Trek to the Lost City of Sefar – Tassili n’Ajjer
27 December to 4 January: welcome the New Year at camp in Tin Tazarift.
Overview
In the footsteps of Tuareg guides.
- Duration
- 9 days / 8 nights · New Year
- Departure & return
- Algiers, via Constantine and Djanet
- Walking level
- Demanding · 7/10
- Minimum age
- 10 years
Read the full overview
Return domestic flights to Djanet, guided visits, full board with a Tuareg cook, and a bilingual Riwaya Travel tour leader are included. Visa-on-arrival arrangements for your Algeria trip are also included. Explore Séfar, an archaeological treasure in the heart of the Tassili, and capture unforgettable images of the desert landscapes.
The UNESCO-listed Tassili n’Ajjer is a remarkable destination for discovering the Sahara. The Sefar trek offers an opportunity to explore its sculpted landscapes and exceptional rock-art heritage on foot.
The adventure begins with a flight from Algiers, around two and a half hours away. As you approach Djanet, the scale and variety of the desert landscapes offer a memorable introduction to southern Algeria.
Discover Djanet and the culture of its Tuareg communities. With limited mobile coverage along the desert route, there is time to slow down, enjoy the landscape and reconnect with your travelling companions.
Sefar is one of the Tassili’s outstanding rock-art landscapes. Explore its maze of sandstone formations and decorated shelters, where ancient images offer glimpses of the Sahara’s human history. Walking here brings the region’s natural and cultural heritage into focus.
Away from busy tourism routes, the Sefar trek offers time to absorb the Tassili n’Ajjer’s extraordinary scenery. Share the journey with your family or companions and the Tuareg team who guide you across the plateau.
Discover the Tassili n’Ajjer and Sefar on a walking journey through the Algerian Sahara, combining remarkable landscapes and encounters with its ancient heritage.
Itinerary · New Year 2027
Nine days on the Tassili plateau.
27 December 2026 to 4 January 2027. Two nights in Djanet, five nights camping on the plateau and a final night travelling. The bus leaves Algiers at 9 am on 27 December.
Day 127 DecemberAlgiers – Constantine – Djanet
Leave Algiers by bus at 9 am for Constantine. Time permitting, enjoy a short visit to the city of bridges before transferring to the airport. Your flight to Djanet departs at 9.10 pm and arrives at 11.10 pm. Our team meets you at the airport and takes you to your accommodation for the night.
Day 228 DecemberDjanet – Tafilalet – Tamrit
After breakfast, visit Djanet’s market for any last purchases, then drive to the foot of the Tafilalet pass to meet your Tuareg team. Begin the demanding ascent to the Tassili plateau, with expanding views over cliffs and desert scenery. Continue on foot to Tamrit, among sandstone formations shaped by erosion. Set up your first camp on the plateau after a sustained day of walking.
Day 329 DecemberTamrit and the cypress valley
Walk from camp to explore the Tamrit area. Among sandstone formations and sandy passages, the valley shelters the remarkable Tassili cypresses, living reminders of a wetter Sahara. Enjoy a gentler day after the previous day’s ascent. Return to camp for the night in the Tamrit area.
Day 430 DecemberTamrit – Sefar
Continue on foot through sculpted rocks, sandy passages and mineral valleys towards Sefar. Discover the first painted shelters, whose figures and scenes reveal the Sahara’s ancient history. Overnight camping in the Sefar area.
Day 531 DecemberSefar – Tin Tazarift
Explore Sefar’s painted shelters within a maze of sandstone. With your guide, observe human and animal figures created thousands of years ago. Continue towards Tin Tazarift, known for its rock art. Enjoy dinner at camp and welcome the New Year on the Tassili plateau.
Day 61 JanuaryTin Tazarift – Tin Zoumaitek – Tamrit
Walk across the Tassili towards Tamrit. Depending on the route chosen by your guide, discover the decorated shelters of Tin Zoumaitek before returning to the landscapes of the cypress valley. Spend a final peaceful evening camping on the plateau with your Tuareg team.
Day 72 JanuaryTamrit – Djanet
After breakfast, begin the descent from the plateau, with new perspectives on the cliffs and desert below. At the foot of the Tassili, meet your vehicle for the return to Djanet. Settle into your accommodation and rest after several days of trekking.
