Tuareg and desert life
The Sahara is not only the beauty of the sensual undulation of the dunes, the caravans of the mirages. It is also a country where the standard of living is one of the lowest in the world, The Sahara in Arabic is the name given to a desert region of Africa, but its real name TINIRI, in native language that is the Berber language. the water of the wells is bitter, where one delights of the softer water, the rain. To live in the desert is not only to become like a hard, hostile, ruthless world. This is the legend of the blue man, indomitable warrior, able to survive on a land where the heat exceeds fifty degrees, where the hygrometry rate is close to that of the Moon.Capable to recognize his way without landmarks, looking at the sky and the stars,
able to distinguish a pebble at dizzying distances. A man courageous, generous and cruel as the world he lives. All over the world, people have adapted their way of life to the harsh constraints of the desert regions. Living in a desert forces men to look for water points for their survival and that of their herds. This continual search for water has forced men to live as nomads. Today nomadism only subsists in the poorest desert countries, semi-sedentarization or sedentarization is accompanied by a decline in livestock breeding for the benefit of oases and impoverishment of families who migrate to cities .the Sahara is one of the least populated places on the planet and yet, for centuries, men of all origins have been crossing each other. Several populations live together in the Sahara and the Sahel and are divided according to cultural areas, Berbers.
The origin of the Tuaregs is Berber, they are probably descendants of the tribes of the first inhabitants of North Africa, Their Berber culture is confirmed by the use of the same alphabet, tifinagh, and the same linguistic base the tamasheq, often called "the blue men" because of the color of their clothes and their dark skin on which the blue dye with indigo rub off. The tea ceremonial is a way to show hospitality and a pretext to discuss with the visitor of passage. Indeed the same green tea leaves are used to make three services as a result The first tea is bitter as death and the second as life and the last sweet set as love, The singular Touareg a Targui, in its form French, or Kel Tamasheq are a nomadic Berber people living in the central Sahara.To learn to survive in the desert, traditional education emphasizes psychological resistance, physical stamina, the faculty of orientation and the ecological knowledge. From an early age,
children learn to recite by heart the names of the valleys of their country as well as the names of the wells that represent stability and those who dug them, share between five states: Algeria, Libya, Mali, Niger and Burkina Faso, In each of The Tuaregs find themselves in the minority in demographic, political, economic, social, cultural and linguistic terms. Nomads do not recognize borders, they are deprived of their traditional economic activities and are subjected to the harassment of the leaders of the country. these new countries, they are about 1.3 million, divided into tribes
our treks in desert
Trip Prehistory rock art
Trekking with luggage carrying donkeys
Duration: 5 to 8 or 15 days
5 days: from Tafilalet to Tamrit and Sefar
8 days: from Tafilalet to Tamrit, Sefar and Jabarren
15 days: from Assakao to Tin Abateka, Tin Tazarift, Sefar, Tamrit and Jabbaren
It is a journey on foot, with donkeys, which will allow you to discover the rock paintings and carvings of Tassili N'Ajjer, as well as the most beautiful landscapes of the Algerian desert. World Heritage Site by UNESCO, the Tassili National Park is both the largest open-air museum of prehistoric art and the largest natural reserve in the world for flora.This is where 6,000 years ago, taking advantage of the humid climate of the time, nomadic shepherds chose to live and tell each other by painting wonderful little frescoes: the famous "paintings" we will make a big loop on the plateau to admire at once landscapes and paintings but also to share the life of the desert and its simplicity
Program
Day 01: arrival at the airport of Djanet, welcome by the team of the driver and Tuareg guide, and transfer to the foot of the cliff Tafelalet 4x4, Meeting with our team of donkeys and their donkeys
Day 02: Very early climb of the cliffs by the Tafelalaet pass (650m). discovery of the first millennial cypress then walk towards the Tamarit canyon.visite The cave paintings of Tan Zoumaïtak Back to Tamriat and bivouac Ouan Gouffa.
Day 03: Walk to the forest of Needles lnininen and his paintings (floats, archers, cattle,) and Tin Tazarift, where is the great fresco dancers and swimmer. The landscape becomes more and more insane! Bivouac Tin Tazarift.
Day 04: Visit and chase on Sefar "white" which shelter the greatest wonders of the rock art which mixes sand and rocky peaks until forming inextricable labyrinths ... The countless paintings ... show us the fauna and the life of l era: hunters, archer, antelope dogs and also the "Great God". In the afternoon, we enter the Safar "black" darker and stony, but full of paintings (African masks, Negroid characters, scenes of fertility, etc.) Bivouac Sefar.
