The beautiful underrated country home to incredible deserts and way cheaper than Spain
The idyllic African country should be next on everyone's bucket list.
If you’re bored of the same old summer holidays in Spain year after year and need to switch it up - this may be the place for you. This North African country is the biggest in the entire continent, and is bursting to the brim with rich history and cultural diversity.
Algeria, which lies on the Northern coast of Africa, is less than a three hour flight away from London. Home to the largest national park in Africa, the country has no end of things to do while you are visiting.
Tassili N’Ajjer National park stretches across 2,780 square miles of the central Sahara, and is a gold mine for any geology fan. The rock formations are bizarre, due to centuries of erosion which have created naturally forming pinnacles.
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It's not just the formations which are of interest. If you take a closer look, centuries of ‘graffiti’ decorate the faces of the rocks.
Locals have incredible legends and stories about the engravings, one of the infamous being the “crying cows”, which are said to represent the despair of cow herders after the “African humid period” ceased, and the once green and biodiverse Sahara became the desert it is today.
Algeria is also part of a historical period you may not expect - you can find Roman archaeological sites in the country. Cherchell, along the Mediterranean coast, is where Mark Antony and Cleopatra’s daughter, Selene, ruled after the Roman conquest of Egypt.
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The Romans are long gone, but their structures have remained for aeons. You can still catch the beautiful Roman baths, and Timgad, a Unesco World heritage site that doesn’t have the hustle and bustle of large crowds, so you can take in the breathtaking views in peace.
The country is relatively cheap, with transport, food and activities, you can get away with spending around £15 a day. As the country was once a French colony, many locals speak either French or Arabic.
Perhaps the most exciting part of the country is its divine cuisine. The national dish is couscous, which is often prepared with a variety of savoury stews, however it can also be consumed as a desert, when covered in almonds and milk.
Chakchouka is another dish to try on your visit, a common dish in North African countries, that has a poached egg on top of a bed of tomato sauce, onions and peppers, all lightly seasoned. It may seem like a breakfast dish but locals mostly enjoy it for their dinners.