You're planning a journey with us. Whether you have questions, concerns, or are seeking information, you'll find below a comprehensive collection of details to help you prepare your trip.

Visas and Formalities

Your passport must be valid and remain so for at least 6 months after the end of your stay in Algérie. All information on this subject will be provided to you later, one month before departure, once sufficient registrations are received and departure is confirmed. The visa is obtained very quickly.

Air Travel

Direct flights with the airline Aigle Azur.

You'll be heading to the Sahara, and consequently, disruptions are always possible (flight delays, sandstorms, haze).

Climate in Algérie

It's difficult to give precise information about seasonal temperatures, as they can change rapidly depending on passing clouds, altitude, or wind.

Generally, during the periods when we organize journeys, you're more likely to contend with cold than protect yourself from sun or heat, except late in the season. Moreover, the Sahara is vast. Temperatures in the Tassili (Immidir and Ajjer, 800 to 1850 m) or the Amadror (1000 m) differ from those in Tamanrasset (1400 m) and the Atakor (camps up to 2500 m). Nights are always cool or frankly cold, even in spring. In winter, temperatures dropping to −5°C are not uncommon, particularly in the Hoggar (even lower temperatures have been recorded). A camp is then bearable only thanks to the dry air. We have tents that we set up in case of rain.

Health and Vaccinations in Algérie

We remind you that you must be in perfect health. For these journeys, we must emphasize the difficulty in obtaining assistance for an emergency evacuation: radio communications are nonexistent and medical centers are often far away. If needed, we carry a basic emergency medical kit. Nevertheless, prepare a small personal pharmacy (see individual equipment list).

Vaccinations:

No vaccinations are mandatory to enter Algérie. As with most journeys we organize, we recommend you be current with routine vaccinations (diphtheria, tetanus, and polio).

Currency Declaration, Exchange, and Personal Money

Upon entering Algérie, after completing police formalities, you must fill out a currency declaration form and present it to customs. You can exchange money either at the airport or in town in Tamanrasset or Djanet. Change only the minimum needed for your personal expenses.

On return, at Algiers airport, it's possible to exchange any unused Dinars. It's always difficult to advise you on a specific amount for pocket money, as it depends entirely on your shopping plans and the Dinar exchange rate. We suggest carrying a minimum of €60 per person.

Water and Beverages

Water is not in short supply, but obtaining it often requires considerable effort from camel herders and camels: detours to water sources, transport, and so on. Therefore, it's conserved wisely and respectfully.

Your steps may lead you to a guelta, which is always an emotion in the Sahara. Do not pollute it! Sometimes water may appear muddy or have a particular taste, which is why we advise you to bring water purification tablets.

Little water is necessary for basic washing. Bring soap and a towel (in your backpack) for quick washing when passing a water source during a stage.

Dehydration

At these low latitudes, exposure to strong sunlight, even if the temperature isn't particularly high, can cause dehydration or heat stroke of varying severity. Often there are no warning signs, and discomfort can seriously undermine the success of your stay for both yourself and others. Prevention is essential; the rule is simple: keep minimal skin exposed to the sun, keep your head covered, and drink sufficiently. Eye protection must not be forgotten. When heat becomes significant, it's important to learn to distinguish thirst from true physiological need for water. A dry mouth isn't necessarily a sign of real thirst. If you pay attention, you'll notice that your body adapts and behavioral responses change; the need to drink diminishes. Both excessive and insufficient water consumption can cause dysfunction.

Food and Meals

Given the climate and our travel method, we cannot transport fresh vegetables and fruits for several days for a group of 8 to 15 people.

• Breakfast: bread, jam, instant coffee, tea, chocolate, milk, sugar, and cereals. Trail snacks are distributed in the morning (fruit paste, nougat, almond paste, dried fruits).
• Midday meal: cold. Various salads (potatoes, lentils, rice, etc.)
• Evening meal: prepared with gas. Soups, rice, pasta, couscous, potato stew, fresh or dried meat, cheese.
• Desserts: mandarins or oranges, dates, fruit in syrup, compotes.

Bread is transported for all or part of the journey. We package it to preserve it as best we can, which we manage fairly easily in winter. In warm periods, bread preservation is more delicate as it dries and takes on the appearance of biscotti! You then need to know how to eat pieces rather than slices, and how to dip it in your lunch bowl or soup.

When wood is sufficiently abundant, we also prepare the local flatbread, taguella.

You, Your Camera, and the Local Population

The temptation is always strong to capture people you meet on film; and often this desire is all the stronger the briefer the encounter. Yet it should be the opposite. It's more acceptable for locals to be photographed by strangers if there has been a genuine exchange. The least you should do is ask permission, and if you're refused, don't insist. We sometimes speak of stolen photos, taken hastily. Better to ask and be able to give something back—send a print. This is often promised but not always delivered. And how can you deliver a photo if you don't take time to note the addresses of the people? Even nomads have a means to receive mail, through a friend's or relative's post office box.

Photography is prohibited at airports, airfields, barracks, and guard or control posts.

Flash photography of rock art is forbidden (it causes degradation) but is permitted without flash, even in the Ajjer Park.

Gifts

If you wish to show satisfaction and gratitude to your travel companions (guide and camel herders), know that they will be as moved as you by any sign of friendship. Yet also know that here, more than elsewhere, the manner of giving is worth more than what is given.

Prehistoric Objects and Mineralogical Samples...

All circuits in the Central Sahara are located within the National Parks of the Ahaggar (Hoggar) and Tassili n'Ajjer. We must seriously warn you on this point: It is FORBIDDEN to collect and remove stone or metal tools and utensils (arrowheads, bifaces, scrapers, grinding stones, etc.), any mineralogical samples (stones, quartz, sand, etc.), or gazelle or mouflon horns (gathered on the ground, however weathered). Any person caught red-handed engages their sole responsibility. Customs authorities conduct inspections; any person caught red-handed engages their sole responsibility.

A Little Ecology

The ecological balance of desert regions is fragile, and waste degrades very slowly. Each visitor is responsible for the cleanliness and condition of the sites they traverse and where they camp. Thus you must take care to leave the landscape as pristine as you had the pleasure of discovering it. We're not accustomed to managing our own waste, but here we must. Everyone should therefore carry a lighter or matches to burn toilet paper and wipes (check that they are completely consumed, as this isn't always easy).

Other waste must not mix biodegradable and non-biodegradable items. Kitchen scraps always benefit some goats, insects, or small mammals. Other waste must be burned with some wood, then you must recover metal, glass, and aluminum, store them, and bring them back to town.

Experience shows that this task cannot be delegated—you must handle it yourselves.

Never put anything in the fire except wood, especially when Touaregs are nearby or will use the fire to make flatbread. We also remind you that throughout the Sahara, never throw a date pit in the fire.