Nicely done vid.
But some Sahara Circles still remain mysterious ;-)
https://sahara-overland.com/2020/06/...f-adrar-madet/

About VOA
I found an interesting article on the website of the algerian consulate in France
https://consulat-nantes-algerie.fr/5...ance-de-visas/

In short : Voa only for organised groups with final destination to at least one of the 24 southern wilayas.

Hi, I have a UK passport and successfully got the VOA last month at Algiers airport. It didn't cost anything and it took about 1 hour of bureaucracy to process (proof of type of job you do etc) so make sure your domestic flight departs 3+ hours after you land in country.


I had a private Tadrart tour booked and the guide emailed me a 'boarding authorization' pdf to show to the airport staff at Paris (who also had to make a few calls at the gate and a bit of huffing and puffing)

From the WA facebook group

"People's Democratic Republic of Algeria
Ministry of the Interior, Local Governments and Urban Development
* Ministry of Interior
P
02
Initialization
2024 24 boom
In implementation of the instructions of the President of the Republic, Mr. Abdelmadjid Tebboune Al-Masdada, on the occasion of the inauguration of the two fixed border crossings between Algeria and Mauritania, which he supervised equally with his brother, the President of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania, Mr. Mohamed Ould Cheikh Al-Ghazouani, on February 22, 2024, the Ministry of the Interior, Local Communities and Urban Development informs that all arrangements have been made. necessary at the level of the “Martyr Mustafa Ben Boulaid” border crossing, starting yesterday, Friday, February 23, 2024, in order to open it to the movement of people, and to ensure its smooth entry and exit to and from the Islamic Republic.
Mauritania, in parallel with opening it to commercial traffic.
These measures are an embodiment of the high political will of the two presidents of the republic
The two countries to advance bilateral cooperation relations, common development and good neighborliness."

And how about this - eight gas stations on the 800 kms Tindo road?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5C2pNdp4M_k
Morocco - your move!

Stephan's report from the RIM/DZ border.
A case of very good timing:
https://cantone-libero.ch/reisen/afr...fen-%e2%ad%90/

https://www.algerie360.com/algerie-m...te-frontalier/

It seems they hadn't guide. Looks promising.

Is this a game changer? When you can now make working plans for a circuit including both Morocco and Algeria on the same trip, not having to take the same long road back but have several choices for Algeria.
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/Tang...iers,+Algeria/
Does this mean a potentially huge increase for tourism in south Algeria?

I don’t think that will happen soon. Or an increase from a very small number of adventurous overlanders to a small number.
There are still the delicate visa hoops to jump through; most others are still nervous about Algeria the way they used to (pretend to) be about Libya – before that became an actual fact in 2011.
And anyway, unless I was heading on to West Africa, I’d sooner spend all those miles and days exploring more of DZ than schlepping across northern RIM and back up the Atlantic Highway.
But your loop could make a great desert road trip. What a shame Grand Tour TV show is ending…

A couple of days ago at a Moroccan checkpoint close to the Alg border, the guy noted an old DZ visa in my passport.
‘You been there?’ I asked. Then I realised that was the wrong thing to say ;-)

For me it is definitely a tempting game changer and I've googled nearly the same route: like yours, but via Tunisia for the more convenient ferry options.

I absolutely like this new option. It would be more Sahara, than I´m dreaming of and it would be cheaper than the previous options driving to northern Africa, as I'd save myself +3000km worth of pricey EU fuel and French speed tickets.

Starting in central Europe towards the African Atlantic, it always felt like wasting time and fuel through mostly known areas (Germany, France, Spain) spending the best part of a week and 1k€ before I see something exciting in Morocco to then continue into a dead end, where I'd have to u-turn and +50% of the returning route is again already known turf.

Now I could drive to Genova in a loooong day, hop onto 100€ over-night ferries to Sardinia, then to Sicily (both is known surf and turf, too, but I´d surf the next day - not next week and food is just better) then to Tunis.

As far as I understand it, Tunisia - Algeria border is quite straight forward, if you have an invitation letter or hotel booking and I assume the crossing from Algeria into RIM will be visa on arrival for my German passport, like it is when coming into RIM from Morocco/DZ or Senegal. So this is visa wise a very low effort trip, without big planning in advance needed.

I think it comes down to a few things, but principally to what extent there has been a change in policy in Algiers or whether things are changing ad hoc.

A few thoughts:

1. For a substantial increase in the number of tourists, I think people will need more clarity and certainty before committing to a trip like this. That's dependent on a number of things falling into place (see pt.3) but principally a growing number of people being able to do this route and proving that its possible. Think of it like a tip of a spear - with the likes of the Swiss couple being at that tip.

2. Flowing from that, I think it comes down to a number of people who are just willing to give it a go and risk getting turned back, and being happy with that. Not all overlanders would wish to take that approach - overland travel has a range of people with a range of different appetites for risk, availability for travel, financial resources etc.

