08 Days Algeria – Saharan New Year

Essentials: 

Will be sent with full itinerary when confirmed

Check List: 

Will be sent with full itinerary when confirmed

Passport:

Click here to check the visa requirements

The Algerian authorities have facilitated entry visas into the country for foreigners in order to encourage tourists to visit Algeria and all over the south

The visa is received at the airport after requesting (by filling out a form) the agencies from the concerned ministry (tourism) to bring in a foreign tourist group or deal with foreign travel agencies and pertaining to desert tourism.

The validity of the visa is 10 days, extendable to a maximum of one month.

The form is filled out by tourism and travel agencies.

Requirements:

– Copies of passports for foreign tourists.

– The tourism program is then sent to the Ministry of Tourism.

– If travelling to the desert, include the hotel reservation.

Minimum lead time for VISA request – 22 days

Weather:

Algeria is the largest country on the African continent, 80% of which is occupied by the largest desert on earth – the Sahara. The length of the coastline of Algeria is quite impressive too – as much as 998 km.

Having at its disposal a rather large territory, the natural world of Algeria is very diverse, and includes: plains, deserts and semi-deserts, including sandy and stony, the highlands of Ahaggar, and also the Atlas Mountains.

The climate of Algeria in the northern part of the country is subtropical Mediterranean, in the central and southern parts of the country it’s a tropical desert.

The climate is changing from north to south. On the Mediterranean coast, the climate is more comfortable for living, it has a moderately warm, humid winter and a hot summer. And the central and southern parts of Algeria are more severe – the Sahara Desert lies here, where it’s very dry and very hot for almost a year, besides huge sandstorms often rise here. Features of desert areas are very sharp fluctuations in air temperatures during day and night. The climate of northern Sahara is determined by stable high-pressure cells located above the Northern Tropics.

Autumn in Algeria, in the northern part of the country, begins in early October. The first half of the month, as a rule, is sunny and quite comfortable for rest, from the middle of October the real autumn comes on the coast, the sky is clouded with low clouds, rains can pass, but this happens infrequently. In the central part of the country, there are practically no rains in October, and the air temperature here is higher, of the order of + 20 °C in the daytime. November continues the trend of October with a decrease in the average air temperature, on average, to + 15 °C, the weather in November, as a rule, is not pleasant, it’s pretty cloudy, and the rains are coming.

Required clothing
Cotton and linen lightweights are best for winter months and for evenings in desert areas. Woollens and light rainwear are advised for the winter along the coast and the Hauts Plateaux. Remember that desert temperatures can drop very low during the night, so don’t get caught out with only flimsy layers. South of the Sahara, from mid­ December to mid-January, temperatures drop and warm clothes are necessary both in the morning and the evening. A mountain sleeping bag is also required when camping.

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Currency:

The currency in Algeria is the Dinar. Dinar (DZD) = 100 centimes. Notes are in denominations of DZD1,000, 500, 200, 100 and 50. Coins are in denominations of DZD100, 50, 20, 10, 5, 2 and 1, and 50, 20, 1O, 5 and 1 centimes.

Note: Because of the very strict adherence of the authorities to these regulations, visitors are strongly advised not to be associated with the black market, which tends to concentrate on the Euro and portable electronics.

Credit cards are generally only accepted in urban areas. Payment in cash is always preferred.

ATM – here are two or three functioning ATMs in Algiers, but they cannot be relied upon and there is black market for currency exchange. 

ln the past, difficulties have arisen when trying to exchange currency in Algeria, with only one national bank (La Banque Extérieure d’Algérie) able to exchange foreign currency at branches in major business centres. Difficulties are now decreasing and it is possible, for example, to exchange currency at some of the larger hotels. However, the facilities for currency exchange remain quite limited.

Vaccination:

Covid

*** Effective March 20, 2022, passengers can enter Algeria without restriction if they are fully vaccinated and if their last vaccine is not older than 9 months. Non-vaccinated passengers and those whose vaccinations are older than 9 months must have a negative PCR test within 72 hours of the time of arrival. We recommend that you check with the Algerian authorities on further entry requirements, including vaccination and quarantine.

1. Passengers must have

– A negative COVID-19 PCR test result issued at most 72 hours before departure from the first embarkation point. The test certificate must be in Arabic, English or French; or

– a COVID-19 vaccination certificate showing that they were fully vaccinated at most 9 months before arrival.

– This does not apply to passengers younger than 12 years.

2. Passengers must complete a health form found at https://c.ekstatic.net/ecl/documents/travel-requirements/algeria-medical-form.pdf

The form must be presented upon arrival.

Yellow fever

Yellow fever vaccination certificate required for travellers aged 1 year or over arriving from countries with risk of yellow fever transmission and for travellers having transited more than 12 hours through the airport of a country with risk of yellow fever transmission.

Vaccination against hepatitis B and tuberculosis is sometimes advised. Rabies is present.

For those at high risk, vaccination before arrival should be considered. lf you are bitten, seek medical help without delay.

There is little to no risk of malaria.

Algeria’s climate is dry and hot, so wearing sunscreen and a hat to shield from midday sun, is advised, as is having drinking water with you.

Trip Highlights:

Djanet

Moul N’aga

Tisseteka

Tassili – a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site and a World Natural Heritage Site

Toureg Guide