EXPEDITION WORLD

SAHARA

ALGERIA SAHARA - HOGGAR MOUNTAINS, TASSILI DU HOGGAR & TASSILI N'AJJER

Tamanrasset, Assekrem, Tassili du Hoggar, Erg d'Admer, Rock Art, Djanet 

NIGER SAHARA  - TÉNÉRÉ DUNES

Agadez, Bilma, Djado Plateau, Ténéré Dunes, Aïr Mountains

CHAD SAHARA  - ENNEDI PLATEAU

N'djamena, Faya, Ounianga Lakes, Fada, Ennedi Plateau, Guelta d'Archei

LIBYA SAHARA  - LEPTIS & LAKES

Leptis Roman ruins, Ghadames old city, Dune lakes, Akakus Mountains

Desert nights under the stars

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Dates for our Sahara expeditions will be between December and March.

Prices start at £950 plus flights for two weeks.

For further details please email: - sianpj@hotmail.com

PLEASE NOTE: Due to recent terrorist activities, our programmes in Algeria and Chad are currently suspended. The situation in Niger is less clear; please contact us for any changes on this.

Scroll down for more details below: -

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ALGERIA SAHARA  - TASSILI N'AJJER & HOGGAR MOUNTAINS

Photo: Hoggar Mountains, Algeria. For more photos please continue to scroll down...

As the political situation in much of Algeria has improved, we ran two trips in the country (January - February 2003). It is with great relish that we return to this fascinating region, with its great mountains, desert landscapes and fascinating rock art. For next year we are planning a new expedition, beginning in the oasis town of Tamanrasset and the Hoggar Mountains. Travelling by 4x4, our expedition heads south to the exquisite scenery of the Tassili du Hoggar and on to the dunes of the Erg d'Admer. From Djanet we trek in the Tassili n’Ajjer with its labyrinths, canyons and rock art.  

We meet the Tuareg nomads, explore hidden canyons, gaze at the fascinating rock formations, discover the Neolithic art paintings and camp under the stars. We experience the incredible tranquillity of the desert, the brilliant starry nights and the warm welcome of our nomadic hosts. Conditions are quite basic, but the simplicity of life in the desert has a calming and revitalising quality. 

Photo: Tassili du Hoggar, Algeria. For more photos please continue to scroll down...

Photo: Tassili du Hoggar Camp, Algeria. For more photos please continue to scroll down...

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NIGER SAHARA  - TÉNÉRÉ DUNES

Photo: Camping in the dunes, Niger. For more photos please continue to scroll down...

These stunning new expeditions and treks to the remote and beautiful Sahara of Niger offer fabulous desert landscapes, colourful nomadic people and festivals, camel caravans, remote oases and abandoned citadels.

Aïr Mountains (Trekking option)

Our trekking expedition begins in the magical mud city of Agadez, with its colourful nomad markets and ancient mud mosque. North of Agadez are the dark volcanic Aïr mountains, a rugged landscape of towers, brooding massifs,  hidden canyons and isolated lush oases. Our trek takes us into these canyons and remote communities, to the amazing rocky outcrop of Adrar Chiriet surrounded by incredible dunes.  After the trek we travel by 4-wheel-drive along remote sandy pistes further into the stunning orange-coloured sand dunes which border the Aïr Mountains. East are the flat empty plains of the famous Ténéré desert. We follow in the tracks of  ancient salt camel caravans, where hundreds of camels continue to bring salt from the distant oases of Fachi and Bilma to Agadez.

Exploring Djado (4 X 4 option )

We travel by 4-wheel-drive along remote sandy pistes to the ancient salt caravan trading oases of Fachi and Bilma. Often we share our route with hundreds of camels, which continue to carry salt and other produce across the vast empty spaces. Then, after passing through the busy market town of Dirkou, we head into the fantastically eroded plateaux of Djado, visiting the crumbling citadels of Djado and Djaba, which are now abandoned. We next cross the flat empty plains of the famous Ténéré into the stunning orange-coloured sand dunes which border the dark volcanic Aïr Mountains. Here we see isolated nomadic herders and lush oases with date palms and luxuriant gardens.

Our Tuareg guides navigate by the sun and the stars. Each night we bivouac under an amazing starry sky.

Please ask if either of these itineraries interest you, as we can often arrange for you to link up with a local group out there if our own group dates do not suit you.

Photo: Bianou Festival, Agadez, Niger. For more photos please continue to scroll down...

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CHAD SAHARA  - ENNEDI PLATEAU

Photo: Camping in the Ennedi Mountains, Chad. For more photos please continue to scroll down...

This new exploratory expedition to the remotest part of the Sahara in the wilds of northern Chad  offers amazing desert landscapes, colourful nomadic people, camels and remote oases. Our journey  concludes with a glimpse of the village life of the Sahel and the markets of N'djamena. We travel by 4-wheel-drive along remote sandy pistes to isolated oases, the amazing deep blue lakes of Ounianga Kebir and Serir, surrounded by the dunes and wild rocky outcrops of the eastern Tibesti. Among the fantastically eroded  contorted red bluffs of the Ennedi plateau in eastern Chad, we hope to locate the rare desert dwarf crocodiles in the canyon of the Guelta d'Archei.

With the rebellion in the north-west of Chad now over, there will soon hopefully be the chance to explore the volcanic landscape of the Tibesti, visiting the mountain of Emi Koussi and the sulphurous crater of Trou au Natron.

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LIBYA SAHARA  - LEPTIS & LAKES

Only recently opened to tour groups, the Libyan Sahara has some hidden desert treasures, as well as some of the best-preserved Roman ruins.

From Tripoli, the pleasant capital city with its castle museum, old bazaars and mosques, we first head east to the incredible ruins of Leptis Magna. Close to the large southern oasis town of Sebha are the Awbari dunes. Hidden in these massive dunes are some astonishing blue lakes, ringed by date palms and vivid green bulrushes. The drive through these dunes is nothing short of breathtaking. We continue southwest to the remote outpost of Ghat, to explore the Akakus Mountains, a beautiful area of mesas, canyons, rock art and sand.

The second week involves either a) crossing into southern Algeria, visiting the Tadrart en route to Djanet, and taking a short trek to visit the rock art on the Tassili plateau, or b) continuing on a little-used 4X4 piste directly north from Ghat to Ghadames. Ghadames is an ancient settlement and oasis, where caravans would stop to replenish supplies en route across the Sahara to Timbuktu. The old city has some magnificent houses, white mosques and fascinating labyrinthine alleys. Finally we head back north, visiting the old granaries of Nalut and Kabao en route to Tripoli.

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These expeditions are all quite arduous; conditions are very basic, water is scarce, washing is not an everyday feature and the climate can be harsh and tiring. They are by any definition true expeditions and must be treated very seriously.

They are however fascinating desert regions not to be missed, now that the Sahara has again begun welcoming outsiders.

Rock paintings at Sefar, Tassili n'Ajjer, Djanet, Algeria

Ghadames old city, Libya

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