Once a popular holiday destination on a par with neighbouring Morocco, Algeria's
tourist industry all but disappeared when bitter civil war broke out in
1992. After a decade of conflict the situation improved slightly, and
some access to the southern Sahara region has been possible in the last
couple of years. However, independent travel without a vehicle is almost
nonexistent, and after the tourist abductions of 2003 self-drive
travellers need to be very aware of the risks involved.
This dearth of visitors is a great shame, as
Algeria is one of the most fascinating countries in North Africa. In the
dramatic Unesco-listed Tassili N'Ajjer and Hoggar regions, near the
town of Tamanrasset, tribal culture is very much alive, and the day-to-day hassle common to many Arab countries is conspicuously absent. Algiers contains a vivid mix of tradition and modernism, its colonial past maintaining a presence. Timimoun embodies the storybook oasis town of the Sahara, and the welcoming town of In Salah is split in two by a creeping sand dune.
Your
options for travel are limited, especially as a backpacker, but a
chance to see even a part of this vast nation should not be passed up.
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