Private tour itinerary
Algeria Cultural Tour — 5 Days
Five days from the Casbah to the Sahara — Algiers, Roman Tipaza, and the timeless M'Zab Valley, with a private licensed guide throughout. Private trip on your own dates, with a licensed local guide.
Day by day
Day 1Arrival in Algiers
Welcome at Houari Boumediene Airport and a private transfer to your hotel. Settle in and rest; overnight in Algiers.
- Houari Boumediene Airport — Met inside the terminal by your guide and driven straight out — no queues at the taxi rank, no haggling on your first hour in the country.
- The bay road into Algiers — The coastal approach to the capital, with the white terraces of the city stacked in tiers above the harbour.
- Central Algiers — Check-in and an evening free to walk the seafront arcades and Martyrs’ Square at your own pace before the touring starts.
Day 2Tipaza & Cherchell
After breakfast, drive the coast to the Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania and the Roman ruins of Tipaza. Lunch by the Mediterranean, then the Cherchell Archaeological Museum. Return for the night in Algiers.
- The Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania — A great stone drum on a hill above the sea — the 1st-century-BC tomb of Berber king Juba II and Cleopatra Selene, daughter of Cleopatra of Egypt.
- Roman Tipaza — A UNESCO-listed Roman port strung along the Mediterranean — basilicas, baths and a theatre with the waves at their feet.
- Cherchell (ancient Caesarea) — Juba II's old capital, whose museum holds some of Algeria's finest Roman and Greek mosaics and statuary.
Day 3Algiers city & flight to Ghardaïa
Explore the UNESCO Casbah, the Bardo Museum and the Martyrs' Memorial. In the evening, fly south to Ghardaïa for the night.
- The Casbah of Algiers — The UNESCO-listed Ottoman citadel — a steep white labyrinth of palaces, mosques and courtyard houses climbing above the bay.
- The Bardo Museum — Prehistory and ethnography inside a graceful Moorish villa, from Saharan rock-art casts to silver jewellery and everyday Algeria.
- The Martyrs' Memorial (Maqam Echahid) — Three soaring concrete palm-fronds raised in 1982 over the city, honouring the dead of the war of independence.
Day 4Sahara around Ghardaïa
A desert day near Ghardaïa with a traditional lunch and time in the dunes. Overnight in Ghardaïa.
- The palm groves & foggaras — Gardens watered for a thousand years by the foggara — underground channels that make life possible in the dry valley.
- A traditional Saharan lunch — Taguella — flatbread baked in the hot sand — with grilled meat and mint tea, eaten under an awning at the dune’s edge.
- The dunes near Ghardaïa — An afternoon on the sand at the Sahara’s edge, with a traditional lunch under the desert sky.
Day 5M'Zab Valley & return
Visit El Atteuf and the Sidi Brahim mausoleum, lunch in Ghardaïa, then fly back to Algiers.
- El Atteuf — The oldest of the five M’Zab towns, whose simple Sidi Brahim mosque so struck Le Corbusier that it shaped modern architecture.
- The Sidi Brahim mausoleum — Whitewashed and hand-moulded, almost sculptural — the cubist purity that drew European architects to the M’Zab.
- The Ghardaïa market — The tiered arcaded square beneath a pyramid-minaret, the M'Zab's bustling heart for a thousand years.
Included
- Accommodation with breakfast
- Private transfers
- English-speaking guide
- Traditional lunches
- Desert excursion
Not included
- International flights
- Visa fees
- Personal expenses
- Tips
Good to know
- Best season: October–April (comfortable in the Sahara)
- Pace: Moderate, with an internal flight to Ghardaïa
- Style: Private, guided, 4 nights — accommodation & breakfast included
- Bring: Modest dress for the Casbah & M'Zab, sun protection, comfortable shoes
How to book
- Your dates are held free for 72 hours while we confirm.
- Free cancellation up to 5 days before departure.
- 5% off when you book 60+ days ahead.
- Visa support included; full refund if your visa is refused.
https://algeriacompass.com/tours/algeria-cultural-tour/