Day 05: visit the rock paintings and canyons of Tin Taferaiste, and various landscapes archers, hunting scenes, cattle, Bivouac TiRassoutine
Day 06: visit rock paintings and varied landscapes we will see two cypresses arrival at the site of (Allagh-N'damente) bivouac.
Day 07: crossing the Plateau of Stones arrive at Idjabaren afternoon visit (the giants) where the paintings abound by the thousands (giants, beef to the lyre, round heads, cattle, hunters, etc ..) Bivouac.
Day 08: descent of the plateau in the afternoon by the Akba Arom Transfer to Djanet.Take Hamam (Shower) before going to visit the market, the center of the city, after transfer to tirarart to visit "the cow who weeps "famous and beautiful rock engraving, bivouac Transfer to the airport of Djanet for the flight.
Trip Oasis Iherir
4x4 trekking
Duration: 7 days
Iherir Located in the fabulous world of stone forests, spectacular gorges and labyrinthine canyons north of Tassili n'Adjer and 200 km from Djanet, the oasis of Iherir is home to a cluster of dwellings nestled in the depths of canyon at 1100-1400 meters above sea level, With the Tassili n'Adjer, the Iherir valley is classified world heritage (Unesco, 1982) and man and biosphere reserve (Unesco, 1986). It is recognized wetland of global interest under the terms of the Ramsar Convention (UNESCO, 2001), It is a world of extraordinary landscapes, rich of a vegetation and a fauna varied and sometimes endemic, where the permanent wadis are the last refuge of the fish, in full Sahara. It is also a very important place of Protoberbere rock art. This plateau region provides freshness in summer and ensures moderate temperature differences in winter. Near Ihter and green gueltas, we can discover a village, now abandoned, which was for years the summer village of the inhabitants of Ihter. A few rare families come to harvest the dates on these places, but do not live there, Iherir is a marvel for the Tuaregs themselves, for the curious hikers, and for the scientists of all horizons: geologists, naturalists, prehistorians
Program
01: arrival at the airport, welcome by our team Touareg. Transfer by 4x4 to your bivouac in Tirarrart
02: the trip starts towards the north of Djanet departure in 4x4; lunch in Tikoubaouene, visit the paintings of the arches and the Stone Forest. Afternoon, visit gueltas Tawiya arrival at Essendilene bivouac
03: visit the gueltas and canyons Essendilene the rise of the Tin Tahradjeli akba, to reach the plateau.puis continue towards the site of Tin Teghert, with famous rock engravings bivouac on the spot
04: we take the direction of the oasis of Iherir down to Ihrir, visit the Oasis and gueltas bivouac Ihrir.
05: Back to the Admer Erg and bivouac awjidit see beautiful sunset
06: The magical sunrise reminds us that we are in the heart of the Tassili one of the great open-air museum classified World Heritage by UNISCO We cross the Ténéré part, lunch in Tilalène visit painting bivouac in Jarf
Amoud
07: crossing the erg Admer; lunch next to the engraving of the "Cow Crying arrived in Djanet in the afternoon, visit the city and its palm plantation dinner and transfer to the airport for departure.
our trip in desert
TRIP essendilenne
Trekking Carrying luggage by camels
Duration: 08 days
It is a hike from Essendilène, in the direction of Djanet through several beautiful valleys in the company of our camel caravan, the change of scenery is total. You will be astonished by the diversity of landscapes that change with the sandstone of your footsteps, dunes, rocks with various forms emerging from the sand.
Program
Day 01: arrival at the airport of Djanet welcome by the team of the driver and Tuareg guide, transfer to the place of bivouac (tisras) to find the camel team with their camels.
Day 02: departure with the caravan of camels, lunch at (titlamin) .traversée plateau from titlamin.Bivouac to (hamilak)
Day 03: crossing the hamilak plateau lunch at (in mouraudan). Crossed the wadi Bivouac assassin at (talafazou).
Day 04: Dune crossings lunch at (Tilalen) then visit sunset Bivouac at (Tilalen).
Day 05: crossing dunes visit rock paintings lunch at (tikoubaouene) then visit the Arches of Tikoubaouene. Bivouac at (woven neigrar).
