This colossal cut out of North Africa remains oddly one of the continent’s least explored destinations. Tourist numbers still flounder at a low in the wake of political upheavals to boot. Yet there are unique experiences on offer here that simply cannot be had elsewhere on the planet, from wandering amidst some of the world’s best-preserved cave painting collections in the UNESCO-attested Plateau of the Rivers (Tassili n'Ajjer), to sampling the earthy, tribal cuisine of the Algerian Sahara.
What’s more, the capital at Algiers remains a palimpsest of cultural interest, where all the hallmarks of past colonial powers and North African nuances can still be spotted on the street corners, while the Parisian-style squares now buzz with an after dark energy that’s largely unheard of in this corner of the continent.
For those who want to flavour the unique melange of tribal cultures and religious faiths that have accumulated in Algeria over the centuries, there’s perhaps no better place to explore than the fabled valley of Ghardaia, a place any Algeria tour guide will tell you still exemplifies the nation’s diversity in all its facets.