take to the road with the caravan. You pass near the small village of Tagmart, belonging to the Dag Rali tribe.

In the Tagmart wadi, you stop at a water point, called abankor, to replenish your supplies. You then continue through a landscape dotted with domes and surprising heaps of granite boulders.

You reach the Essouf Mellen plain, the White Solitude, dominated by the summit of Tesselit Lehet (1751m). Weather permitting, you climb it and enjoy a view over the northern foothills of the Hoggar of the Tuaregs.

The crossing of Essouf Mellen finally leads you towards a vast bluish basalt flow, partly occupied by the Térhénanet wadi and its gueltahs.

You continue your crossing of Essouf Mellen heading north. Gradually, the plain narrows until it opens onto a narrow gorge.

Along the way, you pass through Asseloum, a small non-permanent water point, before continuing on your route.

Heading towards the Assekrem, you enter a region practically ignored by tourism, particularly due to the difficulty of the route for loaded camels. From the start, a steep descent leads you into the heart of the narrow and steep-sided gorges of the oued Ilaman. You emerge from it via a pass whose crossing proves delicate for the animals, before joining a narrow strip of volcanic plateau. The itinerary continues through a landscape of hills, then descends into the oued Tékadé, cluttered with acacias. After another climb, the terrain becomes gradually less rugged until you reach the oued Amoula.

You leave Talat Mellet by a succession of small passes. The track winds from one wadi to another, sometimes along a ridge. To the east, high mountains dominate the landscape, while to the west, the horizon gradually descends towards the vast plains that surround the Hoggar. The ridge trail offers wide views over the immensity of the desert. The camels advance slowly and the camel drivers remain particularly attentive when crossing the most delicate passages. In the Tiloq wadi, the mountains draw back and reveal high volcanic peaks. From south to north stand Tehereghet, Amgar (2359m) and Eferi n'Tehereghet. According to legend, Amgar was the rival of the Ilaman in the quest to win the beautiful Tahat. You also pass near an acacia that the Tuaregs call tagiart, a rather rare species in the Hoggar. You finally take a final pass, guarded by the two volcanic peaks of the Infaf (2007m). Depending on possibilities, you can climb the left summit while the caravan continues on its way.

You go up the oued Tamezlozent, where some tabarakat (tamarisks) and azawa (other tamarisks) grow.

You continue your progression until you cross a pass that leads you into the oued Adarou, the next stage of your itinerary.

You leave the previous route to join the Tanhart wadi, following a winding track then a short descent. This is where you set up your bivouac, dominated by the mass of Tahat, which rises more than 1,000 meters above you. In the wadi also grows a fig tree. This region is linked to the history of the Dag Rali: a fraction of this tribe, the Imessilaten, used to hide part of their millet reserves here, brought by the annual caravan from Niger.

You take a narrow gorge to reach the upper part of the Tanhart wadi. At the top of a climb, you have the option to quickly ascend a small peak before rejoining the caravan and continuing towards the Kalatenet wadi.

Along the wadis, you spot a few olive trees (Oléo laperrini), whose branches are nibbled by goats and wild sheep.

You cross the oued In Tourtourin before continuing your progression across a vast plateau area. The itinerary leads you to the oued Tahassa, where you set up your bivouac.

Depending on conditions, you spend the night near the Tahassa water point, surrounded by a few wild palms, or a little further upstream.

In the distance, towards the south, the Assekrem plateau emerges, which you approach gradually throughout the day. Your itinerary alternates between climbs and descents through an increasingly austere landscape, where trees have disappeared. You successively cross the Wa Sediden, Elel and Lersar wadis, before reaching the Asarou wadi, "the Key", where you stop for lunch.

As you progress, the mineral landscape evolves: lava gradually gives way to granite.

You temporarily leave the caravan, which you will rejoin in the evening at the bivouac, to reach Assekrem (2728 m). The landscape remains austere as you gradually gain altitude. In great solitude, you climb the steep slopes of the eastern face following the Tilegatin track to the plateau. You then reach the Hermitage of Father de Foucauld, at heights where cold wind often blows.

From Assekrem, your gaze extends over the summits of Atakor: Tezouiag (the Bustards, 2702 m), Asaouinan (2637 m), Oul (the Heart, 2602 m) and Taridalt (the Hyena, 2422 m).

After a visit to the Little Brothers of Jesus, guardians of the Hermitage of Father de Foucauld, you descend in the afternoon toward the Oued In Fergan. You rejoin the caravan there, at the foot of Tahaleft, for the bivouac.

In the company of the caravan, you continue your itinerary towards the Mont Tahat imposing volcanic mass that dominates the region.

You go back up the oued In Fergan before descending into the oued In Tourtourin. A final pass then allows you to reach the oued Ebowel, where your progression continues through the Hoggar.

The afternoon is dedicated to climbing the Tahat (2908 m) via its southern slope, a straightforward route that takes you to Algeria's highest peak. From these heights, the view stretches far across the jagged summits of the Atakor and, further north, across the rounded reliefs of the Téfédest foothills. You then set up your camp at altitude: these bivouacs are the highest of your trek.

You temporarily leave the caravan and continue your trek through an entirely volcanic landscape. Your itinerary takes you to the oued Tin Eguefes, which you descend before meeting up with your camel drivers at the meeting point.

In the afternoon, you set off to discover the Taessa massif. In a small plain, you reach a rock shelter that preserves a Neolithic painting depicting a herd of bovids. Despite the traces left by erosion, its design remains clearly visible. Along this rough route, you also discover Mediterranean flora composed of olive trees, oleanders, lavenders and myrtles. You continue your walk until you reach your bivouac, set up near the Talmest guelta, in the Tanesmedjoq wadi. Before settling in, you collect dead wood to fuel the bivouac fire.

You continue your exploration by crossing the Taessa massif from east to west. After crossing the ridge line at 2,173 m altitude, you descend through gorges dotted with water pools. The stage is relatively short for hikers, but longer for the caravan, which must make a significant detour to avoid this rough terrain.

You meet up with your camel drivers at the bivouac, at Edekel n'Tahart, near a water point and a fig tree.

You skirt the western edge of the Taessa massif before crossing the Bersou wadi. Your route continues at the foot of the Adrar Hegrin (2051 m), an isolated volcanic peak that dominates the basaltic plateau of Tassa n'Aguenna, whose name means "the Belly of the Sky". You then cross this vast basaltic plateau and continue your progression through the volcanic landscapes of the region.

Depending on the itinerary chosen, you follow the camel track that crosses the pass or descend into the Eméharagélé wadi until the Eloka wadi. There you discover a guelta carved beneath a rocky threshold that blocks the valley: Tit n'Oudad, "The Eye or Spring of the Mouflon", the word tit being able to designate both the eye and the spring. As you lose altitude, the wadi widens and numerous acacias appear on its banks.

After crossing the wadi Amsa or Outoul, then a small granite ridge, you will rejoin your caravan in Aguendou Wan Tamalra, a vast wadi where vegetation is abundant. The mountains are now behind you. It was in this great wadi that the annual camel race, called tamalra, once took place.

You continue your journey towards Tamanrasset, located approximately 15 km away, and enjoy free time at the end of the afternoon to discover the city at your own pace.

Located at 1,400 m altitude, Tamanrasset is now a city of over 150,000 inhabitants. Its center retains its original charm, notably with its streets shaded by tamarisk trees.
In the evening, you dine at the inn. Rooms are made available to you, with four people per room, to drop off your luggage, rest and take a shower.

During the night, you are transferred to the airport.

You take your night flight and arrive early in the morning in the city of your choice, marking the end of your trip.