Algeria travel guide

The town of Ain Sefra is far from pretty, but its location is just spectacular. Nested at the foot of massive sand dunes in a valley between mountains, which can be covered in snow in winter. The sand dunes are so close to the outskirts of town, that if the dunes move any further, it will start swallowing houses.

Algiers is a real charmer, but the beauty lies in the decay of the grand. Today magnificent white colonial buildings with ornaments and ironcasted balconies stands dilapidated along the French-built boulevards. Not a house - or a car for that matter - is untouched, all have peeling paint, dents and patches. Socialist-era monuments are dotted across public squares, which just add to the stark contrasts of Algiers. The crown jewel is the UNESCO World Heritage enlisted Casbah; an old islamic neighbourhood which spills down the hillside in a disoriented labyrinth of narrow lanes. The views of the Mediterranean Sea is just a bonus.

Instead racing down the lifeless highway N6 between Timimoun and Taghit (or Bechar), do a detour along the backroad between Beni Abbes and Tamtert. Here you pass a string of small towns, which lies at the foot of the big sand dunes. The detour is part of a route called "Tourist Circuit Beni Abbes - Tamtert", which includes sights like palm groves and ksars, but if you only have time for a short stop choose the picturesque Beni Abbes.

When locals describe the town of Bou Saada as "pretty", they mean its location at the foot of a mountain range and along a lush wadi. Since Bou Saada is at the entrance to the Sahara region, it has always been an important trading post and rest stop for nomads and today it's still a bustling place and popular with domestic tourists. The most charming part of town is the old ksar within the city walls with its arched alleyways and several mosques, some ancient. Remember to look up, because storks are nesting on top of the utility poles.

The oldest part of Algiers is the Casbah, which has become a UNESCO World Heritage site. It's an ancient quarter built on a hillside, which originally was a citadel with quarters clustered around. The Casbah had many mosques and Ottoman palaces, but many were destroyed during the French occupation, as the Casbah was used as a hideout for the insurgence. Today, big parts of the Casbah are in disrepair and risk of collapse, but it's still wonderful to get lost in the maze of steep and narrow lanes.

This cave lies about 17 km from Tlemcen on a hilltop. Don't be fooled by the kitsch family park at the entrance because the cave is impressive in both sizes of the chambers and stalagmites/stalactites. It's a show cave with coloured lights and a boardwalk. Unfortunately previous visitors have had trouble keeping their hands to themselves - though some of the damage might be from when mujahedeen used the cave during the war of independence.

You will be hard pressed to find a city with a more dramatic setting than Constantine. Located on both sides of a 200 m deep gorge. Eight bridges connect the two sides, and some of those are old and full of history. The most epic is the Sidi M'Cid suspension bridge from 1912, which was the highest bridge in the world (175 m) for 17 years. Common for all the bridges is the amazing (and at times nerve wrecking) views over and down the Rhumel Gorge. Though Constantine is Algeria's third largest city, the bustling casbah with the many street vendors can easily be navigated on foot. The only sight on the other side of the gorge is Monument aux Morts, which is best enjoyed in the late afternoon along with all the dating couples.

The five ancient ksars (fortified villages) Ghardaia, El Atteuf, Bounoura, Melika, and Beni Isguen in the M'zab Valley are listed as one UNESCO World Heritage site. Today the five villages have sprawled into each other, but the original ksars still exists with city gates and narrow lanes. Life here is still very traditional and many married women cover themselves entirely in a white cloth with only a tiny hole to peek through. In an understandable effort to preserve their ancient culture, you need to have a guide to walk around inside the actually ksars, where photographing also is restricted. However, the modern part outside the ksars can be explored on your own. The biggest and most famous of the villages is Ghardaia, but try to see as many of the others as possible, as they all have their own characteristics. Ghardaia for its old mosque, Beni Isguen for the auction market, and El Atteuf for the original marketplace, mausoleum and cemetery. If time, take a look at the palm groves and ancient irrigation tunnels.

So how can palm groves, fruit trees and vegetable gardens grow in the middle of the Sahara desert. In M'zab Valley they have over centuries constructed a sophisticated irrigation system which leads water (when it comes) to where it's needed. In Ghardaia Palm Grove they have constructed of system of underground tunnels, some tall enough for a (short) man to stand up in. It's possible to explore these dark tunnels when they are waterless.

Ghardaia and the surrounding villages are known for their "one-eyed" woman. Instead of a normal burqa, married women wrap a white cloth around their body and head in such a way, that there is only a tiny hole to peek through.