Tasilli n'Ajjer, Algeria : the most scenic desert in the world.

The very first question is, “Why Algeria?”

And my answer is, “Because it is not Morocco, Egypt or Tunisia. If you want to experience north African hospitality in its authentic form, still not corrupted by the ill effects of mass tourism, then you got to visit Algeria. And if you come to Algeria you simply cannot return without seeing Tassili n'Ajjer desert plateau of the Sahara in southern Algeria”

I thought that the dunes of Namib Naukluft were the best in the world and incomparable. But I must say that the Tassili n'Ajjer gives Namibia a run for money and in some areas its beauty actually surpasses Namibia. The blood red sand of Tadrart Rouge and starkly contrasting dark towering volcanic rocks give it a Mars like appearance, missing from Namib desert. If you are a passionate landscape photographer like me, then this must be in your bucket lists.

Till about two years back obtaining Algerian travel visa was notoriously difficult and travel to the south, close to the border with Mali and Niger was practically impossible. Thankfully the country is opening up and you can travel to Tasilli n'Ajjer and Tasilli Hogar with guides.

The visa from London was surprisingly easy to obtain but it needed a lot of preparation and paperwork, including a letter of invitation form the travel agency. Accurate first hand information was difficult to find and TripAdvisor was the best source. I have written a detailed trip report in TripAdvisor to help future travellers and as I'm not going gain anything from directing you to that public forum, so I suggest you refer to that please. I have done similar thing in the past for Lencois in north Brazil.

I used Fancy Yellow, a local travel agency and I have nothing but praise for my agent Oussama.

I had arranged for private guides and drivers and it was a bit expensive but they covered every aspect. You can also join small group tours.

I was a bit worried about raw camping in the desert ( no glamping) but it wasn't too difficult. The local Berber tribe , the Tuaregs are the friendliest people you'd meet and their music is bound to touch your soul.

I travelled for seventeen days in Algeria from city to city and I really fell in love with the country. World's most scenic desert, vast Roman ruins, picturesque cities, French colonial architecture, World's best date Taglet nour, ancient towns steeped in traditions and the friendly people, what not to like.

We're British-Indians. On many occasions I was stopped and asked, " Where are you from brother?" When I said India, immediately people asked me about the Bollywood movies and Sharrukh Khan and Amitabh Bachhan.

Please do not worry about safety. Go and enjoy Algeria before it becomes a victim of mass tourism.

I know ninety-nine percent of Redditors would see these photos on their phones. But if you can please try to see in larger screen.

As Reddit does not allow me to post more than twenty pics so I'd just stick to the desert for this post but I'll return with more later, especially with the spectacular rock arts. I'm pretty sure AI would ban me thinking me a bot.