Algeria: The oasis of Djanet is attracting more and more Western tourists

Since the implementation of a visa-on-arrival system in 2021, over 4,000 foreigners, according to local media figures, have visited Djanet, located 2,300 km southeast of Algiers, and its surroundings, including the Tassili n’Ajjer, a magical site listed by UNESCO.

The Tassili n’Ajjer National Park is characterized by a lunar landscape, dotted with ‘rock forests’ of eroded sandstone, geological formations with colors ranging from orange to black, delighting photographers at sunset.

‘Once you come to Djanet, you are compelled to return. That’s exactly what happened to me. Now, I am here with two friends, and all they want is to come back as soon as possible,’ confided to AFP Karim Benacine, a 57-year-old French tourist working for the musicography group Universal Music.

‘I would like to go there often because it revitalizes me, I’m going to need it. Now that I’ve experienced this, I think I’m going to do it regularly,’ concurs his compatriot, Antonine De Saint Pierre, 49, interviewed by AFP at the end of July.

The Tassili, a vast plateau of over 70,000 km², also houses ‘one of the most important collections of prehistoric rock art in the world, with over 15,000 drawings and engravings,’ explains UNESCO on its website.

Source: https://www.france24.com/fr/info-en-continu/20230818-alg%C3%A9rie-l-oasis-de-djanet-attire-de-plus-en-plus-de-touristes-occidentaux