3. Really encouraging that the border has opened again, and great that there has been a formal announcement (unlike any change to visa requirements, excepting VOA). But be slightly cautious about viewing this purely through the prism of overland travel - i.e. it might be a loosening of rules that aimed at Algerian and Mauritanian citizens and trade here. A small number of tourists may be tolerated but only up to a point - a larger number of tourists may lead to a re-tightening of policy, especially if the Gendarmerie aren't comfortable with the number of tourists they have to keep track of. This applies to wider visa policy too by the way.

4. Question marks also still exist around guide/escort etc. When I was in the country last autumn, I left the main route to Tindouf somewhere after Bechar and didn't require an escort to that point but I'm not sure about thereafter. The Tindouf border crossing is obviously in a more sensitive area due to the WS issue and Mali isn't a million miles away either. On security and travel in the rest of the country (including the far south), I would describe the attitude of the Gendarmerie and the army on the ground as accepting of independent travel but not wholly comfortable and there being a consistent undercurrent of nervousness.

So there's a need to think about to what extent the le pouvoir are thinking about tourism policy in a serious way.

It could be, like the Saudis for example (another petrol-chemical state, and one which is thinking about its post-oil future), that this marks a concerted effort to attract tourism back to the country. However, and based on the 2 months I spent there last autumn and the country's history and power structures, I'm not sure if the country's leadership is dynamic enough to be thinking that way.

And its worth remembering that, from I understand (Chris S, do comment here!), even during the Saharan travel glory days of the '70s and '80s in the country, this was the result of a laissez-faire attitude rather than anything else.

So, certainly not wanting to put a downer on what's an exciting development, but also think there's a need for pragmatism here.

A few Sunday morning musings....

Ed

I'm moving to a world where multi-month trips won't be possible for a few years at least, so have also been looking at how I might still be able to a worthwhile trip to DZ for a couple of weeks.

In short, I've been recommended a shipping company based in Holland - some £600 for a return land-freight of a bike down to Malaga, which has plenty of cheap flights. Then a couple of hours' ride on to Almeria, there there are 8 hour overnight ferries to Oran (Tuesday) and Ghazaouet (Friday). I live in London, so dropping the bike off in Holland a few weeks or so beforehand and flying back home would probably work.

Let me know if you want the company's details.

Ed

Agreed that it mainly comes down to a change in how Algeria sees tourism.
If it opens up, it means tour operators may see a new market.
Also agree with Chris Scott that Algeria in itself is a destination where you could spend many months.
Saudi Arabia is destined to become a major tourist destination.
https://www.arabnews.com/node/2353656/saudi-arabia
The northwest is amazing and not much developed for tourists yet.
Others may take notice.
Inshallah etc.

I think the sort of tourism DZ, KSA and probably any other country wants is not the kind we do.
They want big groups flying into lavish local hotels then doing day trips in 4x4s with local drivers before exiting via the gift shop. The problem (unlike much richer KSA, I suspect) is that there has be very little development in the south to adequately serve these tourists. In the 600 desolate km between Djanet and Tam you would probably find 600 lodgings in Morocco over a similar distance.
But as Tom Sheppard might say - long may it stay like that!
The longer DZ does not become like Erg Chebbi the better.

Dirtbags in autonomous off-roaders bring little of economic value other than spreading the word of Alg's desert riches. Which makes the lack of enforcement of the 20-year-old agency escort rule even more puzzling.

Thanks for the offer, Ed

first, I have to admit to have joined this biker forum for the precious infos provided here for a long dreamt of Africa circumnavigation, but never did that big trip and never held a driving license for everything bigger than 50ccm. I feel very attached to my +50yrs old Landy Series 2a.

A true Sahara crossing with it is just a silly bucket list thing, which will or won't be check marked, once time and budget allows. There was a time pre-Covid, when I ran my own wind- & kitesurfschool from March to October on Sardinia and was better off in not turning on the heater in my flat during winter, but driving flat out (at barely 90km/h) towards the heat of the south of Spain or Morocco (unfortunately little surfable wind in M during the winter, so mostly stood in Tarifa). Pandemic had me to change places and my ways of earning a living and I won't be able to break free for a few months either in the overseeable future.

I've got a similar quote to have my car transported by truck from my current home in western Germany to Malaga by a Spanish freight company. Occasionally, I have imported classic cars to restore and resell from Spain through him. This could be still an option to save me the week of driving down there, but nearly at the same cost.

Actually I´m only daydreaming longer trips these days, too, maybe I can take a month or two off next winter for it, but going via Spain into Morocco would only be a new thing beyond Dakhla, so sneaking into Morocco from the other side, coming from Tunisia, Algeria, RIM, would be an exciting option and would allow me to visit friends on Sardinia, too.

Edit(h) is a bit confused, we were under the impression to have written my earlier response in the New Border: Algeria - Mauritania -Post Did some Mod move this conversation over here or am I just nuts?

I moved it here as it has become a general Alg discussion, not about the Tindouf border. Makes it easier for users to find stuff quickly.

And fyi, while HUBB was originally and is mainly a moto forum, unlike other regional HUBB forums, 'North Africa' (Sahara) covers info on exploring the desert by any means. It was originally my Sahara Travel Forum which I moved onto the HUBB over 20 years ago, and I've travelled out there with cars, motos, 4x4 and camels.