Algeria – The Gem of Maghreb
I’d never realised that it takes only 2 hours 20 minutes to fly from London to Algiers – it’s a lot nearer than I imagined! On landing, I was at the end of a long immigration queue and as one would do on arrival in a non-EU country, I picked up a landing card which to my surprise was in Arabic/French! I have travelled to 45 countries and it’s the first time I came across a landing card not written in English! The only French or Arabic words I probably know are ‘Merci Beaucoup’ and ‘Shukran Jazeelan’. There wasn’t any free wifi at the airport either, else I could have used Google translate. I asked another fellow passenger from the UK if he knew any French and could help in exchange for a pen to fill in his own landing card – a good deal!
From his strong accent, I could make out the man was from the land of Scotch! A Glaswegian no less, and on his third trip this year to Algeria. He was working in the oil and gas sector which required frequent visits with his company. We were in the immigration queue for almost an hour and a half. “This is quite normal here, the queue never moves”, my fellow Scottish passenger said. There was another passenger travelling from London ahead of us who we also started talking to after he asked me if he could use his pen. Having travelled extensively, there’s one thing I never forget to carry – my pen! Complaining about how slow the queue was moving and why the landing cards weren’t printed in English got us through the hour!
Immigration was finally over and my bag was waiting for me, my local contact Yousuf hovering in Arrivals with a placard. I was finally in Algeria, a country I had been long wanting to visit.
It was a bright sunny day in Algiers and 26 degrees, a big relief from the windy cold weather in London. “Is it your first time in Algeria?” asked Yousuf as he helped me put my luggage in the boot. “Yes it is!” I replied. “Welcome to Algeria!” he said. We were finally at the Sofitel Hamma Garden, where I was going to be staying. After a quick lunch in the hotel cafeteria and a nap, I ventured into Le Jardin d’Essai du Hamma – please do not make me attempt to pronounce that! As a resident of the Sofitel, I had free access to the garden. Laid out by the French colonial masters in 1832, Hamma Garden is a beautiful landscaped garden, spanning over 30 acres with plants and trees brought from different parts of the world. You could call it the Central Park or Hyde Park of Algiers. I didn’t realise that the first Tarzan movie was also filmed here.
Soon my friend Merouane, and his friend Khalid, were there to pick me up and take me for a tour of the city in the evening. We took a stroll in the beautiful Rue Didouche Mourad, which if someone was blindfolded they would believe they were in one of the central districts in Paris. I have travelled to a number of former French colonial cities, such as Beirut, Tunis and Hanoi, and I found the French architecture in Algiers to be the most-well maintained and also the best!
We also used the local metro which was indeed quite enjoyable – I was quite impressed with the underground system there – much cleaner and better maintained than the one in Paris or New York! Taking the local metro gives you a good glimpse into the daily lives of the local people too.
I picked up some local lingo from Merouane and Khalid, such as saying “Saha” which means wishing the other person good health which is kind of like saying “bon appetit”. I also added the word “Sahbi” to my vocabulary which means “friend”. Merouane and Khalid took great care of me and were always trying to make sure I was having a good time. I found Algerian people to be extremely warm; kind and hospitable which always adds to the experience of the place you visit. It was soon dinner time. My local friends took me to a local restaurant which is known for its barbecue and local specialties – I have to say Algerian food is delicious! If you love meat and couscous, you will definitely enjoy the cuisine here. Having had less than three hours of sleep the night before, I was tired. I had another flight to catch to Timimoun in the morning. I soon crashed after my friends dropped me back to the hotel.
It was finally time for the Sahara! I was in Timimoun now after a two hour Air Algiers flight from Algiers. The Timimoun airport was smaller than the size of my parent’s living room in India – There was no baggage claim belt. They literally offload the bags from the plane just outside the living room, Oh I meant the airport. Being a foreign national, you have to register with the local police when you land in Timimoun. My driver, Otoman, drove to the local police station where the police took copies of my passport. It was much quicker than I expected it to be. No questions asked – They simply wanted to do their formalities. Having gone through 15 years of civil war in the 1990s and with ongoing civil war in neighboring Libya, the Algerian Government and authorities do whatever takes to ensure their borders and tourists remain safe. I felt safe at all times in Algeria.
Our next stop after the police station was the local market where I bought a blue coloured chach (i.e. their local headgear which they wear in the Sahara!) Those who were following my insta handle, would have seen me wearing it for the entire two day trip to the Sahara. I wasn’t wearing it just for fun or to get some cool Laurence of Arabia pictures– It helps us to better deal with unexpected winds gushing into your eyes and nostrils.
Finally we were at the guest house, where my hosts Khalid and Hamama were waiting for me. I was welcomed by a warm hug! Young couple – Khalid must be in his early 40s and Hamama must be in her mid-late 30s. They have 9 traditional Berber style huts in their guest house with quite a few palm trees. I was so glad that I decided to stay here instead of a hotel; it couldn’t have been more authentic than this. My friend Amal stayed at their guest house earlier this summer and had recommended staying here. Even although the huts looked simplistic from outside, they were comfortable with air conditioning inside. Khalid, the host was an interesting character with a number of stories to share. Born and raised in Algiers, Khaled and his wife Hamama decided to move to Timimoun 9 years before as they did not enjoy the busy city life. You can book your stay with them by emailing darelksartimimoun@gmail.com
After a nice cup of Algerian mint tea, our driver Otoman ventured into the sand dunes, which were less than 15 minutes away.
With Berber music playing in the four wheel drive, we drove through the sand dunes and stopped somewhere in the middle were I could only see sand in all directions. I was finally here. I was in the Sahara, the largest desert in the world! I started walking around the dunes. It really felt great to walk barefoot in the sand. The sand was so soft! As I ventured into the neighboring dunes, there was nobody to be seen. Even my driver Otoman was out of sight. I felt I had the Sahara to myself, and the vastness of the space was truly humbling. I sat down for a bit – the silence of the desert was beautiful to listen to!