Day 06: visit of gueltas and canyons of toueya lunch at (ioialalat) .visit cave paintings bivouac at (ioialalat).
Day 07: visit the canyons of tadat naildez lunch (talat inzaye). Bivouac in (essendiléne).
Day 08: visited gueltas and canyons of essendiléne transfer in 4X4, towards djanet. Take a shower then visited the city and transfer in 4X4 .visited the engraving of the "Cow crying". bivouac at (tirarrart) Then, airport direction, for the flight night back.
Trip red tadrart
4x4 trekking
Duration: 08 days
The Tadrart (200 km south-east of Djanet) is located in the south of Tassili N'Ajjer National Park, is an infinite variety of landscapes, where the black color mingles with the reddest sands. changing color dunes, sandstone castles and cathedral-cut rocks, secret gueltas, plains flooded with light and discovering many Neolithic engravings and paintings.
Program
day 01: arrival at the airport, hosted by our Tuareg team. Transfer to your birthplace in Tinamali
Day 02: departure towards Tadrart with the 4x4, arrive at El Berdj We play Beautiful landscapes.
Days 03: Crossing Wadi El Berdj to admire the engravings and rock paintings Afternoon passage for 4x4 in the sand dunes to join the evening camp in Moulanaga
Day 04: Departure towards Ouan Zaouten passage between extraordinary pink dunes and sandstone rocks. You discover the engravings of Ouan Iska we arrive at the end of the day in Ouan Zaouten.
Day 05: We continue our trek to To Tehak, visit the arches of the cathedral, paintings and engravings. In-Tehak bivouac
Day 06: Departure towards Tin-Merzouga, passage in the magical landscapes, composed of rocks with various shapes, then arrival at noon before sunset in Tin-Merzouga. Bivouac at the foot of the dune
Day 07: Departure from Tin-Merzouga towards Ajalati, all terrain vehicles borrowed from Djaran; its cliffs carved by erosion sheltering many engravings and cave paintings. ajalati bivouac
Day 08: Departure towards Djanet, go at noon through the city and transfer in 4X4 .visited the engraving of the cow crying. bivouac at (tirarrart) Then, direction airport, for the flight night back
PRACTICAL INFORMATION
accommodations
Water & Meals
The traditional dish that we eat in the Sahara is the taguella: thick pancake cooked under the ember-covered sand, accompanied by a mutton sauce with tomato and vegetables. The meals are mostly cold at noon and warm at nightDuring the tours, your cook will amaze you with his dishes made from local products and cooked every day during the camp.
Morning meal: tea, coffee, hot chocolate, bread, jam, butter
Lunch: cold meal around a mixed salad and tea
Evening meal: hot meal soup main course
at the end of the stage: snack around a tea and biscuits.
Every night around the fire you take tea in the Tuareg way The tea is, as in any Saharan zone, the traditional drink. Always served three times, the tea does not refuse. As the services progress, the tea changes its flavor and appearance (light at first, balanced at the second, bitter at the last).
If the water is usually boiled by your companions, plan pellets (type micropur or others) to disinfect the water you put in your bottle, depending on the source and on the advice of your guide. You can also buy mineral water on site (not included in the price) but its ecological balance is mediocre, micropure capsule to purify the water
baggage
A large, solid travel bag and small backpack for walking. This luggage must be strong (use a cover if necessary)Only your backpack with your belongings of the day will be transported by you, the rest of the luggage and sleeping equipment being either routed by 4x4 or more commonly on the backs of camels, your faithful companions throughout the circuit
We advise you to take suitcases with wheels for convenience, except for programs with animals of stockings (camels, donkeys ...) where it is necessary to privilege the backpacks and bags of voyages to avoid hurting the animals
Passport & visa
For foreign nationals, the visa is obligatory. You must make the arrangements yourself to the Algerian Consulate, in this case thank you for contacting us so that we can provide you with a certificate of support for our local team, Passport valid and valid 6 months after the date of returnEquipment
A warm sleeping bag
Hat
Sunglasses
One or two gourdes
Necessary hygiene and toilet
Soap
tissue
Toilet paper
Pharmacy
Solar cream
Lipstick
One or two flashlights with backup batteries (the front are very practical)
Dandruff and spare batteries for your camera
Loose clothes, preferably made of cotton
A pair of sandals and a pair of tennis shoes or walking shoes
Your checkbooks and credit cards are not usable in the region
