Chott Melrhir

Chott Melrhir is the largest of the Algerian salt lakes, a shallow endorheic basin south of the Aures whose floor lies some forty metres below sea level, filling with a thin sheet of water after winter rain and drying through the summer into a crust of salt and mud that stretches beyond sight. Nothing grows on it. In wet years it draws flamingos and waders in numbers, and the edges carry salt-tolerant scrub grazed by camels. The surface reflects the sky when flooded and glares white when dry, and the roads from Biskra toward El Oued run along its northern side, which is how most people see it, as a change in the horizon rather than a destination.

The landscape

• A salt basin below sea level - the lowest ground in the country.
• Winter flooding and flamingos - the birds that arrive in wet years.
• Salt crust in summer - the white surface when the water is gone.
• Camels on the salt-tolerant edges - the grazing around the basin.

When to go

November to March, when there may be water, birds and bearable temperatures. Half a day as a stop. Summer heat here is extreme and the basin is featureless.

What to expect

Driving onto the chott is dangerous: the crust hides deep mud and vehicles get stuck to the axle. There are no facilities, shade or water anywhere near it. Flamingos depend entirely on rainfall and are often absent. The heat from May to September is severe.

Nearby

Biskra is north-west; El Oued lies east.

Key facts