Day 83 JanuaryDjanet – Constantine
Spend the final day exploring Djanet and its surroundings. In the afternoon, visit Tagharghart to admire the celebrated Crying Cow engraving. Transfer to the airport in the evening for the 11.59 pm flight to Constantine, arriving at 2.05 am on 4 January.
Day 94 JanuaryConstantine – Algiers
On arrival in Constantine, travel by bus to Algiers airport. Allow around five hours for the road transfer. The international return flight must be booked separately.
Also view the standard 7-day itinerary
Day 1Algiers – Djanet
Our team welcomes you on arrival in Algiers. After collecting your luggage, take a domestic flight to Djanet, one of the gateways to the Algerian Sahara.
A member of our Tuareg team meets you in Djanet. Transfer to your hotel, settle in and rest before the journey into the desert begins.
Day 2Tafilalet and the Tamrit plateau
Head towards the foothills and continue onto the Tamrit plateau. Enjoy lunch at the Tuareg camp, then take a short walk to discover the cypress valley and its canyon. Camp beneath the stars and share a traditional meal featuring taguella bread, grilled dishes and soup.
Day 3The rock city of Sefar
Set off to discover some of the Tassili’s important rock-art sites. Stop for a lunch prepared by your team at camp, then continue walking towards Sefar, where remarkable formations and ancient images reveal the desert’s long history.
Day 4From Sefar to Tin Tazarift
Continue exploring Sefar before reaching Tin Tazafirt, known for prehistoric images of cattle and herding life. Spend the afternoon taking in the scale of the landscape and the tranquillity of the plateau.
Day 5The rock paintings of Tin Zoumaitok
Discover the celebrated rock paintings of Tin Zoumaitok, then continue towards Tamrit. Spend the evening with your Tuareg team, sharing a meal, stories and local traditions.
Day 6The Crying Cow engraving
Return to Djanet and your hotel for a rest and a shower. Later, visit the Crying Cow engraving at Tagharghart, an outstanding example of the region’s rock art.
Day 7Return to Algiers
Transfer to the airport for your return flight, connecting through Algiers before continuing to Europe. This marks the end of your Saharan journey.
View location map
The marker indicates the trekking region northeast of Djanet. Google map background, as displayed on the Riwaya itinerary.
Photo gallery
Sefar in pictures.
Tour sustainability
What our score measures.
The 80/100 score refers to the standard Sefar trek. The New Year itinerary travels via Constantine. Your quote provides an estimate adjusted to the transfers and group size.
Read the Riwaya methodologyThe four criteria
- Transport
- Vehicles, distances and occupancy.
- Resources
- Water use, waste management and plastic use.
- People
- Local employment and team remuneration.
- Heritage
- Respect for sites and awareness of fragile environments.
Practical information
Before you travel.
Price includes
- Camping accommodation: single or double tents with orthopaedic mattress, duvet and pillow included.
- Private 4x4 vehicle with driver
- French-speaking Tuareg tour leader; English-speaking option available
- Cook
- Return bus transfers between Algiers and Constantine and domestic flights between Constantine and Djanet.
- Full board: breakfast, lunch and dinner
- Drinks: water, tea and coffee
- Tassili n’Ajjer park entrance fees
Price excludes
- International flights and airport taxes
- Visa fees
- Personal expenses: souvenirs, tips, alcoholic drinks and similar purchases
- Comprehensive travel and cancellation insurance
- Transfer between central Algiers and the airport
Departure, return and entry requirements
Meet in Algiers for the 9 am bus departure on 27 December. On the return journey, the flight from Djanet reaches Constantine at 2.05 am on 4 January, followed by a bus transfer of around five hours to Algiers airport. Ask your adviser which international flight time to book.
Riwaya assists with the visa-on-arrival procedure where applicable. Visa fees are payable by the traveller.
Check visa requirementsWalking level and group size
The New Year departure is rated 7/10 for walking, with a demanding ascent at Tafilalet. Groups have up to 15 travellers. The minimum age stated for the Sefar trek is 10 years.
Explore New Year departuresReviews of Riwaya Travel
« Notre excellent accompagnateur a su s’adapter à notre demande. Il a une grande culture locale et générale. »
Gabrielle P. · Google review reproduced on the Riwaya website