Tassili N'Ajjer,
Algeria, October, 2026


Participants: - confirmed
  2 tentative
Trip Status: TENTATIVE

The classic sites of the Tassili n'Ajjer plateau above Djanet have been inaccesible for a long time due to security concerns, finally in 2022 the Algerian authorities started issuing parmits again for foreign visitors to ascend the plateau above Djanet. In 2022 and 2024 we visited some of the most important localities of the Tassili du Tamrit, on the first part of this trip we plan to focus on the southern parts of the area. A number of days are planned to visit remote and not systematically surveyed areas of the plateau, but we will also spend ample time at the key known localities for photography, sometimes with the possibility to return in different light conditions. We will ascend the Akba Edjefane, visiting both the classic sites of Jabbaren, Aouenrhet and Adjefou recorded by the Lhote missions, Ozanehare discovered by Lajoux, plus a number of other areas over a 15 day camel-supported trek. While the terrain will not be particularly difficult, the ascent involves an altitude gain of about 500 metres, there are no trails, and on some of the exploring days we will do in excess of 15 kilometres in a day, so a reasonable degree of fitness and some trekking experience is required. Following the trek on the plateau there will be another 10 day car/camel trip to the west-central Tassili, Ifedanioune, Tamadjert (see March 2017) and the Oued Tirehart. The two parts are designed so it is possible to participate in only the first or second parts (or both).

NOTE: the group size is limited to a maximum of 10 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 mid-April.

 

Day 0. – Algiers - Djanet

Air Algerie departs around 22:00 to Djanet (sometimes direct, sometimes via an intermediate stop), arriving early next morning. This permits international arrivals up to late afternoon on this day, spending the afternoon and evening at the fine cafeteria of the Domestic terminal. If any of you elect to arrive a day or two earlier (to see Algiers or to get rid of the jetlag) I will help arrange a hotel in town or near the airport as preferred.

Day 1. - Djanet

We will need time to stock up on supplies and get our National Park passes, and in any case a lazy morning will be welcome after the night flight. I’ll do the necessary shopping in the morning, during which it will be possible to visit some rock art sites within Djanet itself, then drive to the foot of the Akba Edjefane to camp there in the evening.

Day 2. - Akba Edjefane - In Aouenrhet

At dawn our bags and supplies will be loaded on to the camels, and we will ascend the Akba Edjefane (about 4-5 hours from bottom to plateau top at a slow easy pace). Our camp will be at the top of the pass not far south from In Aouenrhet, which we may visit in the afternoon.

Day 3 - Ralan Rahla - Adjefou

In the morning our camels will continue to the camp at Adjefu, while we will take a more circuitous route via Ralan Rahla and some sites on the way to Adjefou. I expec that we will have time to see some of the Adjefou sites in the afternoon. Day’s distance about 10km.

Day 4 - Adjefou

We visited Adjefou very briefly in October 2024. Clearly there is much more in the area than what we have managed to see, now a whole day is allotted to visit the known sites, and explore the broader area for likely undocumented ones.

Day 5-6 - Adjefou - Ouan Abou

Ouan Abou is about 10 kilometres to the south east of Adjefou, it is the easternmost ste on the plateau that was documented by the Lhote missions. There is a superb Iheren style panel of giraffe there, the exact location is not knon so we will likely have to spend some time to find it. There is also a promising-looking rocky area about 9km t0 the south of Adhefou, which to my knowledge remains unexplored. At the moment it is unclear if we can make the trek to Ouan Abou via this area (will need to check if there is a trail suitable for camels), or we go direct to Ouan Abou and make a day-trip from there (about 7km each way) t0 search the area.

Day 7-8 - Plateau east of Ozanehare

One characteristic feature of many shelters with paintings is a semicircle of rocks placed in front of the shelter, or similarly constructed barriers closing off bays with shelters. While the exact age of these structures is not known, they are a very good indicator of rock art, and show up clearly on satellite imagery. There are a number of sclsters of such structures to the north of the Oued Amazar and about 10-15 kilometres east of Ozanehre. I'm not sure of the exact route we may take (the camels will need to descend into the Oued Amazar, and climb back up to the plateau on the far side, the plan is to make it about 10-12 km to the north of Oued Amazar, and using that camp as a base we can do a day-trip to visit as many of the identified target areas as possible on the second day.

Day 9-10 - Ozanehare

It will probably take the morning of the first day to reach Ozanehare, where we will make a base camp for three nights. We may spend the afternoon of the first day and the whole of the second day visiting the Ozanehare sites, having enough time to see all the important ones in the best possible light. There are still some reported panels to be found, plus a number of likely shelters identified on satellite imagery to be checked out in the vicinity.

Day 11 - Rayaye & vicinity

Using Ozanehare as a base we will make a day-trip to the north, where a large number of enclosures have been identified to the east and north of the known sites of Rayaye. Checking them all will easily take up the entire day.

Day 12 - Ozanehare - Tabarakat (north) - Jabbaren

Jabbaren is about 10 km to the south west of Ozanehare. The camels will take the direct route, while we will take a more northerly course, to check out a large cluster of sites in the vicinity of the lone site we found in October 2022. Time permitting we may visit the shelter of the nine chariots at Tabarakat south (about 2km to the south east) before hading to camp at Jabbaren (for three nights), or we may leave it for a later day.

Day 13 - Jabbaren

We will spend a full day at the classic sites of Jabbaren, one of the most important rock art localities on the Tassili. We will have the opportunity to re-visit sites to suit the best light conditions for photography.

Day 14 - Jabbaren East (& Tabarakat)

Lhote called the entire northern bank of the Oued Amazar Jabbaren, but there is a good 2km between the main sites and the easternmost cluster. We visited the latter in October 2024

, but in a rather hurried fashion, we probably missed a number of sies. Now we will have the day just for these, plus in the afternoon if needed we may visit the main cluster of Tabarakat just 2km to the noth.

Day 15 - Tin Taharin - Akba Aroum

The camels will need to take a longer circouitous roure to descend via the Akba Edjefane (with our luggage) that will take them most of the day, while we will take the much shorter way down via the Akba Aroum, permitting a visit in the morning to the amazing and little known sites of Tin Taharin (Matalen Amazar of Lajoux). All things going well we should be down mid-afternon, roughly the same time our camels will also reach the bottom.

At this point it will be possible to leave the group (or join just for the second part), with the flight from Algiers arriving after midnight, and leaving for the return in the small hours.

Day 16-25 - Ifedaniouene, Tamadjert & Oued Tirehart

The second part of the trip will be a 10 day circuit of the south western Tassili, driving along the N2 road till Tasset, and continuing along the southern edge of the Tassili via the Ifedaniouene region to the oasis of Tamadjert. There are numerous superb rock art sites along the way, mostly recorded by Jürgen Kunz and Brigitte & Ulrich Hallier (Including the amazing Iheren style giant buffalo hunt). The exact itinerary will be decided as we get closer to departure, from Tamadjert we will make a 4 day camel supported trek to see the rock art sites documented by Jürgen Kunz in the Oued Tirehart.

Day 26. Return to Algiers

Air Algerie flights to Algiers depart in the small hours, arriving early in the morning, connecting to onward international flights later in the morning & afternoon.

 

 

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

 

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