Overland region

The Tassili n'Ajjer and Djanet by 4x4: local guides and trips

Sandstone rock formations in the Tassili n'Ajjer
Photo: magharebia, CC BY 2.0

The Tassili n'Ajjer is a sandstone plateau in south-eastern Algeria, on the borders with Libya and Niger, with one of the most important groups of prehistoric rock art in the world; it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982. Djanet, the oasis town of the Kel Ajjer Tuareg, is the gateway. For anyone travelling with their own vehicle it means tracks along the Erg Admer and the Tigharghart region, canyons like Essendilène and Tikoubaouine and the oasis of Iherir, while some sites, like Jabbaren, are reached on foot. Here are the local guides who work in the area and the trips that cross it.

6 local guides and 7 trips in the Tassili n'Ajjer and Djanet on GuideMeet.

On the map

  1. Djanet Djanet — Town. Oasis town of the Kel Ajjer Tuareg at 1,035 m, on the south-west edge of the Tassili and the usual gateway to the plateau, the Erg Admer and the Tadrart Rouge. Pictured: Adjahil's palm grove. 24.5550, 9.4853 · Google Maps
  2. La vache qui pleure La vache qui pleure — Rock art. Neolithic engravings of a herd of cattle, over 7,000 years old, on a rock about 25 km from Djanet, in the Tigharghart region; the name comes from the tear on one of the cows. 24.3803, 9.4323 · Google Maps
  3. Erg Admer Erg Admer — Dunes. Sea of dunes west of Djanet, about 20 km wide and 100 km long from north to south; it starts in the heart of the Tassili, towards Essendilène, and runs south towards the Ténéré. 24.2167, 9.2333 · Google Maps
  4. Jabbaren Jabbaren — Rock art. Rock-art site about 20 km south-east of Djanet, with over 5,000 paintings and engravings in the Round Head and Bovidian styles; reached on foot by the Aghoum pass. 24.4724, 9.7132 · Google Maps
  5. Tamrit Tamrit — Plateau. High plateau of the Tassili, where some of the rare Saharan cypresses (tarout) survive, a species found only in the Tassili and a relic of a wetter climate. 24.6250, 9.6465 · Google Maps
  6. Séfar Séfar — Rock art. Massif about 20 km from Djanet with many rock shelters decorated with paintings, reached by Henri Lhote's expedition in March 1957. 24.6870, 9.6510 · Google Maps
  7. Tikoubaouine Tikoubaouine — Canyon. Canyon with a guelta, a natural rock pool, on the Tassili plateau north-west of Djanet. 24.8379, 9.0763 · Google Maps
  8. Essendilène Essendilène — Canyon. Uninhabited oasis in a canyon of the Tassili, north-west of Djanet; the disused French fort at its mouth inspired Frison-Roche's 1954 novel. Pictured: the Needle of Essendilène. 24.9515, 9.0018 · Google Maps
  9. Tin Taghirt Tin Taghirt — Rock art. Archaeological site between Dider and Iherir, known for engravings of animals such as an ostrich and a resting antelope. Pictured: the antelope. 25.1487, 8.5058 · Google Maps
  10. Iherir Iherir — Oasis. Oasis village at 1,070 m in a valley between high cliffs, some 150 km north-west of Djanet; its valley is a Ramsar wetland of international importance since 2001. 25.4119, 8.4131 · Google Maps

Local guides in the Tassili n'Ajjer and Djanet

Overland trips in the Tassili n'Ajjer and Djanet

Trips already run here

When to go

At Djanet June is the hottest month and January the coldest, with very hot summers and mild winters; rain is very irregular, only about 15 mm a year, so the cooler months are the more comfortable.

Before you go

Photo credits

Photos from Wikimedia Commons, under the licences shown.

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