Description

DAY 1 ALGIERS
Arrive Algiers.

Upon Arrival, you are met and transferred to the hotel.

DAY 2 ALGIERS
Your guide will meet you at hotel and take you for an orientation tour of the city.

Overlooking the waters of the Mediterranean, Algiers began life as a Phoenician trading post, but it was the 10th century Berbers under Bologhine ibn Ziri who began the city’s rise to prosperity. Over time it fell to the Almohades, the Ottomans and the French, before a bloody struggle for independence finally saw the Algerians wrestle control from their colonial overlords in the early 1960’s.

Enjoy a full day city tour of Algiers. Much of the historic heart of the city dates back to Ottoman times and includes the impressive façade of the Ketchaoua Mosque. Without doubt the city’s most iconic structure is the impressive Cathedral of Notre Dame d’Afrique, an imposing 19th century basilica that commands stunning views across the Bay of Algiers.

Traditional Algerian Lunch at a local restaurant.

This afternoon we will see the Place Emir Abd-el-Kader (panoramic square with statue of founder of Algerian nation), neo-Moorish Grande Poste, esplanade.

DAY 3 ALGIERS – DJEMILA – CONSTANTINE
Today, your guide will meet you at 08h30am and as we head out from the hustle and bustle of the capital to the impressive ancient Roman city of Djemila, a UNESCO World Heritage site considered one of the finest in North Africa.

The wheel-rutted streets of ancient Cuicul, founded by Nerva to house his subjects, are lined with what would have been elaborate houses, a forum, basilica, triumphal arches and temples. It is a fascinating example of Roman town planning adapted to suit its mountain location. Equally impressive is Djemila’s fascinating museum, where every square inch of the immense walls are plastered with mosaics.

Lunch will be at Local restaurant.

After wandering around this charming site we continue our journey east to Constantine or ‘Cirta’ with its dramatic setting amongst precipitous cliffs and deep gorges. The French writer Alexandre Dumas called it ‘a fantastic city’, something like Gulliver’s flying island.

Founded 2,000 years ago, a plateau surrounded by deep ravines was a great place to build because the city could be easily defended. Since then Constantine has outgrown the plateau and spilled over into the adjoining areas. They are connected to the old city by seven high bridges hence the title ‘City of Bridges’.

DAY 4 CONSTANTINE – ORAN
This morning, your guide will meet you at 08h30am, we’ll drive a short distance north to the small Roman ruins at Tiddis. Also known as Castellum Tidditanorum, it’s perhaps Algeria’s most impressively located Roman site. Originally believed to be a Berber settlement, Tiddis is an oddity in that it’s made up of winding pathways that climb the hillside it clings to, as well as paved streets, a temple of Mithras, an impressive arch, cisterns and a small forum.

From here we’ll drive back to Constantine for lunch before heading out on a guided tour of the city. Constantine boasts an excellent museum noted in particular for its Roman mosaics, as well as the delightful Palace of Ahmed Bey, a handful of impressive mosques, a traditional casbah with its local market and of course, the architectural triumph of the city’s bridges for which it’s so well known. Time permitting we’ll also visit the impressive Abdul Khader mosque.

Lunch at the restaurant.

Transfer to the airport for later afternoon flight to Algeria’s second largest city, Oran.

DAY 5 ORAN
After breakfast, your guide will meet you and head out on a guided tour of Oran, the original home of fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent and novelist Albert Camus.

Oran has a significant Spanish flavour to it after more than two centuries of occupation before the French took over in the 19th century. We’ll visit the major sites such as Place du 1er Novembre, Santa Cruz fort and chapel, La Cathedrale du Sacre Coeur and Bey’s Palace.

DAY 6 ORAN – TIPAZA – ALGIERS
This morning, your guide will meet you and we’ll drive east to the UNESCO World Heritage site of Tipaza on the Mediterranean coast. Considered to be one of the most important archaeological sites in North Africa, this old Roman port rose to prominence under the emperor Septimus Severus (AD193-211), and provides us with a remarkable collection of Punic, Roman and Numidian temples and monuments.

From here we’ll continue east towards Algiers, and time permitting visit the Royal Mausoleum of Mauretania on the way. This imposing tomb is the final resting place of Berber Juba II and Cleopatra Selene II, who were the last king and queen of the ancient Kingdom of Mauretania.

Seafood lunch will be served at local restaurant.

Returning to Algiers by the early evening we’ll check into our hotel.

DAY 7 ALGIERS – GHARDAIA
This morning after check out, we proceed to Jardin De Sai Elhamma Gardens, the biggest and the most organized park in Algiers it contains a various Plants from worldwide for whom like to see the variety of plants.

Continue to see the Fine Arts Museum.

This afternoon, proceed to the airport for Ghardaia Flight.

On arrival, meet and greet transfer to hotel.

DAY 8 GHARDAIA
Ghardaia lies in the heart of the traditional homeland of the Ibadi Muslim sect, and is today part of a preserved piece of medieval splendour, made up of five fortified settlements that occupy the highest hills in the valley, each one crowned by a lone towering minaret.

A distinctive blend of white and red buildings, these snapshots in time still retain the customs and traditions of a culture that has endured since the Mozabite Berbers of the 11th century, providing us with a unique insight into a way of life that can trace its ancestry back a thousand years.

Your guide will meet you at hotel and proceed to sightseeing of Ghardaïa.

Explore the pyramid-shaped Mosque of Ghardaïa (Ghardaia Palace) and the orthogonal clay houses of pink, white and red which inspired French philosopher Simone de Beauvoir to liken the town to “un tableau cubiste magnifiquement construit” (“a magnificently constructed Cubist painting”).

Lunch will be served at local restaurant.

Visit nearby Mélika, another of the towns of the M’Zab Valley, which is home to the evocative white clay turrets of the Tomb of Sidi Aissa. Short visit to Bani Yezgin then Back to hotel.

DAY 9 GHARDAIA
Your guide will meet you at hotel and proceed to El mansourah (70km) desert dunes and camp, relax.

Experience desert vistas, stop to admire the vast expanse and marvel at the immense desolation that is the Sahara Desert.

A traditional Coscos Lunch will be served.

Afternoon back to the Hotel.

DAY 10 GHARDAIA – ALGIERS – HOME
After breakfast then proceed to the airport for flight to Algiers. On arrival, with assistance transit from internal airport terminal to International airport terminal for your flight home.

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