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Algeria - Wildlife & Culture
Tour Code: ALG01An 8-day holiday to the largest country in Africa to enjoy excellent birding, including searching for the endemic Algerian Nuthatch, the country's other wildlife and superlative cultural highlights.
£3,995
£3,895
Highlights
Tour Itinerary and Reports
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Summary
This exciting 8-day tour of Algeria offers a rich blend of birdwatching and cultural exploration across diverse landscapes, from lush forests to arid deserts. The journey begins with a flight from London to Algiers, from where we will make a short transfer to Jijel, where we will spend three nights. Here, birdwatching in the Djimla and Taza National Parks offers opportunities to find such exciting species as Algerian Nuthatch, Maghreb Owl, Atlas Flycatcher, and Levaillant’s Woodpecker. Across three days, we’ll enjoy excursions focused on the verdant forests and coastal regions, offering a mix of wildlife and stunning natural scenery.
Next, we will travel from Jijel to Constantine, with a stop at the UNESCO-listed Roman site of Djemila. In Constantine, known for its dramatic gorges and historical significance, we can observe Alpine and Pallid Swifts as well as the Algerian cirtensis subspecies of Western Jackdaw. The journey then continues with a flight to Tamanrasset, where the tour shifts focus to the breathtaking desert landscapes. Here, we can enjoy exciting excursions exploring the rugged terrain of the Hoggar Mountains, the Assekrem Plateau, and surrounding areas, seeking out desert-adapted birds such as Desert Wheatear, Fulvous Babbler, and the beautiful Crowned Sandgrouse.
The final days of the tour are spent exploring the gueltas and wetlands near Tamanrasset, which provide habitat for, amongst others, such exciting Western Palearctic species as African Silverbill and Red-billed Firefinch. The tour concludes with an early morning flight back to Algiers, with a city tour of Algiers – including Kasbah of Algiers, Notre Dame d’Afrique Cathedral, and the Palace of the Raïs – before the return flight to London. This exciting itinerary offers a comprehensive experience of Algeria's diverse habitats and wildlife, combined with a fascinating insight into the region’s rich cultural and historical heritage.
Important: please note that it is prohibited to import binoculars and telescopes into Algeria and therefore birding is achieved mainly through telephoto camera lenses, which our local leader will also be equipped with.
- Search for the endemic Algerian Nuthatch
- Superb Western Palearctic birdlife including Red-billed Firefinch, Fulvous Babbler, Crowned Sandgrouse, African Silverbill, Maghreb Owl and much more
- Visit the World Heritage Site of Djémila
- Explore Constantine, one of the world’s oldest cities, and once capital of the Numidian Kingdom
- Led by local guides, alongside a Naturetrek guide
Grading
This is a grade B holiday. There are no particularly strenuous walks during this tour; however, some of the sites cover large areas, so distances of numerous miles per day are not unexpected. We will also be doing a reasonable amount of walking in some of the city areas, so you should feel comfortable walking and being on your feet for much of the day. In the latter part of the holiday, we will of course often be walking on sandy or rocky terrain, and temperatures can of course be very warm in the desert.
Outline Itinerary
What's Included?
- Flights
- Accommodation:
We use simple, comfortable hotels; generally, the best available in the areas we visit, and en suite throughout.
- Food:
All meals are included throughout this holiday, starting with dinner on Day 1 and ending with lunch on Day 8.
Dates & Prices
2025
Tour Leader: Martin Pitt
Martin has had an interest in wildlife since an early age and, although he worked in development and consultancy across the globe, he has always kept this interest going. He has been leading tours for Naturetrek, both in the UK and overseas, since 2017.
Primarily interested in birds and mammals, his time living in the Middle East (a year in the UAE and 2 years in Israel) gave him a deep love of desert ecosystems. More recently, he has spent an increasing amount of time focused on butterflies and dragonflies. He is the author of the ‘Crossbill Nature Guide to Southern Morocco’ and as of 2023 he is also the Bird Recorder for Hampshire.
Martin has led a number of tours, including day trips and weekends in Hampshire and the adjacent areas, as well as tours overseas including Austria, Ethiopia, France, Mexico, Morocco, Poland, Romania, Spain and Uzbekistan.
2026
Prefer to Travel in a Private Group?
For any interested natural history club or society, we can arrange for a private departure of this tour.
Enquire
Why Naturetrek?
At Naturetrek we craft expertly-guided group and tailor-made wildlife holidays and cruises to all seven continents. On one of our holidays, you can be assured that our passionate team will enable you to experience and enjoy the best of the world's wildlife and natural spectacles in as comfortable and rewarding a manner as possible, caring as best we can for the environment in the process. We are proud to provide:
- The widest choice of wildlife holidays worldwide
- Tours managed and led by naturalists, for naturalists
- Outstanding value and exceptional customer service
Furthermore, as a Naturetrek client, our office team are always to on hand to help you – so if you have any queries about your holiday, whether before or after you have booked, we will be delighted to answer them on the phone. Please just give our team a call!
