Algeria Tours from the USA: Flights, Visa & Planning (2026)

Coming this far, most American travellers want to see the whole country rather than one corner of it. That means ten days or more, and it is worth it: Roman cities that rival anything in Italy with nobody in them, the Casbah, and the Sahara at the end.

This page gathers what matters when you are travelling from the US: getting there, the visa, time and money, when to go, and which of our private tours fit best. Every tour is private, on your own dates, with a licensed local guide. All our guides speak English.

Getting there

Non-stop service between the United States and Algeria has been limited or non-existent for years, so plan on one connection into Algiers (ALG). The usual routings run through Paris, Frankfurt, Rome, Madrid or Istanbul, or through Doha or Dubai; from the East Coast, door to door is typically 11 to 15 hours. Schedules change often — check current options when you book, and we will meet you at arrivals whichever way you come.

The visa

Visitors from the United States need a visa for Algeria. There are two routes:

1. A tourist visa from the Algerian embassy or consulate that serves you, applied for before you travel. Consulates want an invitation letter and a confirmed programme from a licensed Algerian operator — we prepare both with any programme of at least 3 days that includes airport pickup and drop-off (the invitation letter is $25).
2. The Saharan visa-authorisation, for organised trips that include the Sahara, such as Djanet or Timimoun — whichever airport you fly into. We issue the authorisation ($45) and the visa sticker is issued on arrival at Algiers airport; the arrival stamp is a separate fee paid at the airport.

Send us your nationality and travel dates and we will tell you which route applies. The details are on our entry and e-Visa page and in our visa guide.

Time, power and money

• Time: Algeria runs on UTC+1 all year, with no daylight saving. Algiers is 6 hours ahead of New York from November to mid-March and 5 hours ahead in summer; 9 hours ahead of Los Angeles in winter and 8 in summer.
• Power: Algeria uses 230 V power and European Type C and F plugs. Bring an adapter, and check that anything without a dual-voltage label (hair tools especially) can take 230 V.
• Money: Our tour prices are in euros, and you pay us before the trip, so your card handles the conversion. On the ground Algeria runs on cash: bring euros or US dollars in clean notes to change — euros are the more widely accepted. Cards are rarely accepted outside big hotels — see can I use credit cards in Algeria?

When to go

The Sahara is travelled from October to April, which lines up well with Thanksgiving, the Christmas break and spring break. For the Roman cities and the coast, spring (March–May) and autumn (September–November) are the sweet spots. See our month-by-month guide.

Tours that suit travellers from the US

• Complete Algeria — 10-Day Grand Tour — 10 days, from €1,176 per person
• Algeria Grand Discovery — 14 Days, Coast to Sahara — 14 days, from €1,850 per person
• Algeria Beyond Expectations — 10 Days — 10 days, from €1,176 per person
• Tadrart Rouge — 7 Days in the Red Sahara — 7 days, from €920 per person

For the top end, the 5-Star Collection is eight days all-inclusive — internal flights, five-star hotels, all meals and a private 4WD fleet — from €1,615 per person.

Every price is per person, published on the tour page, and fixed: it changes only if you ask for a custom itinerary or extra days. Cancellation is free up to 5 days before departure — see our booking terms.

Safety

The north of Algeria, the M’Zab Valley and the organised Sahara routes are calm and very welcoming; our safety guide sets out the evidence. Check the U.S. State Department’s advice at travel.state.gov before you book, as you would anywhere. Travel and medical insurance is required on our Sahara tours.

Plan it with us

Tell us your dates and how you like to travel, and we will build the trip around you — or answer the visa question first, before you commit to anything.