Algeria > Driving Between Rock Formations

The wind was fierce last night. I heard the desert sand hitting the tent as the wind blew. Inside the tent, too, a thin layer of dust had settled. The ventilation window keeps out mosquitoes and insects, but not sand. Carefully, I dust off my phone. Luckily, I had stored my glasses in their case. Even though I thought I had paid close attention yesterday when folding the tent, I still cannot manage to collapse it. The driver helps with one smooth motion. It turns out I skipped one step. In the morning, we continue driving through the national park. Every view is beautiful. It’s a pity that it is so dry here that there is little you can do in this region and that hardly any animals live here. Most animals are nocturnal. We only see their tracks in the sand. Today, too, we pass several cave and rock paintings. We also stop at a small gorge. Between the rocks there is a narrow crack we can walk through. The rock formations resemble Monument Valley a little. With some imagination, you can recognize all kinds of shapes in them. We stop at a boulder with a hollow space underneath. It looks as if the huge rock was placed on top later. A bit farther on stands a hedgehog-shaped rock. The shape indeed resembles the animal. Around noon we reach the lunch spot. Ibrahim tells us that we are now the farthest into the national park and closest to the Libyan border. We are only thirty-five kilometers from the border. Starting tomorrow, we will slowly make our way back to Djanet. The lunch spot also turns out to be tonight’s campsite.

Algeria - The stunning view in the desert

This afternoon we can take it easy or possibly climb a sand dune. I take a sleeping mat and place it against the rocks. In the shade, I update my travel journal. Lunch consists of a bowl of salad and a bowl of an egg mixture. The flies are also very interested in our lunch. There are an incredible number of flies here. After lunch, I take a walk to the rocky point opposite our campsite. The distance is farther than I expected. It is difficult to estimate distances between the mountains. The sand dunes in the distance also turn out to be much farther away. Only when another car drives close to the dunes does the size of the hill become clear. I climb carefully over the rocks. The rock is porous and breaks easily. I only climb on the larger, sturdier boulders. From the rock, I can see our campsite and the vast surroundings—a beautiful sight. I walk a loop around the rock. Now and then, it takes some puzzling to figure out how to continue climbing safely over the rocks. In the late afternoon, I pitch my tent. I try to find a spot that is flat enough. Again, I place stones on the pegs. This is necessary here because the pins have no grip in the sand. Without stones, they pop out immediately. As the sun sinks, the red sand dunes become more and more beautiful in color. For dinner, the crew has prepared fries with meat. It tastes great. I end the evening with tea. It is prepared specially by pouring it several times from a height, which creates a layer of foam. The sweet tea is served in a small glass.

Algeria - The beautiful sand dunes of the Algerian Sahara