A country of virgin sites
Algeria is often claimed to be the crossroads of three worlds Mediterranean, Arab and African. It is also known as the “Balcony of the Mediterranean”. The interior of the country presents plenty of opportunities for sport and leisure activities.
Algeria is a country with geographical contrasts, with great differences, from the green valleys in between steep mountains in the north to some of the most extensive sand dune regions of all Sahara.
In the northern part of the vast territory, a littoral band with exotic beaches stretched endlessly for 1,200 km, mountains covered with snow sometimes until new shoots come out in early spring, and a vast desert that preserves its treasures, the unique fauna and flora that are protected by the desert. In the Sahara, the Hoggar Mountains peak culminates at 3,000 meters, and in the Tassili, one can admire the biggest open-air museum in the world, tracing back the origins of the humanity.
According to the latest report distributed by several environmental organizations, such the World Organization for the Protection of the Environment and World Wide Fund for Nature, Algeria is among the best 10 countries in the world in terms of natural beauty and diversity.
Although Algeria is so much less a tourist destination than its North African neighbors, Morocco and Tunisia. A great number of travelers to Algeria come here mainly for the desert, in which there are several oases as well as the mountains of Hoggar and Tassili N'Ajjer. With a desert this big, the oases are like small islands of a large ocean. The most famous of these is M'zab, where the inhabitants are “Ibadi”.
The mountains of Algeria represent both an obstacle and a protection. Berbers in the mountains have preserved their cultures and language, and the landscape here is stunning. Mountains are high enough to catch snow in winter, and Chréa is the main ski resort.
During summer, the coast of Algeria attracts regional tourists, and there are several nice beach resorts.
The greatest cities like Algiers, Oran and Annaba owes a lot to the French period. Many quarters of these cities will make you wonder if you are in France proper.
Algiers:
Algeria is above all Algiers, its capital, a window that reflects thousands of places to be discovered and rediscovered. The Algiers bay is one of the most beautiful in the world and offers and interesting perspective on modern Algerian life. The legendary Kasbah, a UNESCO heritage, an historic site of the struggle for liberation, is in itself an extraordinary tourism route. For amateurs in art, Algiers offers seven magnificent art galleries.
Mediterranean Crossroad Algiers, "white city", this cosmopolitan capital, with a rich history, is also a Mediterranean crossroad. In Algiers, more than anywhere else, the influence of the Mediterranean is omnipresent. The beautiful El Jaza’ir bay is but a proof of the increasing influence of "la Grande bleue" (the Mediterranean), which has in the past played a major role in the history of the country. In addition, every corner of the city shows a great deal of its history or of its histories.
Oran:
Oran’s history is similarly colourful, having been the stopping point on the trade route between Spain and Morocco, due to its convenient geographic location. That legacy is reflected in the city’s altogether European feel, with evidence of a Spanish and French colonial past never far away. Tour the soaring Sacré-Cœur cathedral – now a library – or get involved with the numerous events going on at the Palais de la Culture.
Constantine: Algeria's City of Bridges
Algeria’s third city, Constantine, is one of the grand spectacles of the north, made by nature but embellished by man. Over time, the Oued Rhumel carved out a deep gorge around an outcrop of rock, creating a natural fortress that was already occupied in Neolithic times. Since then Constantine (Cirta as it was known in antiquity) has always been a city of political, cultural and economic significance.
The French writer Alexandre Dumas called it ‘a fantastic city, something like Gulliver’s flying island’. The sense of fantasy has still not left it, for however much building has gone on around, the heart of Constantine remains on that upland shelf, reached by bridges. It is a cosmopolitan place which, over the centuries, has attracted traders, as well as invaders, from around the Mediterranean including Jews from France and Spain, Ottoman Turks, Genoese and others.
The city has been selected by the Arab League Organization to be the capital of Arab culture in 2015.
Unfortunately Algeria has major but untapped potential for tourism. The reason behind that fact is that Algeria is slowly healing from years of regional civil war and national unrest (during the 90s). With a police among the best trained to stake out terrorists, Algeria now emerge as no more dangerous than anywhere else.
After having been neglected for many years, destination Algeria has experienced a renewed interest. The Algerian Government is trying to set up a conductive strategy for developing tourism by the year 2015 because there are lots of potentials and Algeria can boast of many assets.
Algeria has 174 zones of tourist expansion spread all over the country and which are concerned by the tourism investment. For this reason, the Ministry of tourism invites all national or foreign organizations to invest in this very profitable market.
According to forecasts of the Ministry of tourism, by the year 2015, tourist flow will pass to 3.1 million visitors against 1.6 million in 2004 and the cumulate payments of the tourist activity would be in 2015 of more than 6 billion dollars for the country.
However, in this Tourism promotion venture priority is given to Djanet and Tamanrasset as they happen to be the preferred location for foreign tourists due to its striking ecosystem. In order to meet this tall by 2015, the Tourism Department has come up with a well thought-out strategic plan with numerous lucrative incentives.
The improvement of security issues and the current economic boom will help in developing national and international investment in Algerian tourism over the medium and long term. Growing tourism in southern Algeria, the return of international airlines (Air France, Eagle Azure, British Airways, Alitalia, Lufthansa, Qatar Airways), the opening of a new international airport in Algiers in 2006 and declaration of investment intentions by major hotel groups indicate a healthy future for the sector.
UNESCO Sites of Algeria
Algeria has seven sites inscribed on UNESCO's World Heritage list: Beni Hammad, Djemila, the M'Zab Valley, the Tassili, Timgad, Tipasa and the casbah of Algiers.
M'Zab: Ghardaia & Beni Isguen
Ghardaia is one of the pentapolis towns of the Saharan M'Zab Valley, one of Algeria's UNESCO World Heritage sites. In the walled settlement of Beni Isguen - normally closed to foreigners - the local women, clad entirely in white, reveal only one eye to the outside world.
Djemila
Djemila - ancient Cuicul - is one of North Africa's most monumental sites. Founded by Nerva, Djemila's wheel-rutted streets are lined with two fora and a clutch of elaborate houses, churches and temples. Equally impressive is Djemila's stunning museum of mosaics.
Tipasa
Tipasa, nestling undisturbed amongst palm trees on the shores of the Mediterranean, once served as an inspiration to Albert Camus. Phoenician, Roman, palaeo-Christian and Byzantine ruins vie for attention alongside the nearby Mauritanian mausoleum.
Timgad
Timgad, the "Pompeii of Africa", was constructed under Trajan as a bulwark against the unruly Berbers. With its immense library, colonnaded streets, myriad temples and imposing arch of Trajan, Timgad is the embodiment of Roman urban planning.
Tassili
Algeria's mountainous Tassili region, bordering Libya to the east and Niger to the south, is distinguished by its towering dunes of sand, its sheer-sided canyons, its beguiling "forests of rock" and over 15,000 rock carvings and paintings.
Algiers Casbah
The casbah of Algiers remains one of the world's most mythical labyrinths: "a masterpiece of architecture and town planning" according to Le Corbusier, the casbah's huddled houses tumble down the hill-side before seemingly spilling over into the sea.
Beni Hammad
Situated in a mountainous site of extraordinary beauty, the ruins of the first capital of the Hammadid emirs, founded in 1007 and demolished in 1152, provide an authentic picture of a fortified Muslim city crowned by one of North Africa's largest mosques.