Enduro tour in Algeria #1 - Tadrart
TASSILI N'AJJER & TADRART - 10 days
Desert Soul Adventures is proud to announce our guided enduro motorbike desert off-road tour in Algeria. The country has been for the last decades unfortunately infamous for its security issues in certain parts of its territory. The logical consequence was that certain areas suffered travel restrictions for foreigners and it has become almost impossible to even enter this vast and charming country and ride on a motorbike around. The security has improved over the last years and the authorities have turned on a green light for tourism again, guaranteeing our safety. So, organized guided and supported enduro dirt bike motorcycle tours are possible again in Algeria.
Our enduro motorbike tour will start and end in the town of Djanet in southeastern Algeria and cover the area of the amazing Tadrart Rouge, which is the Algerian extension of the famous Libyan Akakus Mountains, and the Tassili n'Ajjer National park. Along the approximately 1000 km, ridden across 8 days on the motorcycle, we will enjoy some superb desert sand riding and be amazed by the incredible beauty of the rock formations that meet sky-high dunes of mostly yellow and red colour.
Tassili n'Ajjer National park is also famous for its prehistoric rock carvings and paintings, dating back as much as 12.000 years. Among several stops during our daily stages on the motorbike tour in Algeria to get aware of the moment and feel the beauty and tranquillity of the desert, we will also discover some of the engravings and paintings of ancient fauna that existed here before 5.000 BC when the present-day desert was still a savannah: crocodiles, elephants, gazelles, rhinos, giraffes etc.
Start and finish in Djanet
Breathtaking rock formations, 300-metre-high dunes, prehistoric rock paintings and carvings, yellow and red sand, pristine endless sand sea, a stone forest, enormous natural ride park
Camp surrounded by sand dunes
Evenings at camp fire
Mostly easy riding on soft sand flats with endless opportunities to spice the riding up on rocks and dunes
8 riding days, 40 engine hours, 1000 km
ARRIVAL TO DJANET
If arriving from abroad, you will most definitely choose a flight to Algeria's capital Algiers (Alger in French - IATA: ALG). From there, take the Air Algerie flight to Djanet (IATA: DJG) where we will meet you and all the other tour members at the airport and take you to our Djanet hotel. When the flights for the concerned period are published, all the booked participants will receive the information about which flight to Djanet to take.
After accommodating in the hotel and relaxing with a drink or two, a motorbike tour briefing with your guide and our local guide will take place. The bikes rental documentation will be sorted out on that occasion as well and rental bikes handed over. Dinner and overnight in the hotel.
250 km
DJANET – EL BERDJ
In the morning, we will really start our enduro motorcycle desert tour and leave the “civilisation” by driving to the desert. A set of incredibly varied riding surfaces and landscape types will roll in front of our eyes for the whole day until we reach the gorge of El Berdj.
Our camp will be set up at this magical place, surrounded by rock paintings and engravings. Our cook will prepare us our first desert dinner here. And he will keep doing it until we finish our supported desert enduro tour in the Tassili n'Ajjer area of Algeria.
60 km
EL BERDJ – WAN TABERKAT – MOULANAGA
This day will be our grand entry into the world of impressively high and soft dunes. Unbelievable rock formations will be around us for the whole day: pinnacles, columns, arches – you name it. We will ride the first serious dunes on this day. At several locations, we will be stopping for 15 minutes to one hour just to play in the sand, “sail” on the dunes and try to climb the highest ones.
After a good day on the motorbikes, in late afternoon we will set our bivouac at the foot of the famous Moulanaga dune.
80 km
MOULANAGA – TAMZDIGA – BOUHDIAN – TIN MERZOUGA
After seeing some more rock carvings and rock paintings, the colour of the sand surrounding us will turn from yellow to red and we will ride along pink dunes and rock carvings. In the afternoon, we will reach the beautifully red dunes of Tin Merzouga, some of which climb up to 600 meters high. Our Algerian enduro tour will settle for the night right here and if you wish, you can climb on foot to the highest dune. It will take you the whole hour to reach the top!
100 km
TIN MERZOUGA – IN TIHAQ
Our guided enduro tour in Algeria will turn the loop back towards Djanet on this day. We will head into another part of Tin Merzouga sand dunes and try to reach its highest peaks. Afterwards, crossing the Wadi Indjaren with its rock paintings and engravings that will impress us again. We will set up our camp surrounded by the beautiful landscape of In Tihaq sand dunes.
Our motorbikes will probably have to be serviced after this tour day, if not before.
200 km
IN TIHAQ – ADJELATI – TIGHARGHART – DJANET
After the breakfast prepared by our cook, to visit the black sand dunes of Adjlati. We will stop for lunch at another charming place called Tigharghart and visit the beautiful engraving of a Crying cow, dating back to 8000 BC. Return to Djanet and overnight in a hotel.
50 km
DJANET – ADAIK
We will stroll through the desert town of Djanet in the morning, have lunch at a local cantina and then hit the dust again. The next desert bivouac on our Tassili n'Ajjer enduro tour in Algeria will be set in the middle of the incredible Adaik stone forest, famous for its beautiful sunsets.