I was so glad that I decided on Algeria to see the Sahara. It’s a totally off the beaten path destination. There were no tourists, no one to hassle me to buy any souvenirs. Just me and my dunes. Given that Algeria requires western nationals to obtain a visa in advance, it hasn’t attracted the same levels of tourism which neighboring Morocco and Tunisia have, even though it has much bigger potential to earn tourism revenues given its varied landscapes.
Algeria has everything; the desert, the sea and even snow-capped mountains! It was getting dark and I decided to return to the place where our four wheel drive was parked. Khaled was there as well! Otoman was making dinner over a bonfire. I sat down on the mat and started talking about politics in the Middle East with Khaled, a topic which I have always taken keen interest in. It was dark now but the stars weren’t visible unfortunately – it was cloudy! To my surprise, it started drizzling a bit “You have brought the English weather with you” joked Khaled in his strong French accent. It was my first day in the Sahara, the driest place in the world. Who would have thought it would rain on my first day there? Even though it was cloudy and I wasn’t able to see the stars, I still very much enjoyed every moment of it; it was surreal to be there. Otoman served vegetable soup followed by chicken and potatoes for the mains! Both very good. One has to admit that food cooked slow wood fire tastes much better compared to food cooked on electric or gas. We made our way back to the guest house at around 10pm after a great night in the Sahara.
Day 2: After a good filling breakfast served by Hamama, Otoman helped me to wear the chach (i.e. the Saharawian headgear) to return to my Laurence of Arabia mode! We started off with visiting the Ksar. The Ksar is very much in ruins but the views from the top of the oasis and the palm trees in the distance are quite beautiful.
Otoman also showed me the Fougarra irrigation system, which is still being used in the Sahara. It is a gently sloping underground channel to transport water from a water well for irrigation and drinking. Apparently it has been used since the 1st millennium B.C.
The weather suddenly worsened with a sudden sandstorm which meant that we had to make our bay back to the guest house rather than the dunes as initially planned. The wind speed was around 70 km/hour. Poor Otoman had to drive back with minimal visibility due to the blowing sand. I was unable to see the stars again that night and had to stay indoors as the sandstorm wasn’t expected to settle until early morning.
Khaled compensated for the unexpected weather by taking me to the dunes the next morning as I wasn’t due to fly back to Algiers until lunch time. Thanks to the sandstorm, the dunes were even taller than the first day, almost like a hill. I had around 3 hours in the Sahara all to myself. The kid in me made me climb every dune top I could in the time I had. I couldn’t stop myself from capturing the art work which the sand and wind make together on my DSLR! The Sahara has been one of the best experiences I have ever had, the other being flying a Tiger Moth, an open air cockpit plane in Dorset which as used to plane RAF pilots in WW2. It was time to leave for Algiers.
I was greeted in Algiers with wet and cold weather. I wasn’t missing London at all! Thankfully I had brought my jacket along. I treated myself to a fine dining experience at El Djenina, one of the most popular restaurants in the city which lived up to the hype for me. I loved the inside of the place, with wooden interiors and Arabic calligraphy. I then had an early night as I had a city tour starting early the next day.
My guide Omar from Yellow Fancy Tours was waiting in the lobby for me. On the recommendation of the hotel, I asked Omar to take me to the artisan workshop where I could buy handmade mosaics. I saw beautiful mosaic tiles in the hotel lobby with detailed fine hand work and couldn’t resist asking the staff where they sourced them from. The artisan workshop “Ceramiques Boumehdi” was big and it was fascinating to observe artisans at work. Their diligence and focus with which they were working was reflected in their pieces. I bought a collection of mosaic tiles for my parents. Algeria and Morocco have been known for their fine mosaic work for centuries. It was workers from the Maghreb who built the grand and magnificent monuments of AlHamra and Alcazar in Andaluscia, Spain. The workshop is located in 11 Rue, Chabouni ex La Fontaine Kouba – Alger. They can be reached on +213 550474299/+213 770230230
Next was the Casbah, the highlight of Algiers! If you are looking to be totally immersed in Algiers, come here! I thoroughly enjoyed the narrow winding lanes, artisan shops and moorish courtyards. I could infact smell the past. The Casbah is the old fortified city overlooking the Mediterranean with remains of citadels; old mosques and ottoman styled palaces. The Casbah in its current state dates back to the 16th century although it has been rebuilt over time since the Romans first settled here in the 3rd century B.C.The Casbah is both magical and mysterious and a must do if you are in Algiers. If you do plan to explore the Casbah, I would suggest getting a guide as it’s easy to get lost. I would suggest hiring Omar from Yellow Fancy Tours for the tour of the Casbah and other attractions in the city. Omar can also help with arranging a visa invitation letter required for visa purposes if you book a tour with him.
We spent rest of the afternoon strolling through the city centre covering Rue Didouche Mourad, Notre Dame; Grande Poste and the Le Museee National Des Beaux Arts (National Museum of Fine Arts). The National Museum of Fine Arts was a fine surprise. The location of the museum is already spectacular, overlooking the Hama Garden with its manicured lawns and fountains. Last but not the least, the collection of paintings; Arabic miniatures and sculptures that will knock you out! You are not allowed to take pictures here which I thought was a good thing as it keeps your focus on the art rather than your camera lens!
I ended my last evening with a nice meal at El Boustene. Sadly, my trip was coming to an end but both my mind and heart were filled with amazing memories and experiences. I was leaving with the hope of returning again to explore other parts of this amazing, undiscovered country. Algeria had exceeded my expectations; it’s a true hidden gem which I feel deserves more attention than its neighbours.
