Ahaggar National Park, also known as Hoggar National Park, protects one of the most dramatic landscapes of southern Algeria. Centred on the vast Ahaggar massif around Tamanrasset, the region is characterised by volcanic mountains, jagged peaks, deep canyons, desert plains and isolated water sources in the heart of the Sahara.
The Ahaggar is quite different from the great sand seas commonly associated with the Sahara. Ancient volcanic activity and millions of years of erosion have created an extraordinary landscape of dark mountain ridges, rocky pinnacles and immense open horizons. It is this rugged scenery that makes the region one of the great wilderness destinations of Algeria.
Landscapes of the Ahaggar
At Arak, natural springs emerge within a spectacular canyon, supporting pockets of vegetation that contrast sharply with the surrounding arid landscape. These isolated sources of water have played an important role for both people and wildlife travelling through the Sahara.
The region also preserves evidence of a very different prehistoric Sahara. At Tadjmount, rock engravings depict animals including elephants, sheep, dogs and hippopotamuses, providing a remarkable record of periods when the environment and wildlife of the Sahara were dramatically different from those seen today.
Further north, the Tropic of Cancer crosses the region near In Ecker, with the dark and jagged landscapes of the Tefedest Mountains forming another of the Ahaggar’s distinctive geological features.
Assekrem and the Hoggar Mountains
One of the most celebrated destinations within the wider Ahaggar region is the Assekrem Plateau. High above the surrounding desert, Assekrem offers extraordinary views across the volcanic peaks and rocky needles of the Hoggar Mountains and is closely associated with the hermitage of Charles de Foucauld.
Explore the Algerian Sahara
For travellers, the Ahaggar offers an opportunity to experience a very different side of the Sahara – a landscape of mountains, canyons, prehistoric rock art and immense wilderness shaped by both geology and thousands of years of human history.
Explore the landscapes around Tamanrasset and the deep south on our Sahara Desert & Oasis Tour, combining the spectacular scenery of southern Algeria with Tuareg culture, desert travel and some of the country’s most remarkable Saharan landscapes.