130 km
ADAIK – TIKOBAWIN – ESSENDILENE – ERG ADMER
Riding through almost maze-like landscape, we will stop at a huge elephant-shaped rock and then continue our ride to visit the local nomads at the valley of Essendilene. Our last desert bivouac will be set under the huge dunes of the erg Admer, a 150-kilometres-long sand sea, stretching all the way to Niger.
130 km
ERG ADMER – DJANET
Crossing a beautiful desert landscape of extremely high and soft, almost white dune chains, this day will slowly lead us back to the town of Djanet where our motorcycle tour in Algeria will be wrapped. We will reach our hotel full of fond memories; both of desert enduro riding and incredibly impressive nature. We will say goodbye to our Touareg guide and the pick-up driver and then lube and load the bikes on our support truck and reorder our luggage for the departure.
Dinner and overnight in the hotel in Djanet.
DEPARTURE FROM DJANET
Depending on the flight schedule, the night may be quite short (on certain days, flights leave Djanet at night). Our Algerian motorcycle tour will end. End of our services.
Why bothering to bring your bike and gear to the desert? Rent one of our bikes and gear, travel hassle-free and save your time – we will prepare the bike for the desert and service it during and after the tour.
17.01.2025 - 26.01.2025
January 2025
27.01.2025 - 06.02.2025
January 2025
on our tours
Husqvarna
FE 350
Husqvarna
FE 450
Brand: Husqvarna
Model: FE 350
Model year: 2024
CC: 349.7
Type: 4 stroke single cylinder
Seat height: 952 mm
Suspension: WP Xact (48 mm front)
Brand: Husqvarna
Model: FE 450
Model year: 2024
CC: 449.9
Type: 4 stroke single cylinder
Seat height: 950 mm
Suspension: WP Xact (48 mm front)
A hard enduro bike between 249 and 549 cc with a 21-inch front wheel and hard enduro or cross tyres, capable of developing 100 km/h of top and 80 km/h of continuous speed (the lighter, the better, we strongly advise it to be under 140 kg) - our rental bikes certainly comply with these criteria
enduro equipment for maximum daytime temperatures between 20 and 30°C (MX helmet with goggles, body armour, enduro jacket, backpack with a minimum 3-litre hydration bag, 2 pairs of MX gloves, knee protectors, MX or enduro pants, MX boots)
head-lamp for the camp
good mood and reasonable physical shape for the planned stages
a sleeping bag that will provide you with a comfortable sleep at temperatures down to -5°C – a tent and a sleeping mat is provided by us
light clothes for during the day and warm ones for the evenings
off-road motorbike riding experience – if you are a complete newbie to enduro (but not motorcycle) riding, a couple of trials bike lessons will be much better for you than motocross training
each participant will receive ahead of time all the necessary information about the trip: how to prepare the bikes if not rented from us, when to arrive to the starting point of the tour as well as what to take with you and what to leave at home
Transport of 1 motorbike, your enduro equipment (in case delivered by you), possible spare-parts (in case delivered by you) and personal luggage (in case delivered by you) from Slovenia to Algeria and back. We normally pick up Swiss bikes in Milan, Italy
all breakfasts from day 2 through 9
all dinners from day 1 through 9
3 overnights in twin rooms (days 1, 7 & 9)
mid-day snacks on riding days (8x)
Algerian visa invitation (but not the visa itself - usually around 100 eur)
desert permit
tents and sleeping mats rental for all nights which are not spent in the hotel
guide on a motorbike, local guide in his 4x4
assistance truck on daily stages (food, water, petrol, transportation of your clothes, tools, spare tyres and inner tubes - possibility of purchase in case of need, first-aid case ...), possibility to take a shower each night (even in the desert)
our rally assistance truck with kitchen, power generator, air-compressor (for bikes and filters cleaning and tyre inflation), washing line, water, food, petrol, your equipment and for recovery interventions in case of a breakdown
petrol for your bike
travel medical insurance & assistance
possible motorcycle rental includes a Husqvarna four stroke bike with a set of tyres suitable for the tour, engine oil and filters as per the servicing interval, and motorbike maintenance during the tour (oil changes, air-filter cleaning).
Air-ticket to and from Djanet, Algeria
Algerian visa (but yes the invitation for it)
energy drinks nor sports nutrition supplements
spare parts (i.e. inner tubes, tyres, oils, filters etc.)
damage on rental motorcycles
other individual expenses
Price list
10-day adventure: 2.640,00 eur
Single room supplement (3 nights): 80 eur
Motorcycle rental "all inclusive", including oil, filters and a set of tyres:
(Husqvarna FE 350 - 1.100,00 eur / Husqvarna FE 450 - 1.200,00 eur)
A valid driver's license is required to take part in our Adventure on the motorbike as we will be also riding on public roads. We do not check your license, but prior to the first driving stage, you will have to sign a declaration that you possess one and that you will ride according to your experience and capabilities and entirely on your responsibility. In case of an emergency, the insurance company might require you to present your valid driver's license.