Mount Tahat

Tahat rises to 2,908 metres in the Atakor, the high volcanic core of the Hoggar massif in the far south, and it is the highest point in Algeria. The country around it is not the Sahara of sand but of black rock: eroded volcanic plugs, needles and domes standing on a plateau above two thousand metres, cold at night and green only in the beds of the wadis. The ascent itself is a long walk on scree and rock rather than a technical climb, made from a camp reached by four-wheel-drive from Tamanrasset with Tuareg guides. Assekrem, the hermitage plateau known for its sunrises, lies in the same range and is far more visited.

What you actually see

• The highest point in Algeria - 2,908 metres in the Hoggar.
• Volcanic needles and plugs - the eroded core of the Atakor.
• High desert above 2,000 metres - cold nights and black rock.
• Tuareg guides and camps - the way the massif is travelled.

When to go

November to March for daytime temperatures, though nights fall well below freezing. Two to three days including approach. Guides and authorisations are required and arranged in Tamanrasset.

Honest expectations

This is a remote high-altitude trip with no rescue infrastructure. Guides and permits are compulsory and arranged in advance. Nights are genuinely cold and equipment matters. Access to the far south is subject to changing official requirements.

Nearby

Assekrem is in the same range; Tamanrasset lies north-west.