# Djanet Sahara Safari — 5-Day Tadrart Rouge

> Five days deep in the Algerian Sahara around Djanet — the red sandstone Tadrart, golden dunes, prehistoric rock art and nights under the stars.

- Price: from €828 per person (private trip or small group)
- Duration: 5 days · 4 nights
- Starts: Djanet
- Best season: November–February (cool, clear)
- Guides speak: English, French, Spanish, Italian, Arabic, German, Russian
- Visa on arrival at Algiers airport possible: yes (the programme includes the Sahara)
- Web page: https://algeriacompass.com/tours/djanet-sahara-safari/
- Book (request, no payment to enquire): https://algeriacompass.com/contact/?tour=djanet-sahara-safari

## Overview

The Tadrart Rouge is not the Sahara of postcards. It is a sunken cathedral of red sandstone — arches, towers and canyons carved by wind over millions of years, set against dunes so fine they pour like water. For five days you travel deep into Algeria's far south by 4×4, sleep in desert camps beneath a sky thick with stars, and walk among rock paintings made when this desert was green savanna. There are no crowds, no fences, no souvenir stalls — only the silence of the Sahara and a small Tuareg team who know every dune and spring by name.

## Highlights

- The sculpted landscapes of Tadrart Rouge
- Ancient rock engravings and formations
- Walks across golden dunes
- Unforgettable Sahara sunsets
- Nights in desert camps under the stars
- Tuareg hospitality and tea rituals

## Day by day

### Day 1 — Arrival & into the desert

Meet your desert team in Djanet, then a 4×4 drive into the Sahara. Sunset over the dunes and a first night at desert camp.
- **Djanet**: The Tuareg oasis capital of the south-east — palmeries beneath red cliffs, your gateway to the Tassili.
- **First dunes at sunset**: A 4×4 run onto the sand for the day’s last light and a first night at desert camp.
- **The first bivouac**: Camp goes up in the lee of a dune — mats, a low table and a wood fire — and the first night passes without a single electric light.

### Day 2 — Tadrart Rouge

Drive through the Tadrart's red rock and sand valleys with photo stops, ending the day with sunset and a desert camp.
- **The Tadrart Rouge**: Wind-carved orange sandstone canyons and arches — among the Sahara's most cinematic landscapes.
- **Sculpted rock arches**: Stone arches and balancing boulders shaped over millennia — the Tadrart’s signature forms.
- **Sand seas & sunset camp**: Wide dune fields that flush crimson at dusk before a night under exceptionally dark skies.

### Day 3 — Dunes & rock art

Explore the great dunes and ancient engravings on foot, pause for tea, watch the sunset and overnight in camp.
- **The great dunes on foot**: Climbing the high sand for the silence and the view — the heart of the desert experience.
- **Prehistoric rock art**: Paintings and engravings of herders, hunters and wildlife from a green Sahara up to ~10,000 years old — older than the pyramids.
- **Tuareg tea ceremony**: The customary three glasses of Saharan tea with a Tuareg family — the living culture of the deep south.

### Day 4 — Deep desert

Travel further into remote desert, into the silence and wide horizons of the Sahara; final night at camp.
- **Remote ergs & plateaus**: Hours of open desert chosen for emptiness, not landmarks — the Sahara at its most absolute.
- **The long midday halt**: Shade under an acacia or a rock overhang while the heat passes: a mat, lunch, tea, and two or three hours of doing nothing at all.
- **The final bivouac**: The last camp of the circuit, pitched wherever the evening light is best, with dinner over the fire and the full sweep of stars.

### Day 5 — Return to Djanet

Breakfast in the desert and a scenic drive back to Djanet, where the journey ends.
- **Breakfast at camp**: Bread from the sand oven, dates, jam and coffee, packed up as the first light comes over the sandstone.
- **The drive north through the Tadrart**: The return run to the oasis — the same red rock country you came through, seen in the opposite light.
- **Djanet**: The Tuareg oasis and Tiska Airport, where the circuit ends and the flight north begins.

## Included

- Pick-up and drop-off in Djanet
- 4×4 desert vehicle throughout
- Professional desert driver
- Local Tuareg guide
- Full board (breakfast, lunch, dinner)
- Camping equipment
- Bottled water

## Not included

- International and domestic flights
- Visa fees
- Personal expenses
- Tips (optional)
- Travel insurance

## Questions

**Is it safe?**
Yes — the Djanet region and its organised desert routes are calm and welcoming, run with licensed local guides and the required permits.

**Where do we sleep?**
In desert camps under the stars; bedding and equipment are provided.

**Do I need to be fit?**
A normal level of fitness is enough; walks are short and at your pace.

**How do we get to Djanet?**
By domestic flight from Algiers; we advise on timings (flights are not included).

## Booking & policies

- Request to book: dates are held free for 72 hours with no payment while availability, permits and flights are confirmed; a 20% deposit paid before arrival then secures the trip, and the balance is paid on arrival in Algeria. Payment by bank transfer, card or PayPal.
- 5% off when booked at least 60 days before departure.
- Free cancellation up to 5 days before departure, full refund. Within 5 days, committed costs may not be recoverable; the rest is refunded.
- If the visa is refused, everything paid to Algeria Compass is refunded.
- Visa: Consulate route: invitation letter 25 USD for a programme of at least 3 days with airport pickup and drop-off. Visa on arrival at Algiers airport for organised programmes that include the Sahara: authorisation 45 USD, plus the arrival stamp paid at the airport (by length of stay).