Top 6 reasons to go to Tassili Cultural Park
1. The infinite beauty of the various desert landscapes
The Sahara is the largest and most beautiful desert in the world. Tassili n'Ajjer Park, a region in the deep south east of undiscovered Algerian Sahara and almost twice the size of Switzerland, is the area we are heading to. Tassili n'Ajjer means 'Plateau of the Rivers', rivers that turned into deserts.
The plateau is a magnificent 'lunar' landscape of sandstone forests and canyons. Giant dunes, mountain ranges dotted with gueltas - natural water reservoirs -, strange rock formations and life of Tuaregs that follows age-old tribal traditions.
The former Belgian King Baudouin and the Spanish King Carlos loved the region of Tassili. Entering this park feels like entering a fairylike fantasy world.
Catch a glimpse of this magic world in the video beside.
2. The premier rock-art area in the world
Tassili n'Ajjer Park is listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site since 1982. It is home to one of the most important collections of prehistoric cave art in the world, offering a permanent open-air art exhibition on rocks and in caves.
There are some 15 000 drawings and engravings that depict hunting scenes with elephants, giraffes, lions and both human and spiritual beings. One of the most famous engravings is the weeping cow on a cliffside near Djanet. The cow is crying because of the desertification in the region and thus the lack of water.
This incredible open-air gallery tells us the story of the changing fortune of this part of the Sahara, the climate change, the animal migrations and the evolution of human life on the edge of the Sahara from 8000 to circa 1500 years ago.
The region of Tassili is also littered with arrowheads, arrow shafts and pottery shards. Wandering there feels like you are the first person walking into an ancient world.
3. Ancient trees and plants
Tassili is a floristic and faunistic island of Sahelian life in the middle of the desert, and harbours the endangered species of Saharan Cypress and Myrtle tree, one of the rarest trees in the world. Their existence dates to prehistoric times.
The Rose of Jericho, also called 'the Rose of the Desert', is one of those prehistoric plants. It's a small and grey plant of about 15 cm. After the rainy season, the plant dries up, dropping leaves and curling branches into a tight ball. Once it gets wet in the rainy season, this seemingly dead plant uncurls itself in a fast tempo into a white flower. That's why it's also known by the name 'the plant of Resurrection'. There is a similar plant called the false Rose of Jericho that uncurls itself in about three hours (!) into a green plant.
Most large animal species have disappeared but the Barbary sheep (mouflon), the gazelle, hyrax, wild cat and possibly the cheetah are still present. There are also birds like the white-crowned wheatear and the peregrine.
The most famous animal in Algeria is the fennec fox, a small nocturnal fox that lives in desert environments. The fennec fox is not only the national animal of Algeria, it also serves as the nickname for the Algerian national football team: "les Fennecs".
4. Tuareg People
Besides the stunning beauty of the various desert landscapes, what really makes this trip so special are the Tuaregs, the so-called "Free Men", who join us. The Tuareg guides look after you and know the Sahara by heart.
The Tuaregs are seminomadic of North African Berber origin and presently number circa 1 million. They live in southern Algeria, southwestern Libya, Mali and Niger, and in fewer numbers in Burkina Faso and Nigeria.
They speak Tamasheq, Arabic as well as French and sometimes English. For centuries they traded using camel caravans, now they use 4*4 to ply the desert.
Being with them around the campfire under a million stars, listening to their stories and jokes, and hearing them singing and making music, will give you a glimpse into a totally different world.
5. Serendipity
The Sahara is alluring and completely addictive. It is the place where Antoine de Saint-Exupéry found his inspiration to write Le Petit Prince: I have always loved the desert. One sits down on a desert sand dune, sees nothing, hears nothing. Yet through the silence something throbs, and gleams . . .
It is the place where you can find both serenity and serendipity. The desert brings out the best in you.
6. Disconnected
Disconnected from the world - no connection with phone or internet - you get the chance to be confronted with the breathtaking beauty of nature and the voidnes of humanity.
In the Algerian desert you only see your own traces and those of your companions. It feels like you are the first human who is wandering in this immense Park.