Tassili N'Ajjer,
Algeria, October, 2025


Participants: 2 confirmed
  4 tentative
Trip Status: CONFIRMED

Some of the remoter classic sites of the Tassili n'Ajjer recorded by the Tschudi and Lhote missions are in the northern zone of the plateau above Djanet, clustered around the principal locality of Tissoukaï. In October 2023 we already made a two week trek to the area, on this trip we plan to see a number of sites we missed last time in addition to the principal known sites, ascending the Akba Assako, returning via Ouan Agouba and the Akba Isselihouhene over a 16 day camel supported trek.

NOTE: the group size is limited to a maximum of 12 participants to avoid overcrowding the sometimes small shelters, and also to allow everyone a reasonable time for photography while not having to wait forever for the whole group to finish. Participants will be confirmed on a first come, first served basis. If you are contemplating this expedition pease CONTACT ME so I can put you on the mailing list, I expect to have firm costs and dates by end of February.

 

The camels will carry our luggage and supplies, we only need to walk with a light day-pack. The first two days will be the most difficult part (about 550m elevation to be gained), but in comparison to the other passes it is relatively easy, with almost half of the elevation gained while walking on a low gradient to the bottom of the pass. Once on the top, our daily walks will be in the 10-15 kilometre range, again on relatively easy terrain. While no special training or preparation is needed for the trip, it is expected that participants will be sufficiently fit physically, with a climb of a few hundred metres in altitude or a continuous walk of 6-8 kilometres on pathless rocky terrain not posing any difficulty.

Day 0. – Algiers - Djanet

Our trip will depart from Djanet, which is easily accessible from Algiers with Air Algerie domestic flights. If possible Departure day will be fixed to coincide with the dates when there are late evening non-stop flights to Djanet rather than the three hour longer overnight triangle via Tamanrasset. The late evening departure to Djanet allows everyone to comfortably manage their international flights to arrive to Algiers during the day.

Day 1. - Djanet

I will need a day to purchase and sort supplies, during which it will be possible to visit sites in the Djanet area, or just relax for a day after the long flights, before we start our trek. In the evening we will move out to the starting point of the trek about 20 kilometres to the north of Djanet to be able to start our walk early in the morning the next day.

Day 2.-3. Approach and ascent of Akba Aroum

In the late fifties the French army built a motorable piste to the foot of the pass, but now that is completely washed away in places by the recent heavy rains, at present the pass is only accessible on foot. It takes about a day and a half to reach the foot of the pass (about 20km), via the fine rock art site of Tajouiset. All things going well we should be on the top of the pass by late afternoon on the second day.

Day 4.-14. Tassili n'Ajjer plateau

The precise itinerary will be fine-tuned in consultation with participants as we approach departure date, this is just a broad outline with key highlights:

One of our main objectives will be to visit the locality of Abarkaku, where the 1960 Lhote mission copied a very interesting Iheren style panel. For a long time its whereabouts remained unknown, but recently Frederique Duquesnoy managed to re-locate the site, north west of Tissoukaï. From the top of the pass the distance to be covered is around 20km, we should need two days to reach it including a visit to the little known area of Ti Djedjan along the way.

After Abarkakou we will spend another two days visiting the classic sites of Ouan Mellen, Techekalaouen and Ouan Selalamine. While most of these are well known, at Ouan Selalamine there are still a number or Lhote copies to be located.

  

We will spend three full days in the Tissoukaï area, visiting the main sites and also searching for the good number of ones we were unable to locate in October 2023.

 
 

TISSOUKAÏ

The "rock city" of Tissoukaï is one of the most important cassic localities on the Tassili n'Ajjer, with more than 150 panels of paintings located and copied by the 1960 Lhote mission, including some unique scenes with no ready parallels elsewhere.


 

The majority of the paintings are pastoral scenes in the Sefar-Ozaneare and Iheren styles, but there are also a number of important "Roundhead" figures.


 



The area was little visited even before the plateau was closed, there are very few guides who know the area and the paintings. Fortunately the Lhote team prepared a fairly accurate map based on aerial photographs, they proved invaluable in locating sites.

 
 

Using Tissoukaï as a base, we will make a day-trip to Rhardes in the north, where I very much hope to be able to locate the imressive Iheren style giant buffalo that was recorded by the 1960 Lhote mission, but nobody has seen it since.

After the Tissoukaï area we will trek towards the south east, spending three days visiting Takédédoumatine (which we did not see in October 2023), Tin Imgharen, Tin Tekelt and Ouan Mata, before reaching Ouan Agouba for the evening of the third day. Takédédoumatine is the only locality in this area that was recorded by the Lhote missions with 27 copies made. There are anumber of interesting looking panels, for which we will need to search as there is no map of the area.

  

The last day on the plateau before starting descent will be spent visiting the splendid Ouan Aguba sites. Most have been located during our October 2022 visit, but there are still a number of Lhote copies unaccounted for.

  


Day 15 - 17 - Descent via the Akba Isselihouhene

From Ouan Agouba we will need a day to reach the top of the pass, possibly with some rock art along the way (I don't know this area, but our gide might know some sites). The pass itself should take a half day to descend, then it will be another day (total from top of pass about 20km) down along the oued till we reach the point where the cars can collect us and drive to Djanet. All things going well we will return to Djanet by mid-afternoon, to catch the flight back to Algiers early the next morning.


Day 18. Return to Algiers

With the overnght flight and the early morning arrival to Algiers it will be possible to catch the flights back to Europe and beyond the same day.

 

 

For information on expected costs, planned dates and any further questions, please send me an email.

 

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