Join our Algeria Tour and come explore one of the biggest, strangest and least-visited countries on Earth. I'm going back to back to back with 3 group trips. The REAL Algeria, then an optional extension to Tunisia. Then to Libya. You can join 1, 2 or 3 of then!

We’re going from the Mediterranean coast of Algiers, then deep into the Sahara with a flight south all the way to Djanet (where most people NEVER venture!). Then back north to Constantine and some of the best Roman ruins anywhere outside Italy.

Algeria is legit travel. This is not Morocco with fewer tourists. This is not Tunisia with a longer drive. Algeria is its own thing entirely. Africa’s biggest country. Nearly four times the size of France. Mostly desert. Barely touched by tourism. And somehow home to ancient Roman cities, dramatic cliff-top towns, French boulevards, Tuareg camps and some of the wildest Sahara scenery on the planet.

Seven days. 2 domestic flights. Some wild roadtrips Three UNESCO Roman sites. Two nights in the deep, real Sahara. One ridiculous red-eye flight directly across Algeria. And a country almost nobody you know has visited. This is your invitation to join us in January 2027.

I first visited way back in 2015! I visited during Ramadan, stayed with the most amazing host family and Algeria quickly became one of my top 10 favourite countries to this day.

The world is getting smaller. Thailand is full of Starbucks, Madrid looks like Sydney, and Cancun is basically Miami. Where can you go to REALLY TRAVEL!? Everyone goes to Morocco. Loads of people visit Egypt. A few travellers make it to Tunisia. But Algeria?

Almost nobody.

Which is mental when you realise what’s actually here. Algeria is the biggest country in Africa. The Sahara covers most of it. The Mediterranean sits along the entire northern coast. The Romans built some of their finest cities here. The French left behind huge boulevards and whitewashed architecture. And the Tuareg people have lived in the desert for centuries.

Still, tourism barely exists. Due to safety concerns from a few decades ago, but now it's safe. And the visa (with the right contacts) is easier than ever! So let's goooooo! That means no endless tour buses. No fake desert camps lined up beside each other. No queues of influencers fighting over the same sunset photo. We’re going now because Algeria still feels like an adventure.

It won’t stay that way forever.

Super safe for our destinations. Algiers, Constantine, Tipaza, Timgad and Djemila are super safe to visit. Violent crime against tourists is uncommon, and many visitors comment that locals are welcoming and helpful. 

It's all about who you know. And we know the right people! Visa on arrival, for pretty much every nationality. There's some paperwork on your end that we'll deal with via email and whatsapp, but after that, you just show up (and pay the visa fee - $100-$200, depending on nationalities).

This is Algeria. Domestic flight times can change. Routes can change. Permits can take time. The Sahara does not care about your or our!) spreadsheet.

We have built the itinerary around the current direct flight schedules, including the late Algiers-to-Djanet flight and the direct Djanet-to-Constantine flight. But some flexibility is part of travelling here. That’s also what makes it interesting.

For that reason, even after you've signed up, we suggest booking your flights quite late incase we have to move the dates forward or backward 1 day.

Arrive at your leisure on day one. There are cheap and easy flights from places like Paris, Tunis, Istanbul, Frankfurt, Dubai. Super easy to access these days.

On arrival, you'll be surprised! It looks more southern Europe than the image most people have of North Africa. French boulevards, Ottoman lanes, balconies, old cafés and the sea sitting right there beneath the city. Once everyone is checked in, we’ll head out for dinner, and a relaxed stroll. Nothing too organised. Nothing too serious.This is just about getting everyone together, eating too much and beginning the trip properly.

Overnight: Algiers

Today we explore Algiers properly. We’ll head into the Casbah, the UNESCO-listed old city that climbs steeply above the harbour. This place is a maze. I remember it fondly from my first visit. Tiny streets, hidden courtyards, old mosques, Ottoman houses, people selling absolutely everything and plenty of wrong turns.

We’ll also visit the Martyrs’ Memorial, the giant monument overlooking the city, and see some of the grand French colonial buildings around central Algiers. Then we grab dinner, collect our bags and head to the airport.

At 11:05 PM, we fly south. And I mean properly PROPERLY south. The flight takes us from the Mediterranean coast to Djanet, deep in Algeria’s southeastern Sahara.

We land at 1:20 AM, transfer to our hotel and collapse into bed.

Sleep: Djanet hotel

This is why we came. Djanet sits close to the Libyan border, surrounded by one of the most spectacular sections of the Sahara Desert. We’re not talking about a few dunes beside a road. This is the real thing. Only my Libya Tours and Mauritania Tours can claim the REAL Sahara like this (Egypt and Morocco don't come close)

Huge rock arches.

Empty desert valleys. Ancient sandstone formations. Giant orange dunes. Tuareg camps. Stars without a single city light anywhere nearby. We’ll load up the 4x4s and head out into the desert with our local Tuareg team.

