Tadrart Rouge

The Tadrart Rouge lies south of Djanet toward the Libyan and Nigerien borders, at the southern end of the Tassili n'Ajjer, and it is the part of the Algerian Sahara that photographs have made familiar: towers, arches and fins of deep red sandstone standing out of orange dunes, with narrow canyons, natural amphitheatres and gueltas holding water after rain. Rock art is found through the area, engravings and paintings left by people who lived here when the climate was wetter, showing cattle, giraffe and hunters. It is visited on four-wheel-drive expeditions of several days from Djanet, camping in the sand, with Tuareg guides who know the routes and the water.

What you actually see

• Red sandstone towers and arches - the formations rising out of the dunes.
• Orange dune fields - the sand between the rock.
• Prehistoric rock art - engravings and paintings of a wetter Sahara.
• Gueltas after rain - the rock pools that hold water.

When to go

November to March; the desert festival at Djanet falls in the cooler months. Three to five days minimum. Nights are cold. Permits and licensed guides are compulsory.

Honest expectations

It is a full expedition, not a day trip: several days of driving and camping with no facilities. Permits take time and must be arranged through an agency. Rock art is fragile and touching or wetting it destroys it. Summer travel here is not possible.

Nearby

Djanet is north; the Tassili plateau rises above it.