Algeria November 2018?

Algeria...

The Hoggars and the Grand Erg Occidental have been on my to do list for a very long time. Groups have started returning to the Djanet/Tamanrasset/Hoggars area over the past few months and one group did a trip to the edges of the Occidental sand sea. The security situation is quite good as it was the security forces erring on the side of caution that placed the area out of bounds for a few years. But they are relaxing restrictions and as long as you have the mandatory Algerian guide, you're free to roam the Hoggars once more.

I am not sure if I will organise a trip myself as the first official Popski's Private Expeditions (PPE) trip or look to join another organised tour who already has contacts in the region. Both have pros and cons. We will be taking Tembo and Pumba at minimum.

If I do organise it as a PPE trip, the club rules will apply: lightly loaded soft tops/no tops only. MCs would be welcome to join and toss some of their gear onto the 4x4s to stay light. There would be a small contribution to trip planning and guide costs but any surplus after the trip gets donated to the Popski's Private Army Association to preserve the war memorial.

I will be doing more research over the next few months and if anyone is interested, you can contact me here to discuss the the trip or find me at HUBB UK. I will also have a stand at Adventure Overland 2017 promoting the PPE club.

If organised as a PPE trip, the general concept of the trip would be:

-RV in Almeria, Spain on or about 01 November 2018
-Ferry to Oran, Algeria
-3-4 day drive to Djanet on tar/rough roads with mandatory escort
-16 days in the Hoggar mountains and desert
-4-5 day return to Oran, possibly with a short period playing on the edges of the Grand Erg Occidental sand sea
-Return ferry to Almeria by 25-26 November
-Primarily free camping but with some nights spent in very inexpensive, but nice hotels in Djanet or Tamanrasset.

Vehicles/Crew

-Open top/soft top vehicles only or motorcycles/road legal quads
-Crew members physically fit
-Vehicles self-contained for sleeping, cooking, tools and spares
-700 mile fuel range
-All crew have international health insurance
-Willing to share camp duties
-Couples welcome (as my wife will be going with her LR90)

Donation

- Would be confirmed once a guide agency is secured. Probably in region of £250-£350.
- Guide agency would assist with visas, letters of invitation, dealing with government institutions
- Donations paid 3-6 months prior to trip and non-refundable after 3 months prior unless trip is fully cancelled.

Just FYI...November 2018 is a long way off but I already have plans for this year and checked with Chris Scott, the Sahara guru, on the best month to do the Hoggars. He suggested November. The area is at a bit of altitude and temperatures should be reasonable (under 30c) but a bit chilly at night as deserts tend to be. So, lots of time for planning and getting soft top trucks sorted out for long range desert travel.

Hoggars

Looks like a good trip, very very good, have to see how our fitness will be next year, depending on the cost might just have to make do with Morocco.

Moving house this month, so won't have time to do much planning yet. But the idea is definitely growing on me.

Count me in Tembo. November is the perfect time for me, so hopefully I'll be able to make it this time around.

As mentioned in another post, I drove down from Algiers south to Agadez in Niger via Ain Salah, Tit (yep, you couldn't make it up), Tamanrasset and In Guezzam, although in reality we saw little of the country. The Hoggar mountains are spectacular, would love to go back and take my time.

BTW, Algiers to Agadez took 4 1/2 days and nights of virtual non-stop driving ... it's a MASSIVE country!!!

Going to be following the weather reports through October-December this year to get an idea what to expect for next year. Will also be watching for reports of other groups going this November to see how they get on with the logistics. Serious planning will probably start in Feb 2018.

Sounds promising.

So planning for Algeria is coming along. Chris Scott, the guru of Saharan travel, is headed there on a fly-in MC tour in the south this winter and hopefully we will get some ideas of what the local conditions are. No security issues have come up but still some restrictions on what areas of the Tassili and Hoggars you can access. Mostly it seems due to administrative rules. You can't cross district boundaries except of tar roads. But given most south Algerian districts are bigger than some European countries that shouldn't be a big issue.

So, hopefully will get some good intel by February from Chris and then hold a pub planning session for anyone interested in March/April next year. I still think we will carry on with a contingency plan to divert to Morocco and do another tour out through the Rekkam and down as far as Chegaga if something comes up that makes Algeria a problem.

Definitely looking for someone with good French language skills to join us as apparently there is only one person in all Southern Algeria who speaks passable English. We will probably have some spare seats available if someone just wants to see the Hoggars and not drive their own rig.

So Popski's Private Expeditions is working towards its first unofficial trip!

Saw this really nice video of the Hoggar area:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXM6_gb-WUI

Looks good to much walking for us,  we could just drive along the bottom of the dunes, 

Fantastic scenery well the worth a trip. Wish I could make it but it would mean another vehicle or a total reconfigure of the 110.
Also I've got too much in the pipeline for 2018, it's my 60th and I'm doing a trip down to Greece and a motorcycle tour of Italy later in the year.

There's also a possibility of a return to Morocco but that's dependent on timings.

I'm also looking at Norkap but at the moment that's still in the dreaming stage and a possibility for 2019.