Ahaggar National Park (Hoggar) and Tamanrasset: Assekrem, Mount Tahat and travel advice

The Ahaggar, also called the Hoggar Mountains, is a volcanic massif in the heart of the Algerian Sahara, around the oasis town of Tamanrasset, about 1,500 km south of Algiers. Its highest point, Mount Tahat, rises to 2,908 m and is the highest summit in Algeria.

Ahaggar National Park

The area was named Ahaggar National Park in 1987 and covers about 450,000 km², one of the largest protected areas in Africa. It protects volcanic peaks, granite domes, high plateaus, rock-art sites and desert wildlife. It is the homeland of the Kel Ahaggar, the Tuareg of the Hoggar.

The Assekrem

The Assekrem plateau, in the Atakor, the volcanic heart of the massif, is the most famous viewpoint of the Algerian Sahara. Travellers come for sunrise and sunset over a sea of basalt peaks. The French priest Charles de Foucauld built a hermitage here in 1911, and a simple refuge near the summit welcomes visitors.

The track from Tamanrasset climbs for several hours by 4x4. Most trips leave in the afternoon, spend the night at the refuge or in a camp, and return after sunrise.

What else to see

• Tamanrasset: the market, the craftsmen's workshops (silver jewellery, leather) and the house of Charles de Foucauld in town.
• The Atakor peaks: walks among volcanic needles and plateaus, with a guide.
• Rock art: engravings and paintings on many sites of the massif.
• Desert camps: nights under the stars with Tuareg guides and cooks.

When to go

The usual season runs from October to April. Days are mild and sunny, but nights are cold, and in winter temperatures can drop below freezing on the plateaus: bring warm clothes and a good sleeping bag. Summer is very hot.

How to get there

Tamanrasset has an airport, Aguenar, with flights from Algiers. By road, the Trans-Saharan Highway is a drive of well over 1,000 km from the north. Most visitors fly in and travel in the massif with a licensed local agency, which provides 4x4, driver, guide and camping equipment.

Official travel advice

• United States (State Department, renewed on 25 August 2026): Level 2 for Algeria overall, but "Do not travel" to several places including Tamanrasset, to rural areas within 60 km of the borders with Libya, Niger, Mali and Mauritania, and to remote Sahara areas without an organised tour.
• United Kingdom (FCDO, updated on 25 September 2026): advises against all travel within 30 km of Algeria's borders with Libya, Mauritania, Mali and Niger.

Advice can change quickly: read your own government's page and check your travel insurance before booking. Foreign visitors to the deep south normally travel with a licensed Algerian agency; ask it about the current rules.

Quick answers

Where is the Ahaggar? In the far south of Algeria, around Tamanrasset, about 1,500 km south of Algiers.

What is the highest mountain in Algeria? Mount Tahat, 2,908 m, in the Atakor area of the Ahaggar.

Can you visit the Assekrem in one day? It is possible, but most visitors spend a night up there to see both sunset and sunrise.

Is a guide required? Travelling with a licensed agency and guide is the normal way to visit the massif; check the current rules before you book.

Hotels in Tamanrasset · Sahara tours in Algeria · Tassili n'Ajjer and Djanet · Is Algeria safe to visit?

Nreservi, online travel agency — 1st floor, 116 boulevard Colonel Krim Belkacem (Telemly), Algiers Centre — +213 540 28 40 40.