The exact route will depend on weather, road conditions and local permits, but expect dramatic scenery around the Tassili n’Ajjer region. Tassili is famous for its strange rock formations and thousands of prehistoric paintings and engravings, some dating back many thousands of years.

Back when parts of the Sahara were green, people lived here alongside giraffes, cattle and other animals that now sound completely ridiculous in the middle of the desert.

We’ll stop for lunch in the middle of nowhere, explore on foot and continue deeper into the Sahara. Then we set up camp. Simple tents. Campfire food. Tea strong enough to keep you awake for a week. And a night sky that makes every expensive city hotel suddenly feel a bit pointless.

Sleep: Sahara desert camp

We wake up in the desert. F*ck yeah. No traffic, that's for sure. No emails, thank God! Just sand, rock and silence.

After breakfast, we continue exploring around Djanet. There will be more driving, short hikes (nothing that requires training, I promise!), rock formations and ridiculous desert viewpoints. The Sahara here is not just endless flat sand. That’s what makes Djanet so special.

One minute you’re surrounded by dunes. The next you’re driving through giant stone towers and narrow valleys that look like another planet. We’ll spend the entire day out there before returning towards Djanet in the evening.

Then comes one of the slightly madder parts of the trip. Our flight leaves Djanet just after midnight, at 12:25 AM, and flies directly to Constantine.

We land at 2:55 AM. Who needs sleep eh? You can sleep when you're dead! Yes, it’s brutal. But Yes, we’ll survive. And yes, this direct flight saves us losing an entire day flying back through Algiers. We transfer straight to the hotel and sleep until late morning.

Sleep: Constantine hotel

LATE START TODAY FOLKS! Today starts slowly. We’re not pretending that landing at 3 AM and waking up at 7 AM is good for anyone. So breakfast is late, pickup is around 10 or 11 AM, and then we head south towards Timgad. Timgad is one of the best-preserved Roman cities anywhere in the world.

The Romans founded it nearly 2,000 years ago as a military colony. Over time it grew into a full city with paved streets, temples, baths, markets, houses, libraries and a huge theatre. Then the desert slowly swallowed it. Which turned out to be quite useful, because the sand helped preserve the city.

Today you can still walk along the original Roman streets, pass beneath the Arch of Trajan and stand inside a theatre that once held thousands of people. And unlike Rome or Pompeii, there won’t be 40,000 tourists bumping into you. It’s a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of those places that makes you wonder why Algeria isn’t already full of visitors.

After exploring Timgad, we return to Constantine. Dinner, drinks and a much-needed proper night’s sleep.

Sleep: Constantine (2 nights in the same place, wow!)

Constantine might be the most dramatic city in Africa. The city is built across huge cliffs above the Rhumel Gorge, with bridges connecting different parts of town. Some are old stone bridges. Some are modern. Some look like they were designed by someone who had absolutely no fear of heights. We’ll explore the centre, walk across the bridges and take in the views across the gorge.

Constantine has existed for thousands of years and was once known as Cirta. It later took its current name from the Roman Emperor Constantine the Great. After the city tour, we drive to Djemila.

Yes, more Roman ruins. But trust me, this is not just the same thing again. Timgad is wide, open and built on a flat grid. Djemila is completely different. It sits in the mountains, surrounded by green hills, with Roman temples, arches, markets, houses and mosaics spread across the slopes. Its original Roman name was Cuicul, and it became one of North Africa’s wealthiest Roman settlements.

It’s another UNESCO World Heritage Site and is often listed among the best-preserved Roman towns anywhere in the Mediterranean world. After Djemila, we begin the long drive back towards Algiers.

ROAD TRIP TIME! We were gonna fly, but this is cooler. And it's only three and a half hours. But by the time we reach Algiers, we’ll have gone from cliff-top Constantine to a Roman city in the mountains, then all the way back to the Mediterranean coast.

Sleep: Algiers

One final UNESCO site. Because apparently three Roman cities in one week is completely normal. Tipaza sits directly on the Mediterranean, around an hour west of Algiers. The Romans built a coastal settlement here, and the ruins now stretch beside the sea. There are remains of basilicas, villas, baths, streets and an amphitheatre, all surrounded by pine trees and Mediterranean views. It’s completely different from both Timgad and Djemila.

Timgad is the giant desert city. Djemila is the mountain city.

Tipaza is Roman ruins beside the sea.

We’ll also visit the Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania, usually just called “the Tomb”, before heading back towards Algiers.

Then it’s airport time. The trip finishes with an evening flight out of Algeria. Probably to Tunisia (cheap and easy). Then you can join us on our Tunisia extension, or on my wild Libya tour.

Seven days earlier, most of the group probably couldn’t name three places in the country. Now you’ve crossed the Sahara, slept in a desert camp, visited three UNESCO Roman cities and explored two of Africa’s most underrated cities. Not a bad week!

We have an optional extension to Tunisia, and then Johnny (me!) is running a group trip to Libya, and you can pin them all together for a north africa extravaganza.