The Sahara is the largest desert on earth, which everyone imagines as a vast expanse of sand dunes, but in reality the surface of the desert is mainly soil and stones, while the dunes occupy an area of only 20%.
In its history it has gone through various climatic conditions, sometimes much drier than today and sometimes green and full of animals.
The most famous inhabitants of the desert are the Tuaregs, a proud nomadic people with amazing abilities to survive in harsh environmental conditions. Unlike other Muslim countries, here men wear the turban covering their face, women not so much. They are also called "Blue People" since their clothes dyed with blue indigo color often fade on their skin.
This project is being developed in Sefar, which is part of the large Tassili N'Ajjer National Park, a lunar landscape covered in silent canyons and a spectacular backdrop of stone towers, all filled with caves, about 5,000 prehistoric troglodytic dwellings and more than 15,000 rock paintings and petroglyphs, up to 12,000 years old.
The themes of some images have a very special style, taken from an almost alien world with strange characters with helmets and flying devices reminiscent of cosmonauts, people in modern clothes, etc. They are among the oldest and most enigmatic painting images in the world. It is also called the 8th Wonder as the largest open-air museum in the world and has been included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites since 1982.
The area of Sefar which is inaccessible by car, we will explore by doing a 7-day trekking with the support of donkeys that will carry our luggage and camping equipment.
Arrival in Algiers until late afternoon. In the evening we take the night flight to Djanet. Indicative flight times for departure at 21:40 and arrival in Djanet at 23:55.
Transfer to Hotel Tenere Village or La Grotte des Ambassadeurs for rest in double rooms with bathroom and breakfast ( -)
Note: Air Algerie's domestic flight times are usually scheduled a few months in advance and change seasonally. They will be specified when the reservation is made.
After breakfast we are transported by 4x4 cars to the area of Akba Tafilalet, where we meet our driver with the donkeys that will carry our camping equipment. After preparing for the hike, we begin our ascent to the plateau of Sefar, a huge lunar landscape of great geological and cultural interest. The stepped climb of slopes and gorges, passes between majestic cliffs until we ascend to the enchanted world of Sefar.
At the end of the ascent we reach Akba Tafilalet where we will camp to spend our first night. With the help of the staff we all set up our tents together and arrange our things in the tents. While the cook starts preparing the evening meal, we can spread out in the surrounding area collecting images of this unique landscape (P, M, B).
Day course 8 km, +520 m, 4-5 1/2 hours
Having now climbed the plateau, today's route has only small altitude fluctuations, we will walk to Tamrit, a 7 km, 4 hour route.
After lunch, we will explore the Tan Zoumaitak Rock City area by taking a circular route, looking for rock paintings in caves and walking among impressive monoliths. Between the rocks, the desert air in places has carried sand, although sandstone rocks form an eerie backdrop.
Our exploration reaches the edge of the Tamrit gorge, with spectacular views, where we come across rock paintings with successive figures of round-headed people, which Erich von Deniken described as "Martians". This is a style limited to this area and is very well preserved with experts estimating that they cover a period from 4,000 to 6,000 BCE.
Returning, we follow a gorge at the bottom of which a special microclimate has preserved some of the oldest cypress trees in the world with thousands of years old, remnants from the period when the Sahara was covered by forests (B,L,D).
We cross the Titarasneliesse plateau to Sefar, which is at the heart of this magical journey through time, and is the main destination of our journey. Here are some of the most important and famous rock paintings, a cultural feast of prehistoric images that make up the largest prehistoric art gallery in the world.
Geologically the area resembles a stone forest, perhaps the most impressive in Tassili. It is filled with tall rocky sandstone pillars and between them some rock arches for variety that give the impression that you are walking the streets and boulevards of a city with skyscrapers.
We arrive in Sefar at noon and spend the afternoon endlessly searching for images behind every corner, inside every cave, on every rock, of Sefar Black, so named because it contains a group of large black figures from the roundhead period. We camp in the area (B,L,D).
We explore Sefar White, named after the white figures that dominate, wandering through a labyrinth of rocks.
In this wandering we move slowly and carefully, as if someone is separated from the group, he no longer has any reference sign to find his orientation.
We are looking for rock paintings, some of which are so special that they have captured the imagination of the few visitors, since they refer to alien figures with their flying devices (B,L,D).
Departing for the Tin Tazarift area, among other rock paintings we will see the famous figure of the "great god", a large flying figure on the roof of a cave.
Our local guide moves safely in all corners of this mysterious world, with absolute confidence, and often surprises us by showing us figures very well hidden in unlikely places (B, L, D).
We complete the exploration of the plateau, with the area of Tin Aboteka and in the afternoon we return back to Tamrit for our last night on the plateau of Sefar.
During our marches in Sefar, it is certain that we will hardly realize what we have seen. The images are so overwhelming that the mind will find it difficult to assimilate immediately, a process that will take months and we will need to look again and again at the photos we have taken, analyze them and only then will we realize the magnitude and value of what we have seen.
Day of descent from the plateau back to the point where the cars are waiting for us to return to Djanet. Before we arrive, we will make a detour to see up close one of the most elaborate petroglyphs of the desert, the "weeping cow". It depicts figures of cows crying, with the artist of the time sending us the message of how painful human and animal life had become from the spread of the desert and the restriction of vegetation and water.
Djanet is a city of about 15,000 inhabitants founded in the Middle Ages. It is inhabited by Tuaregs and lately is the main tourist destination of the Algerian Sahara. Arriving we will go to the hotel for swimming and a little relaxation, while we also have the opportunity for a walk in the souvenir market of the city that is open until 6 in the afternoon.
Late evening transfer to the airport for the return flight (B, L, D).
After breakfast, we'll head to the airport for our return flight to Greece (end of tour guide services), with ITA Airways via Rome. Our flight departs at 12:05 and is expected to arrive at Eleftherios Venizelos at 18:40.
To reserve a place on the tour, it is necessary to carefully review the terms of participation outlined in the Participation Form. If you accept these terms, you can proceed to fill out the form, which can be accessed at https://forms.gle/JYY58M7Evr3Cwx4c8.
Once you have completed the form, a deposit of 500 € must be sent within 10 days. An additional payment of 500 € must be made until September 30, and the remaining balance must be paid in stages up to one month prior to departure. It's important to note that the cancellation of air tickets is subject to the terms and restrictions of each individual airline, and these policies are separate from the cancellation terms of the rest of the tour package.
The advance payment and payment should be sent to the account of ALPHA BANK with IBAN number: GR1001407960796002002013550, in the name of OUTDOORS TRAINING IKE.
During the transfer or deposit process, please note in the REASON field your name and the title of the trip TREKKING IN SAHARA.
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The cost of the trip includes basic travel insurance which provides coverage for various unforeseen situations such as health emergencies (e.g. injury on a course at an altitude of up to 3,000 m requiring transportation and hospitalization), loss of a flight, and other cases. The insurance even covers the total cancellation of the trip for up to €5,000, including cancellation due to COVID-19.
The coverage included is for ages up to 70 years old. For those between ages 70 and 80, an additional amount is required. Please contact us for more information.
You can click on the link below to see the benefits of the plan and get in touch with our travel consultant to have your questions about the coverages answered: Travel Insurance from Trekking Hellas - Travel Insurance
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